Welcome to the Castle of Coca, or as the locals call it, the Castillo de Coca. As you stand before this towering masterpiece, you are looking at one of Spain’s most stunning historical landmarks. Unlike the rugged, grey stone fortresses you might find elsewhere in Europe, this castle glows with a warm, reddish hue, making it look almost more like a grand palace than a military stronghold. You are currently in the province of Segovia, in a town that has been inhabited since at least the second century before Christ. In fact, you are standing in the very birthplace of the Roman Emperor Theodosius the Great. This castle was built during the fifteenth century, and it represents the absolute peak of the Gothic-Mudéjar style, a unique artistic fusion that happened only in the Iberian Peninsula. As you begin your walk around the perimeter, take a moment to notice how the reddish bricks catch the light, creating intricate geometric patterns that seem to shift as you move. Enjoy this journey through time as we explore the legends and the ingenious engineering of this red-brick wonder.