Called Caesaraugusta by the Romans, it constituted one of the independent Muslim kingdoms in the 11th Century after the fall of the Cordoba Caliphate, and later became capital of the Kingdom of Aragon. It was besieged twice during the Peninsular War in 1808 and saw heavy fighting during the Spanish Civil War.

The leading industrial enterprise in the area is the Opel factory. Other productions include household appliances and railway engines. A high-speed railway connects Zaragoza with Madrid. The 2008 World Fair (Expo 2008) will be held in the city.

Zaragoza played an important role in the history of Christianity in Spain. According to the legend, in the 1st Century the Holy Virgin appeared standing on a pillar to the Apostle Saint James the Great. (At that time, Saint James the Great was preaching the gospel in present-day Spain. He then went to the Holy Land where he met his death at the hands of Herod Agrippa, his body was taken back to Spain and now rests at Santiago de Compostela, the destination of the most important pilgrimage route in Europe.) Zaragoza's basilica, Nuestra Senora del Pilar, was erected to commemorate the miraculous apparition. It is also celebrated at the annual Fiestas del Pilar, the greatest fiesta in Zaragoza, on the 12th of October - coinciding with the Hispanic Day, the day of all Spanish-speaking people. The church was built in the 17th Century, in Baroque style. It contains precious Goya frescoes.

Zaragoza is like an architectural museum representing various styles from antiquity to date. Part of the 3rd-century Roman walls are still standing. The well-preserved Moorish castle (the Aljafería) is one of the largest Moorish buildings in northern Spain. Today it is used by the Aragonese parliament. Many buildings in Zaragoza are fine examples of the Mudejar style, chatacteristic of Spain after the Reconquest. Although the work of Christian architects, it showed a strong Moorish influence. In Zaragoza, is can be observed in the apse of the Catedral de la Seo,  the beautiful octagonal tower of the San Pablo church, the square tower of the San Gil church, the Magdalena church. The Gothic Arco de Dean is one of the landmarks of the old town. The Lonja (commodity exchange) is a beautiful Renaissance building dating back to 1541.