The city of Huelva is located on the southwestern coast of Spain, known as Costa de la Luz because of the quality of the light in this area. The city lies on a large estuary between the rivers Tinto and Odiel. It borders Portugal and is 90 km away from Seville. The weather is usually mild with hot summers and dry and sunny winters.

Its origins can be traced back to prehistoric times, when the first settlers in the Bronze Age were drawn to the area by the minerals in the area that is now the site of the Río Tinto mines. In the 7th century BC Phoenician and Greek merchants established a trading settlement and port in Huelva and exported the minerals they found throughout the Mediterranean. Huelva continued to be used as an important port for exporting minerals, mainly copper and silver extracted from the Río Tinto mines, under the Roman and Arab times. By the 15th century, Huelva was established as a significant port, but it was not until 1492 when Christopher Columbus discovered the New World that it gained in status. Columbus used local sailors for his historic voyage and the increase in trade brought wealth to the whole region, although it was later superseded by the ports of Seville and Cadiz.

During the 19th century Huelva underwent a massive transformation with the influx of foreign capital from mining interests. When the famous Riotinto copper mines to the north of the province were given greater commercial impetus in 1873 by the Riotinto Company Limited, the city grew rapidly in size and wealth. Culturally, Huelva underwent a revival and cultivated a more cosmopolitan atmosphere with the arrival of mainly British and German workers.

Since the 1950s most of Huelva’s wealth has come from its flourishing petrochemical industry.