Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (Alcala 1547 – Madrid 1616) could be said to be the most illustrious son of Alcala de Henares.
The famous writer penned poems, plays and novels and is one of the most outstanding authors in Spanish literature. However, his masterpiece is indisputably the novel of a knight-errant entitled “El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha” (The ingenious gentleman Don Quijote of La Mancha), the first part of which was published in 1605.