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The mature Plateresque can be seen in Gil de Hontañón's masterpieces: the Monterrey Palace in Salamanca and the University of Alcalá de Henares. The palace, only partially completed, is a richly ornamented and ponderous structure. The university, free of the few medieval and Mudéjar (Spanish Muslim) traces that still remain in the palace, is a work of remarkable elegance and harmony.
Founded by Cardinal Jiménez de Cisneros in the early 16th century, Alcalá de Henares was the world's first planned university city. It was the original model for the Civitas Dei (City of God), the ideal urban community which Spanish missionaries brought to the Americas. It also served as a model for universities in Europe and elsewhere.
The photo shows the main façade of the university, designed by Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón.
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