ECIJA

ecija, a town of southern spain, in the province of seville; on the cadiz-cordova railway and the left bank of the river genil. pop. (1900) 24,372. the river, thus far navigable, is here crossed by a fine old bridge; and the antiquity of the town betrays itself by the irregularity of its arrangement, by its walls and gateways, and by its numerous inscriptions and other relics. its chief buildings include no fewer than twenty convents, mostly secularized. the principal square is surrounded with pillared porticoes, and has a fountain in the centre; and along the river bank there runs a fine promenade, planted with poplar trees and adorned with statues. from an early period the shoemakers of ecija have been in high repute throughout spain; woollen cloth, flannel, linen and silks are also manufactured. the vicinity is fertile in corn and wine, and cotton is cultivated. the heat is so great that the spot has acquired the sobriquet of _el sarten_, or the "frying-pan" of andalusia. ecija, called _estija_ by the arabs, is the ancient _astigis_, which was raised to the rank of a roman colony with the title of _augusta firma_. according to pliny and pomponius mela, who both wrote in the 1st century