La Alcúdia: walking through ancient Ilici

La Alcúdia is an eleven-hectare rise in the Vinalopó plain where successive settlements accumulated above one another. Iberian, Roman and late-antique Ilici occupy the same ground, and the Dama de Elche was found here in 1897. The site's real fascination lies in that long sequence, not in expecting the original sculpture to be on display.

Begin with the layers

The interpretation centre introduces the site's Iberian, Roman and Visigothic or Byzantine phases before the outdoor circuit. La Alcúdia is partly a tell: human occupation and rebuilding contributed to the low mound. Agriculture and the reuse of stone also altered what survived near the surface.

Visible areas include streets, houses, baths, religious buildings and mosaics from different moments. Read their labels before trying to join every wall into one city plan; structures that appear side by side may have been separated by centuries.

The Dama's findspot, not her gallery

The limestone bust emerged during agricultural work on 4 August 1897 beside the ancient wall. The original Dama de Elche belongs to the Museo Arqueológico Nacional in Madrid. La Alcúdia marks the landscape and archaeological context of the find, while its monographic museum holds other material recovered from the site.

Modern research continues to test the Iberian settlement around the findspot and the later city. That active work is why some areas may be protected, closed or visually incomplete. Archaeology is a process, not a promise that every trench becomes a permanent attraction.

Make the open site comfortable

• Visit the interpretation centre first and the monographic museum before or after the outdoor circuit.
• Bring sun protection and water; much of the eleven-hectare site is exposed.
• Allow at least two hours and use footwear suited to gravel and uneven ground.
• Do not expect the original Dama; focus on the city and context that produced her.

Follow Ilici to the sea

Complete the geography with Portus Ilicitanus in Santa Pola, the harbour that connected Ilici to Mediterranean exchange. Elche's place guide returns the archaeological city to the surrounding palm and irrigation landscape.

Sources

Written in September 2026 from the University of Alicante Foundation's official descriptions of the archaeological circuit and La Alcúdia's history, plus the National Archaeological Museum's Dama de Elche record.

Excavations, outdoor access and opening hours change. Confirm the current circuit with Fundación La Alcudia before travelling.