Isla Mayor is a town with a Valencian accent in Andalusia, a place where the wild nature of Doñana merges with the rice fields and where the red crayfish has become a gastronomic emblem.
At THE SUN PLACES we know that some experiences deserve to be lived calmly, and Isla Mayor is one of them. That is why we invite you to discover this unique corner from the comfort of our Luxury Apartments in Seville, also with a presence in Cádiz, Puerto Banús and Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Because Isla Mayor is not just a destination, it is a journey to the most authentic heart of the province.
📜 History of Isla Mayor
From the wild marshes to the rice capital of Spain
The history of Isla Mayor is relatively recent, but fascinating. To understand it, we must go back to the beginning of the 20th century.
🌾 The first attempts (1918-1936)
Although the Guadalquivir marshes had been cattle pasture for centuries, it was in 1918 that a law was passed allowing the State to grant the drainage of lagoons for exploitation. This attracted businessmen. In 1919 there was a failed attempt at large-scale rice cultivation by some English businessmen. However, the real turning point came later.
🔥 The Civil War and the definitive boost (1936-1939)
When the Civil War broke out in 1936, the rice-growing areas of Valencia and the Ebro Delta remained in Republican territory. Faced with the need to make the Nationalist side self-sufficient, General Queipo de Llano received orders from Franco to promote the Guadalquivir Marshes and turn them into a great rice larder. This decision marked a before and after: what until then was pastureland for livestock began to transform into a huge rice field.
🚜 The Valencian colonisation (1940s-1950s)
After the war and seeing the success obtained, the regime commissioned the Sevillian industrialist Rafael Beca with the mission of attracting Valencian rice growers to the Sevillian marshes. More than a thousand Valencians, from towns such as Sueca, Cullera, Catarroja or El Palmar, moved south to start a new life. Many of them arrived in very harsh conditions, facing malaria and living conditions that they themselves describe as "painful".
The town was then named Villafranco del Guadalquivir, in honour of the dictator. The settlement where the first settlers settled was called "El Puntal" and the place where the Andalusian labourers who worked for them were housed was "Alfonso XIII", a nucleus that had been built in the 1920s to house the first workers.
📜 The struggle for independence and the name change
For decades, Isla Mayor was an entity dependent on the City Council of La Puebla del Río. It was not until 1994 that it achieved its municipal independence, after a long struggle by residents who had been mobilising since 1985.
The name change was also a symbolic process. In 2000, by popular vote, Villafranco del Guadalquivir officially became Isla Mayor, recovering a name that referred to the geography of the place and which meant "a reaffirmation of its municipal identity".
🧬 Unique identity: Sevillians with a Valencian accent
One of the most striking hallmarks of Isla Mayor is its Valencian heritage. Surnames such as Ferrer, Bru, Soler or Marco are common in the municipality. The settlers who came from the Albufera brought with them not only their knowledge of rice cultivation, but also their language and traditions, which they have maintained to this day.
But the identity of Isla Mayor is not only Valencian. As its mayor, Juan Molero, explains, "many people came from many places, fleeing or looking for work, people that no one was going to look for here, so this became a rebujito". This mix of cultures —Valencians, Andalusians, Extremadurans— has forged a unique character.
Isla Mayor has the typical morphology of colonisation settlements, with regular streets, and the unique character of its people and customs reflects this diverse heritage. Even today, Valencian traditions are preserved in the municipality and dishes such as arròs al forn (baked rice) are very popular.
🏭 The rice of Isla Mayor
Economic engine and hallmark
You cannot understand Isla Mayor without rice. This small municipality produces more rice than all of Valencia. In fact, 40% of the rice produced in Spain comes from this region.
📊 Production data
- More than 12,500 hectares dedicated to rice cultivation in Isla Mayor alone
- Average annual production of around 330,000 tonnes of rice
- 1,000 farms throughout the region
- 60% of production is of the indica or long-grain variety
🤝 The cooperatives of Isla Mayor
The rice sector of Isla Mayor is organised around cooperatives. The most important is Arrozúa, which was born in 1979 when a group of eighteen young farmers decided to join together in the face of helplessness. After years of mergers and negotiations, Arrozúa was created in 2005, a cooperative with more than 800 members that is at the technological forefront of the sector and has unbeatable quality indexes.
⚠️ The present challenges for Isla Mayor
Despite its productive power, Isla Mayor also faces challenges. Drought and lack of irrigation infrastructure have hit the sector hard. In 2022, farmers were only able to cultivate 30% of the available area due to lack of water. The campaign was described as "the worst harvest in history" by the farmers themselves.
🍽️ Gastronomy of Isla Mayor
Rice, duck and red crayfish
The cuisine of Isla Mayor is one of the most authentic in the province. Here the products of the marsh are the undisputed protagonists.
🥘 The star rice dishes
- Isla Mayor is the epicentre of the Seville Rice Route, and its restaurants offer unique and unforgettable versions. The most famous dish is rice with wild duck, a speciality that combines the meat of the ducks that inhabit the marshes with the rice grown in the area. Rice with red river crayfish, an invasive species that has become a local delicacy, is also very popular.
🦞 The red crayfish: From pest to emblem
- The American red crayfish was introduced in the 1970s and, at first, was a pest that threatened the rice fields. However, the cooks of Isla Mayor knew how to turn the problem into an opportunity. Today it is one of the most appreciated products of local gastronomy and stars in numerous dishes and festivals.
