Alcalá is based on the Biblia poliglota complutense (Polyglot Bible of Alcalá) as conceived between 1502 and 1517. First released with Éditions 205 in 1995. A second version was started in 2011, commissioned by a publisher for a French and Malagasy Bible edition by J.N. Darby, and released with 205TF in 2018, in three styles: roman, italic, and bold. A Black Display style followed in November 2018.

See Alcalá Xtra (with Stencil and Mono) for a subfamily with increased x-height.