Origins, Roman period and Middle Ages

The origin of the earliest human settlements in the current Santander is not easy to establish because there is little written and little archaeological data. However, there would appear to be good practical reasons for ancient settlers to have chosen the north side of the bay, sheltered from it and safer from the storms of the Bay of Biscay, on the north side of the promontory of Somorrostro and along the ancient Becedo estuary. Moreover, the hillside provided good visibility for spotting potential attackers, making this the ideal place for the foundation of a stable settlement, which was to evolve throughout the Middle Ages.^[6]

Although it is mentioned for the first time in 1068, in a draft document made by King Sancho II, in the 9th century Alfonso II the Chaste founded the Abadía de los Cuerpos Santos ("Abbey of the Holy Bodies") in the existing chapel on the hill of Somorrostro, housing as holy relics the heads of Saint Emeterius and Saint Celedonius and the graves of other unknown martyrs, giving the abbey its name.^[7]

Alfonso VIII of Castile granted the city a fuero (charter) in 1187.^[8]

During the 12th and 13th centuries the population was contained within the walls of two different pueblas. La Puebla, the older, on the hill overlooking the city facing the bay, included the old castle, the Abbey of the Holy Bodies and the cloister. It had three rows of houses, separated by Rua Carnicerias and Rua Mayor, where the homes of prominent people of the town were, as well as those of the Abbot's canons. Meanwhile, the Puebla Nueva contained the convent of Santa Clara and San Francisco, which gave its name to one of the main streets; other important streets were the Rua de la Sal, The cavalcade Palace, Ribera, Don Gutierre, Puerta de la Sierra, Gallows and the Arcillero Rua. The two pueblas were joined by a bridge over the river that divided Becedo and flowed down to the shipyards, which were ordered by the king to take timber from the Cantabrian forests for shipbuilding. The villa was required to give the monarchy a ship per year.^{[citation needed]}

By the end of the 15th century Santander had a population of about 4,000 or 5,000 inhabitants.^[9]

The city owes its existence to the excellent harbour of the Bay of Santander. Santander was an important port for Castile in the later Middle Ages, and also for trade with the New World. It officially became a city in 1755.^[10]

Cabo Machichaco explosions

On 3 November 1893 a steamship, Cabo Machichaco, caught fire while she was being unloaded at a pier in the heart of the city. A crowd of 2,000 to 3,000 people watched as crew and firefighters fought the fire. About 40 tonnes of dynamite being carried in her forward holds exploded, killing about 590 people, injuring about 2,000, sinking the ship and destroying at least 65 buildings near the harbour.^[11]

On 21 March 1894 a salvage diver working to salvage cargo from Cabo Machichaco's wreck accidentally detonated about 11 tonnes of dynamite that were submerged in the after hold of the ship. 18 people were killed and 11 injured.^[11]

Great Fire of 1941

Santander fell victim to a great fire in 1941.^[12] Fanned by a strong south wind, the fire burned for two days. The fire started in Cádiz Street, next to the harbour, the Cathedral and the medieval quarter.^[13] The fire destroyed the Old Town Hall, Jesús de Monasterio and Vargas streets and Atarazanas square buildings. It led to a major change in the architecture of Santander, away from the older small stone and wood buildings with balconies to the enormous blocks of flats built during the reconstruction. ^{[citation needed]}

There was only one casualty of the fire, a firefighter from Madrid killed in the line of duty, but thousands of families were left homeless and the city was plunged into chaos. The fire destroyed the greater part of the medieval town centre and gutted the city's Romanesque cathedral.^[14]

Diet

Santander's cuisine is characteristic of Cantabria in that it is based mainly on seafood. Popular shellfish include almejas (clams) and navajas (razor clams); fish include seabream, red mullet, anchovies, seabass and sardines; and squid and cuttlefish are also commonly eaten.

Some typical dishes from the city of Santander are the fried calamari called rabas, double donuts, bean stew called cocido montañés, and seafood dishes ranging from seabass and sardine to products such as morguera.^{[citation needed]}

Historical figures

• Francisco Marroquín (1499–1563), first bishop of Guatemala and provisional Governor of Guatemala
• Toribio de Peñalva (c.1606-c.1685), Spanish military man, Procurator General of Buenos Aires during the Viceroyalty of Peru
• Manuel Pardo (1774–?), a Spanish soldier, the Interim Governor of Spanish Texas in 1817
• José de Madrazo y Agudo (1781–1859), a Spanish painter and engraver, an exponent of the Neoclassical

