ALCAZAR DE SAN JUAN

town, Ciudad Real provincia, in the comunidad autnoma (autonomous community) of CastileLa Mancha, central Spain. It lies on the high Meseta Central at 2,135 feet (650 m) above sea level. Known to the Romans as Alces, the town was renamed al-Qasr (the Palace, or the Castle) by the Arabs. It was conquered by the Knights of St. John (Spanish: San Juan) of Jerusalem (the Hospitalers) in 1186 and captured from them by King Sancho IV of Castile in 1292; the town was the centre of the Order of Saint John in the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. Historic landmarks include the 14th-century tower of Don Juan of Austria, the Santa Mara Church on the site of a pre-Christian temple of Hercules, and the municipal archaeological museum, containing Roman mosaics from the 2nd and 3rd centuries. The town processes wheat, olives, wines, and cheeses, especially a cheese made from sheep's milk. Industry includes soap factories, railway works, and ironworks. Pop. (1991 prelim.) 25,972.