Cathedral, Alcázar and Archivo de Indias in Seville

The Giralda began as an Almohad minaret and now belongs to a cathedral so vast it ranks as Europe's largest Gothic building — with Christopher Columbus entombed inside. Beside it, the Alcázar layers Moorish artistry beneath Christian kingship from the 1248 Reconquest into the 16th century, while the former Lonja houses the Archivo de Indias and its priceless records of Spain's American colonies. UNESCO inscribed Seville's trio of monuments in 1987.