San Pedro Alcántara is located in the western part of the municipality of Marbella, its origin is due to a great man like General D. Manuel Gutiérrez de la Concha, first Marquis of Duero, who, under the protection of the Repopulation Laws established in Spain, in the mid-19th century launched an ambitious colonization project of these lands, constituting the Agricultural Colony of San Pedro de Alcántara, a name that is due on the one hand to the family devotion to this Extremaduran saint, and on the other, to the tribute that the Marquis of Duero wanted to pay to his mother, Donate Petra from Alcantara Irigoyen.
In the first half of the 1860-70s this colony was created, serving as an example to those that were created at that time.
New farming systems were launched, thousands of hectares were plowed and drained, dams were built with an effective irrigation system, some still survive and are used by farmers who They subsist on what were 10,000 hectares of cultivation.
Between the years 1922 to 1950, land was parceled out and sold in the Colony. In 1945, the Marbella City Council acquired the Villa de San Luis, which is today the Mayor#39s Office, the Fuente Nueva Spring and the water network.
Already in the sixties, after one hundred years of existence, Tourism became the protagonist of progress, converting the area quickly. The water and sanitation network is built, the streets are paved, the telephone network is installed, and commerce and construction begin to flourish. Residential areas, hotels, golf courses, restaurants, etc. appear very quickly.
San Pedro Alcantara has many attractions such as the Center, a pedestrian area full of charm, the modern Boulevard, the Paseo Maritimo, its beaches, Avda. del Mediterraneo and all its streets well maintained that offer all kinds of services and businesses. Highlights include the Parish Church, the La Alcoholera Performing Arts Center (El Ingenio), the Trapiche Cultural Center of Guadaiza, Las Bovedas or Roman Baths and the Paleochristian Basilica.