📍Where to eat in Isla Mayor?
Restaurante Estero
- Famous for its rice with wild duck, it has been running for decades and is a safe bet. Also noteworthy are its albures, prawns and river crayfish.
Restaurante El Tejao
- Located in the heart of the marsh, it offers rice with red crayfish and creative versions of the star dish.
Restaurante 1927
- A different establishment that offers local products with excellent quality and very good rice dishes.
Bodeguita El Cortijo
- With a score of 4.6 on Tripadvisor, it is one of the best options to taste local cuisine.
🌿 Nature and Doñana: The "Land of Water"
Isla Mayor is known as the "Land of Water" due to its impressive landscape of rice fields, wetlands and wildlife. Part of its municipal area is included in the Doñana Natural Park Area.
🦩 World-class birdwatching
- The marshes of Isla Mayor are one of the best places in Europe for bird watching. Here you can see flamingos, avocets, herons and a wide variety of migratory birds. The Veta la Palma estate, with its 11,300 hectares, is a sanctuary for birdlife.
🚤 Routes and activities
- Hiking and cycling: There are signposted routes to explore the rice fields and wetlands.
- Nature photography: Sunsets over the rice fields are spectacular and very photogenic.
- Brazo de la Torre and Brazo del Este: Two river routes that run through the most important wetlands in the area.
🏛️ Heritage and what to see in Isla Mayor
Although Isla Mayor is a young municipality, it has several places of interest that reflect its history and identity:
⛪ Church of Nuestra Señora del Carmen
- Located in the settlement of Alfonso XIII, its first stone was laid by the monarch himself. Its tower is inspired by the Giralda in Seville.
⛪ Parish of San Rafael
- It is the main church of the municipality and one of the most emblematic buildings.
🏚️ The settlement of Alfonso XIII
- A population centre built in the 1920s to house the first workers who came to work in the fledgling rice industry.
🏭 The gañanías and the rice industry
- The old settlers' houses and industrial facilities are a valuable ethnographic heritage that speaks of the municipality's agricultural past.
🎨 Isla Pájaro Project
- An urban art initiative that decorates the facades of Isla Mayor with murals of the birds that inhabit Doñana.
🎬Isla Mayor and cinema: "La Isla Mínima"
Isla Mayor achieved international fame thanks to the thriller directed by Alberto Rodríguez, "La Isla Mínima" (Marshland), which won 10 Goya Awards. The film was shot in real locations in the municipality: the farmstead of the same name, the rice fields, the meanders of the river and the jetties.
Today, Isla Mayor is a very popular destination for film lovers and landscape photographers who want to explore the same places that appear in the film. The "Marshland" has become a tourist attraction that draws curious visitors from all over Spain.
🎉 Festivals and traditions
Isla Mayor has a very lively festive calendar, in which rice and red crayfish are the main protagonists:
🦀 Rice Day (28 February)
- A day dedicated to tasting the best rice recipes in the municipality, including an agri-food fair.
🦞 Red Crayfish Day
- It is celebrated within the San Rafael Fair, in honour of the patron saint of the municipality. Red crayfish tastings are the main event of the day.
🎡 Rice and Crayfish Fair (last week of June)
- One of the most eagerly awaited events of the year. The fair culminates with a spectacular fire bull that runs through the streets of the town.
🎭 Carnival and the burial of the crayfish
- The carnival of Isla Mayor has a very peculiar tradition: it ends with "the burial of the crayfish", a symbolic burning of this crustacean that is the crowning glory of the festival.
🙏 Pilgrimage of the Virgen del Carmen
- A pilgrimage that takes the residents to the settlement of Queipo de Llano in honour of their patron saint.
✨ What does Isla Mayor represent for Seville and for THE SUN PLACES?
Isla Mayor is much more than a rice-growing municipality. It is a symbol of the human capacity to transform an inhospitable landscape into a fertile and prosperous land. It is an example of cultural integration, where Valencians and Andalusians built a unique community together. And it is an essential destination for those seeking authentic experiences: wild nature, top-level gastronomy and a fascinating history.
For THE SUN PLACES, Isla Mayor represents the opportunity to offer our guests an immersion in the most genuine Andalusia. That is why we invite you to discover Isla Mayor from our Luxury Apartments in Seville, also with a presence in Cádiz, Puerto Banús and Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Because Isla Mayor is enjoyed calmly, with time to taste a rice with duck, to observe the flamingos at sunset and to be surprised by the Valencian accent of its people.
🗺️Your elite plan to discover Isla Mayor with THE SUN PLACES
- Arrival: You settle into your Luxury Apartment in Seville.
- First day: You go to Isla Mayor (just 45 km from Seville). You explore the town, discover the urban art of "Isla Pájaro" and visit the church of Nuestra Señora del Carmen.
- Lunch: You enjoy a rice with wild duck at Restaurante Estero or El Tejao.
- Afternoon: You do a birdwatching route through Veta la Palma or take a boat trip on the Guadalquivir to the Isla Mínima.
- Sunset: You contemplate the best views from the rice fields.
- Return: You return to your luxury refuge in Seville to rest and plan your next day.
Ready to discover the rice heart of Seville?
📞 Contact THE SUN PLACES. We help make your experience in Isla Mayor unforgettable.