Marchena is a service center for its surrounding agricultural lands of olive orchards and fields of cereal crops.

Attractions include the Church of San Juan Bautista within the Moorish town walls and the Arco de la Rosa (Arch of the Rose).

Human habitation of the Marchena area dates to prehistoric times at the third millennium BCE.

[5][6] From the first millennium BCE, the Tartessian civilization gathered metals such as tin and gold from the waters of the Guadalquivir River and brought their culture to the area of Marchena.

[8] In the late 3rd century BCE, forces of the Roman Empire under Publius Cornelius Scipio reached Seville.

[10] However, in comparison to the flourishing economy under Roman rule, under the Visigoths, the population decreased, agricultural endeavours were abandoned and once trading towns became small forts.

[11] Evidence for this change comes from the archaeological surveys of the kilns used for manufacturing amphora, and of olive presses and basins.

[12] From 711 CE, in its weak state, the Visigoth Kingdom gave way to Muslim invaders from North Africa.

[13] By the 12th century, Marchena was a medina (township) with a strong fortress and well defined systems of governance.

[19] On 18 December 1309, Ferdinand IV of Castile (1285 – 1312) made Fernando Ponce de Leon the new local ruler of Marchena.

Fernando's son, Pedro Ponce de León the Elder (died 1352) became the next Lord of Marchena.

Pedro's son, Juan was the Lord of Marchena till his death by execution in Seville in 1367.

[21] Nonetheless, Marchena remained a prosperous town from the 15th to the 18th centuries due to the patronage of the Ponce de Leon family and their descendants.

[22] In 1809, Brigadier General John Downie in command of the Royal Extremadura Legion liberated Marchena from the French.

[26] On the background of the weak military dictatorship of Miguel Primo de Rivera (1870 – 1930) the Spanish Constitution of 1931 was ratified.

[27] In Marchena, the premises of the town's branch of the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (National Confederation of Labour) were paid for by local landowners.

One of the leaders of the socialist movement in the region was Mariano Moreno Mateo (a lawyer and forensic psychiatrist) of Marchena.

From 1936, Francisco Franco (1892 – 1975) led the Bando nacional through the Spanish civil war to become dictator until his death.

[32] The Church of San Juan Bautista of Marchena on Calle Cristobal de Morales is a gothic – mudejar style religious monument of the late 15th century that venerates John the Baptist.

One uses brick and another is decorated in wood ornaments showing evangelical scenes in relief, paintings of Alejo Fernandez (circa 1475 – 1545), a marble bust of John the Baptist and the shields of Diego Deza (1444 – 1523) the Grand Inquisitor.

The Epistle organ (on the left when facing the choir) was built by Francisco Rodríguez a pupil of Jordi Bosch i Bernat.

In the 17th century the Baroque choir was carved in cedar wood by Juan Valencia on designs by Jerónimo Balbás.

[34]: p368 The Santa María de la Mota Church was built in the sixteenth century in the grounds of the ducal palace.

An example is Manuel Salvador Carmona (1734 – 1829), the engraver who created the altarpiece for the Brotherhood of Correa at the monastery of San Agustín de Marchena.

This museum is named after the artist Francisco de Zurbarán (1598–1664) who received patronage from the lords of Marchena.

In the church are displayed gold decorations by the silversmiths Francisco de Alfaro (c. 1548 – 1615) and Marco Beltrán.

The work, commissioned by Pedro Ponce de Leon, was officiated by a bull from Pope Martin V. Legend tells that a Moorish Princess had an unrequited love for a Christian captain.

Good Friday morning is devoted to the Royal and Illustrious Brotherhood of our Father Jesus of Nazareth.

Holy Saturday marks the descent of Christ and many moleeras (chants) are sung calling for the adoration of the Virgin Mary.

The attractions include casetas (display booths); horsemen and their horses and carriages; faralas (traditional frilled dresses) and recitals.