Zarza la Mayor is a municipality located in the province of Cáceres, Extremadura, Spain.

The EX-117 road from Moraleja to Alcantara pass through Zarza la Mayor.

After the Spanish 'reconquista', due that the conquested areas were left with no population to take care of the land, the military order of Alcantara created an 'Encomienda' (or to assign an area to landlords to take care of it) called 'Encomienda de Peñafiel y la Çarça'.

During the 16th century the villa had a golden age that stopped suddenly when Portuguese Restoration War started.

Due to its complex history, Zarza la Mayor is a place were a number of monuments can be seen as San Andrés Apóstol church that was declared Conjunto histórico in 1982, and other chapels and castles.