Puerta de Santiago

This gate of the muralla was originally called the Puerta del Sol (door of the Sun), because when the sun hit this gate the city walls were opened for the day. The name was changed after the re-conquest of the city in honor of Saint James, the patron saint of Spain. Saint James is often referred to as Santiago Matamores, which means slayer of the Moors. The legend regarding the Puerta de Santiago is that when the Christians had overcome the Moors and re-taken the city, the image of Saint James on his stallion appeared and the horse’s hoof, complete with a cross, was imprinted upon the gate. The puerta is significant in the expansion of Trujillo because it was through this door that the city of Trujillo expanded into the Plaza and beyond.(Bissell, page 8)