Lcañiz: Nearby Drums
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Alcañiz: Nearby drums “He who was born in a fortunate hour did not delay, lands of Alcañiz he is laying waste to them and all around he loots everything; and on the third day from where he left, there he is returned.” Cantar de Mío Cid he March and April air is filled with the sound of the drums. We T can hear the waters of the Guadalope, the Martarraña and the Martín rivers. We can discern the cry of the wounded wild boar in the Val LCAÑIZ del Charco caves in Agua Amarga. There is a smell of olives. We glimpse AAnd Its Parador La Estanca lake, we feel the harmony… We are in Alcañiz. Here the Beceite hills dip down and the lands of Teruel slope to the east, Aragon descends, and Arabs, Jews and Christians rest. It is said that long ago, some 1680 years before Christ, King Brigo, great-great-great-grandson of Noah, great-great-grandson of Japhet, great-grandson of Tubal, grandson of Iberius and son of Aubaldo, here founded a town that was later to be known as Hercábrica. In the languages of the Phoenicians, Scythians, Egyptians and Caldeans: the town of Hercules, where, it is said, he was born. The Romans rebuilt the town, calling it Ergávica, and it became a war zone in the struggle between the Empire and the Carthaginians. Neyo granted its inhabitants the immunity of Latin rights, and gave the town its own statutes. Coins even came to be minted here. This was a time of splendor for the town, surrounded by its impenetrable walls, where the old canal and the hills separate, and where with time the sanctuary of San Sebastian and Alcanit would be built. But if there is history in Alcañiz, and to be sure, there is, it came with the settlers who stayed the longest: the Moors. The very name of the town comes from an Arabic word meaning ‘wicker’ or ‘cane’. And from the Jewish settlers who stayed until the year the Americas were discovered. By the 12th century, Alcañiz was feeling the call of freedom, but this desire was left unsatisfied due to the Encomienda Mayor de Calatrava. Previously, Ramón Bereguer IV, the true historic soul of the town, had granted it a people’s charter. Its fighting spirit finally overcame all limitations and by the 15th century, the community was flourishing and growing. Such exemplary buildings as the Exchange and the Town Hall were built during this time. They display a harmonious blend of styles: late Gothic and the ever elegant Renaissance. Art and artists, wise men and scholars. A century later, the streets of Alcañiz would be trod by Juan Sobrarias, Pedro Ruiz de Moros, Bernardino Gómez Miedes, Juan Lorenzo Palminero and a long list of others. It saw poets of the Cinquecento influenced by the schools of Valencia and Italy. Topics ranging from law and medicine to poetry, painting and architecture were debated. Churches were built and work was done on the famous Academy of Alcañiz. Though a town since 1652, we should not forget the countryside with its fields of olive trees. They have no reason to envy those of Jaén. This is the best olive oil in the world, or so they say… Not even the 18th-century War of Spanish Succession was able to stop the town and its population from ALCANIZ AND ITS PARADOR 1 prospering. We see palaces, churches, sanctuaries and temples, and the birth during their leisure hours in music and theater. Here we find the origins of of traditions. We hear drums at dawn. The air resounds with them from the Sociedad Liceo de la Unión, from drama to comedy, from classics to Good Friday. The sound is steady and continuous, solemn and dense. Is it farce. In this way the 19th century came to an end, and the 20th began. one drum or a thousand? A thousand drums sound as one. Thus Holy Week We see the arrival of the railway. Newspapers are published: some as in March and April has been from then to now. There are drums and niches, short-lived as La Alianza, as outspoken as El Eco del Guadolope, or as in almost equal numbers, the established as Tierra Baja, and former hung around the political journals such as townsfolk, the latter scattered Democracia, Izquierda and throughout the town. This is one Amanecer. All made demands: way, or better said, the way, to more trains, more water, better pay tribute to the best loved and education, more culture. respected saints. Alcañiz is not content to rest Those who were not loved, and it never has been. It rebels and were certainly not respected, against injustice and takes great were the French as they plagued pride in itself and its people. the town. Alcañiz resisted These men and women have through years of pillage and