Palencia was called Pallantia in ancient times and was the capital of a Celtiberian tribe. Palencia probably became the seat of a bishop as early as the 3rd century, and the city experienced its first heyday under the Visigoths in the 6th and 7th centuries.

In the 8th century, the Arab-Moorish armies conquered the area around Palencia. In the 11th century the city was reconquered by the Christians (reconquista). The greatest supporter at the beginning of the 13th century was the Castilian King Alfonso VIII. Already during his lifetime, but mainly after his death (1214), the existing cathedral school was converted into one of the first universities in Europe.

The "Casa del Cordón" is a former inn, built in the 16th century. The house in the Renaissance style is called the "House of the Cord" because the portal is decorated with the Cord of the Franciscans.Since 1997 it has housed the "Museo Arqueológico Provincial".

King David (?) playing a vielle