A monumental gateway flanked by two round crenellated towers, built in 1551 to serve as the main entrance to the city for travellers arriving from Portugal. It faces the Puente de Palmas, a 15th-century stone bridge with 32 arches spanning the Guadiana, which together formed Badajoz's principal Atlantic-facing front. The gateway carries the carved coats of arms of the Habsburg monarchy and the city, framed by Renaissance pilasters.
It has been a triumphal arch, a customs post, and a prison over the centuries, and now stands alone on a traffic island as the city has grown around it. The classic view is from the far end of the bridge, looking back at the gateway with the Alcazaba rising on the hill behind.