19th century

• Jenaro Quesada, 1st Marquis of Miravalles (1818–1889) Grandee of Spain and Spanish soldier
• José Antonio Mijares (1819–1847) a Mexican Army Lieutenant who led the Mexican resistance force against the American garrison of San José del Cabo in the Battle of San José del Cabo
• Rafael Izquierdo y Gutiérrez (1820–1883) a Spanish Military Officer, politician, and statesman; Governor-General of the Philippines from 1871 to 1873
• Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola (1831–1888) a Spanish jurist, amateur archaeologist, owned the land of the Cave of Altamira
• Marcelino Menéndez y Pelayo (1856–1912) a Spanish scholar, historian and literary critic.
• Francisco Iturrino (1864–1924) a Spanish Post-impressionist painter of Basque ancestry, sometimes called a Fauvist
• Concha Espina (c.1877–1955) a Spanish writer nominated for a Nobel prize in literature 25 times in nine years
• Marcial Solana González-Camino (1880–1958) a Spanish scholar, writer and politician; historian of philosophy
• María Gutiérrez Blanchard (1881–1932) a Spanish painter, developed a unique style of Cubism
• Ángel Herrera Oria (1886–1968) a Spanish journalist, Roman Catholic politician and later a cardinal
• Gerardo Diego (1896–1987) a Spanish poet, a member of the Generation of '27

20th century

• Emilio Botín (1903–1993), a Spanish banker, the chairman of Santander Group from 1950 to 1986
• José Luis Zamanillo (1903–1980), a Traditionalist politician and leader of Carlist paramilitary Requeté structures
• Francisco de Borbón y Borbón (1912–1995), a Spanish aristocrat, Lieutenant General of the cavalry in the Spanish army
• Matilde Camus (1919–2012), a Spanish poet who also wrote non-fiction
• Elena Quiroga (1921–1995), Spanish writer, explored the themes of childhood and adolescence
• Daniel Gil (1930–2004), one of the leading Spanish graphic designers of the 20th century
• Emilio Botín (1934–2014), a Spanish banker, executive chairman of Spain's Grupo Santander
• Juan Carlos Calderon (1938–2012), a Spanish singer-songwriter and musician
• Álvaro Pombo (born 1939), a Spanish poet, novelist and activist
• Juan Navarro Baldeweg (born 1939), architect and professor at the Superior Technical School of Architecture of Madrid
• Alfonso Vallejo (1943–2021), playwright, poet, painter and neurologist
• Germán Gullón (born 1945), literary critic, writer and professor of Spanish literature at the University of Amsterdam
• Domingo Sarrey (born 1948), a visual artist and video artist.
• José Antonio Rodríguez Vega (1957–2002), nicknamed El Mataviejas (The Old Lady Killer), was a Spanish serial killer who raped and killed at least 16 elderly women in and around Santander between August 1987 and April 1988
• Paco San José (born 1958), Cantabrian music composer
• Álvaro Longoria (born 1968), a film director, executive producer and actor

Athletes

• Francisco "Paco" Gento López (21 October 1933 - 18 January 2022), nicknamed Paco, was a Spanish footballer or Spanish soccer player, 437 appearances between Racing Santander and Real Madrid and scored a total of 129 goals in his senior career. He played for the National Spanish team in 43 aapearances. and scored 5 goals.
• Marcos Alonso Imaz (1933–2012), nicknamed Marquitos, was a Spanish footballer, 272 pro appearances
• José Pérez Francés (1936–2021), a Spanish former professional road racing cyclist
• Francisco Javier Aguilar Garcia (1949–2020), a Spanish retired professional footballer 300 pro appearances
• Seve Ballesteros (1957–2011), a Spanish professional golfer and World No. 1
• Quique Setién (born 1958), a Spanish retired footballer, 518 pro appearances, former coach of FC Barcelona
• Marcos Alonso Peña (born 1959), a Spanish retired footballer, and a current coach, 309 pro appearances
• Iván Helguera (born 1975), a Spanish football player, 326 pro appearances
• Pedro Munitis (born 1975), a Spanish football player, 475 pro appearances
• Iván de la Peña (born 1976), a Spanish football player, 331 pro appearances
• Mario Bermejo (born 1978), a Spanish retired professional footballer, 546 pro appearances
• Ruth Beitia (born 1979), high jumper, gold medallist at the 2016 Olympic Games
• Gonzalo Colsa (born 1979), a Spanish retired footballer 394 pro appearances
• Mateo Joseph (born 2003), a Spanish footballer for Leeds United and the Spain national under-21 football team.^[30]