always defended what was destruction. Then came the rightfully theirs. They have great Battle of Pueyos in May 1809. feeling for the arts and sciences, Jovellanos has recalled it for us. and are natural conciliators. Not in vain is Alcañiz known as the The Carlists found no support home of the Concordia. in the area. The established bourgeoisie was busy with other things. Peasants, traders, administrators, and liberal craftsmen found relaxation In The Heights Of The Castle: The Parador De La Concordia “M artin, King of Aragon, Catalonia, Valencia and Mallorca, died should move to rebuild Alcanit. The same family names may still be found in 1410 leaving no direct heir to the throne. The nobles of these here today: Baquero, Blasco, Castellón, Castillo, España, Ferrer, Font, regions decided to discuss the different claims in order to reach an Mañes, Monforte, Moragrega, Romero, Ram, Ripoll, Satapau, Vespines and agreement regarding the succession. The respective parliaments chose Vallés. Entire families came to repopulate the area, attracted by the representatives, who met with the ambassadors of Castile, France and privileges granted in June 1126. Sicily in this very castle. In 1412, the historic agreement (Concordia) was signed in the presence of a representative of the Pope. The matter was This is a strategic point, first governed by the brothers Fruela and thus resolved, setting an excellent example to all nations of how to solve Pelayo, with ten years of Christian rule preceding the Moorish invasion. this type of problem without resorting to arms, bloodshed, and the horrors Ramón Bereguer IV won the town for himself and then ceded it to Alfonso of war. The final choice of heir was decided by the representatives’ vote II. He, in turn, gave it to the Order of Calatravos, which established the (Villa de Caspe) and the throne was ceded to Don Fernando, Prince of headquarters for its lands in Aragon here. Castile, who had conquered Antequera, defeating the Moors. He was proclaimed Fernando, king of all the realms of the kingdom of Aragon, by Jaime I once lodged within these walls, before the campaign in Valencia, San Vicente Ferrer.” as did those called to the Cortes here in The story is 1250, 1371, 1436, recorded on one of and 1441. San walls of the castle, Vicente Ferrer today a Parador, preached here, located high on gaining several Pui-Pinos hill. This converts from among is where the the Jewish conqueror and community. The founder of the Magna Carta of 1526 town recommended freed the town and that the settlers castle from the 2 ALCAÑIZ AND ITS PARADOR powerful Order of Calatravos. Carlos V himself, on his way to Monzón, of Calatrava and the deer of the Cervellóns. Its arches and walls contain granted it privileges and tax exemptions. For some this has been a castle, frescos which are not easy to interpret. Over the entrance is a regal figure, for others a home, a palace, a prison, or ruins. a king in three different positions, each one with For eight hundred years it has watched over an inscription: Regnabo, regno, and regnavit. Pui-Pinos: eight centuries defending the town. Past, present, and future. “The coat of arms of Alcañiz, There are people and animals: a troubadour, a that amazed the Moorish king, fox, a cock, a lawyer, a king on horseback, a boasts four bars on a golden field thresher, a dolphin… Only the authors of this late and a stone castle with two canes. 14th century work know its meaning for sure. The latter extol the fertility of its fields, and the former, its bravery; what sweet- A spiral staircase leads from the first to the throated swan second floor and an arched window framed by a shows its treasures, the golden fields, large pointed arch. Here one gets a view of Alcañiz and these glories are the glories of Spain. and Aragon, seeking a glimpse of the sea, the Alcañiz not only prides itself Mediterranean. A sea as warm as the paintings, as on its ancient, noble, and warrior-spirited quiet as the tower. traits, but also on its justice, wisdom, and strength. The church lies below. Its Romanesque Roman in its arms, and Greek in its words, entrance resembles that of the cloister. Its stark without a doubt you merit your reputation. interior consists of a single nave and no transept. It is dedicated to Santa May your good fortune last a thousand centuries!” María Magdalena and was the original parish church. There are two tombs and a pantheon. The plateresque tomb of Don Juan de Lanuza is fine (Verses by Fray Tomás Domingo Simón) alabaster. At the time, 1537, its maker, Damián de Forment, was paid twenty thousand “sueldos jaqueses” for his work.