Construction of the Palace of the Cordovas began in the Placeta de las Descalzas in approximately 1530, and was completed in 1592. Its first owner was Luis Fernández de Córdova. Over time, having passed through the hands of several owners, it became the property of Ricardo Martín Flores and was demolished to make way for the Gran Capitán theatre. The remains with historical and artistic value were conserved in the Villa María building, on Camino de Pulianas.

In the 1960s, faced with the prospect of having the remains transferred to Cordoba, the mayor, Manuel Sola, convinced the Duke of Montellano, married to Hilda Fernández de Córdova, to reconstruct the palace and he made a down payment of 100,000 pesetas. The architect from Malaga Álvarez de Toledo, basing his project on the plans drawn up by Manuel Gómez Moreno, made plans for the reconstruction of the palace on a plot located at the beginning of the Cuesta del Chapiz, in the Albaicín district. In 1965, the first stone was laid and in 1983, Granada City Council purchased the palace from the Córdova family to house the municipal archive, which opened its doors to the public in early August, 1984.

Photos by Javier Sánchez