Palacio de Riquelme - Jerez de la Frontera - Andalusia

The palace was built in the 16th century on the Plaza del Mercado , the old noble center , by the Riquelme family, as a show of power in light of the rivalry with other families in Jerez during the Middle Ages.

It is one of the most emblematic buildings in Jerez de la Frontera, but it is also one of the most forgotten. Tradition confirms that an ancient curse rests on its walls: Hernán Riquelme started construction, but went bankrupt during the project, something neither he nor his descendants would ever recover from. In the mid- 20th century it became a tenement , later stables, and in the 1980s it came into public hands . Since then it has been distinguished by its neglect and its visible decline . All the projects that they have tried to start up to give it a new life have failed . That economic disaster of the Riquelmes is not over yet. There are not a few people from Jerez who have passed by the building late at night and heard strange cries from within. As if Hernán Riquelme's haunted ghost still lives in what was once his palace, trapped within its walls. As if he's constantly repeating to himself, "If I couldn't finish this palace, no one else will..."

The facade presents a sculptural decoration with allusions to classical mythology and various symbolisms. The two reliefs of Hercules stand out, including Hercules on the left fighting the Nemean lion and the abduction of Deianira by the centaur Neso on the right.

The decoration is completed with a central frieze containing a bust of a female figure, the heraldic coat of arms of the Riquelme family and four medallions corresponding, according to their inscription, to Emperor Constantine , with the twins Romulus and Remus , to the King Nebuchadnezzar and Queen Camilla of the Aeneid.

Willem Vandenameele