Alcántara is a municipality (pop. 1769) in the province of Cáceres, Extremadura, Spain, on the Tagus, near Portugal. The toponym is Spanish word for "drain" from the Arabic al-QanTarah [القنطرة] meaning the bridge. It is famed for its Roman bridge of the same name of six symmetrical arches, 194 m/670 feet long and 71 m/210 feet high, built in honour of Trajan in 103-106. An inscription gives the name of the architect of the viaduct, C. Iulius Lacer.
The Order of Alcántara, a religious and military order, was established in 1176 here, for defence against the Moors, and was suppressed in 1835.
In 1499, Peter of Alcantara, teacher of Theresa of Avila, saint and Franciscan reformer was born here.
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Convent of San Benito de Alcántara, built in the sixteenth century.
Coordinates: 39°43′20″N 6°53′23″W / 39.72222°N 6.88972°W / 39.72222; -6.88972
