It shows the Spanish preparing their defences just before the arrival of Edward Cecil's Cádiz expedition of 1625.

In the left foreground is the city's governor Fernando Girón giving orders to his subordinates, including the deputy field commander Diego Ruiz.

In the background are the English troops landing in front of the El Puntal fort in the Bay of Cádiz.

Initially attributed to Eugenio Caxés,[1] it is now known to have been painted by Zurbarán[2] as part of a decorative scheme for the Hall of Realms at the Buen Retiro Palace in Madrid which also included Velázquez's The Surrender of Breda and Maino's The Recovery of Bahía de Todos los Santos.

Zurbarán also produced ten paintings of the Labours of Hercules for the Hall of Realms; these are also now in the Prado.