This settlement may have had an active trading with Greeks and Phoenicians[25] and was called San Bartolomé de Almonte, next to the current town and the ancient Lacus Ligustinus (Ligustinian Lake), which covered most of the territory between Seville and Cádiz, and dried completely in 700BC.

[26][27] Archaeologists George Bonsor and Adolf Schulten, in their search for Atlantis, discovered remains of a garum factory and a settlement near Cerro del Trigo (Spanish for wheat hill), which is nowadays part of Doñana.

This event attracts hundreds of thousands of people to town, prompting a sophisticated security plan involving police, first aid rooms and ambulances, helicopters and firemen to ensure the festivity goes on correctly.

[48] In the 2023 elections, Bella got a clear majority of votes, achieving a historical assignment of 12 councillors, which will allow him to lead a stable government that has an opportunity to manage such a demanding and complex administration as that of Almonte.

[50] Being one of the top organic fruit exporters in Europe,[11][12][14] many paths, trails and even roads in Almonte are constantly used by all kind of agricultural vehicles of all sizes, make it difficult for hikers and bikers to enjoy nature in certain zones.

Even though Almonte's average temperature is mild due to oceanic influence, there are heavy storms in the coast during winter which leave important damages to the seafront structures, like restaurants and pavements.

[79] Almonte was the first town to sign the Environmental Treaty (Carta por la Sostenibilidad) back in year 2000, which was later ratified by the Spanish primer minister[16] and has since affected local policies, including the urban plans.

Regarding flora, there is typical mediterranean scrub (sabins, bulrush, eucalyptus, pines, reeds, wattles, cork oaks, ferns, crowberries, palmettos, sedges, rosemary, brooms, thyme, junipers).

Fauna includes the precious Iberian lynx, deers, wild boars, foxes, herons, mongooses, rabbits, ducks, eagles, hawks, griffon vultures, eels, pikes, snakes, lizards, and chameleons.

Nowadays, these cultural and natural elements still attract around a million people from all over the world,[89] from tourists who enjoy its extensive shorelines to the highest personalities of the country, such as the presidents of the government and the Monarchy, who visit Almonte regularly[90] and even have an official residence in there.

[94][95] Next to a bridge over Santa María stream, around 1 km south from town, an area of around 2.47 acres (1 hectare) containing neolithic tools and structures was accidentally exhumed during the building of a pipeline to transport gas across Andalusia.

It is thought to have been used either to provide musical content to ancient rituals or as a way of instructing patterns when hunting[97] As mentioned in the history section, there are remains of a settlement of 40 hectares, with pottery and metallic tools (gold, silver, cupper and lead) nearby the San Bartolomé stream, as well as a 3-metre high oven.

[104][105] One of the watchtowers, Torre de la Higuera (literally, "Tower of the Fig Tree") is located at the beginning of the Matalascañas resort and has become a symbol for Almonte, often appearing in postcards and other touristic elements.

[112] Almonte has a wide variety of traditional festivities and holidays, many of which are related to the Doñana National Park and the economic activities carried out over the centuries all along the municipality, from the northern town to the southern coast.

The idea of taking advantage of the stunning natural landscape and ideal temperature to organise a musical event was followed by the creation of Global Tribe, an ecovillage located just a few kilometers from where the festival is held.

[139] The extensive ethnographic collection focuses on the symbiotic relationship between the urban and the natural environment and is divided into three main blocks: coast and marsh (farming, fishing and hunting), Almonte's agriculture (cereal, vineyards and olive) and industry (beekeeping, charcoal and tree oil, pine nut and wood extraction).

From there, people can access the third and last indoor section, a 500m2 building which hosts a great exhibition about El Rocío, including a replica of the "Abuelas Almonteñas" monument, whose original version is located in the east side of town.

[146] Located in the southewestern part of the village of El Rocío, on the west side of former road A483, this centre focuses on the symbiosis between the history of one of the most popular pilgrimages in the world and the largest natural reserve in Europe, Doñana.

Beyond the importance of the natural landscape itself, there is an organic farm school, a research centre for the Iberian lynx (which includes several multimedia rooms) and another one for the local pine tree, with a huge hollow trunk which people can visit.

Within lyric poetry, María Endrina was a writer and teacher who became head at the school of Cabezudos and combined her teachings with her main hobby, writing children poems about her town, many of them set in the postwar period.

[159] The Centro de Estudios Rocieros, which plays a key role in cultural researching, also contributes to literature with people like composers and songwriters Hermanos Gallardo, who have compiled more than 40 poems related to El Rocío, in their anthology Por Los Senderos del Alma.

Spanish musician and composer Manuel Pareja Obregón co-founded the Tabor School of Almonte, one of the six main ones in the country and also wrote the Salve Universal, one of the most renowned Hail Marys in the world.

[167] Unlike typical sevillanas, rocieras are more melodious and have deeper and more moving lyrics, often related to Almonte's cultural or natural heritage (the woods of Doñana, the pilgrimage, the Virgin of El Rocío, etc.).

Regarding rock, the band The Pink Pylon has become popular in town,[170] founded by Fran Báñez in the late 2000s and having released an EP in 2005 and an album in 2009, both with homonym titles and songs like Old Blues, Dark Night or Ice.

These are crunchy half moon-shaped toasted bread, stuffed with a wide variety of ingredients, the most common being pringá, cod, salmon, chorizo, frigate tuna with tomato, blue cheese and pork.

Different regional and national competitions take place in this circuit, including the Andalusian Championship[198] The main sport centre in town has also hosted international FMX events, with renowned pilots like Edgar Torronteras, Dany Torres or Fernando de Rodrigo.

Spain's Working Riding Championship is usually held in Huerta de la Cañada, an extensive outdoors equestrian facility able to host thousands of equids and located outside town, in the northern part.

Hunting, both at a sport level and for animal overpopulation purposes has always played a key role in Almonte, being the main reason behind the establishment of the Doñana National Park, which was for centuries a royal forest.

It has several tree species, a central lake which hosts migratory birds, fish and amphibians, several recreative areas with swings and other rides and calisthenics devices, a bonsai workshop, a skating rink, two captive donkeys, an open-air cinema, a gardening worshop and a multipurpose building for conferences.

[245] American magazine Condé Nast published an article within its section Traveler about Almonte, highlighting 7 main places of interest, including the historical centre of town, the village of El Rocío and Matalascañas.