Castellar de la Frontera. The old fortress. Uncharted Spain (3)

Aerial view of Castellar

Castellar de la Frontera is one of the most attractive and impressive places of Campo de Gibraltar, province of Cadiz, Andalusia. Castellar is formed by two main populated areas. The new village, founded in 1971, and the old fortress. The latter was the only village until the new foundation. This movement of population to the new village was due to obvious reasons of comfort. The fortress was getting too small for a growing population that demanded suitable services impossible to get in such a reduced area. It is reached following a winding route, driving through narrow, two-ways roads. The landscape is astonishing, with lush forest, plenty of Mediterranean plants. Sometimes you can see hitchhikers asking to get into your car. Connections between surrounding towns and fortress are not very good.

The fortress, better known as “the castle” was built between the XII and XV centuries by Muslims and was an important bastion in their fight against Christians. This area, including the fortress, was reconquered in 1434 by D. Juan de Saavedra.

Situated in the middle of the Nature Reserve of “Los Alcornocales”, big animals can be seen in the forest or crossing the roads, like deers, mouflons, foxes, or wild boars. From the top of the mountain, where the fortress is, you might see many birds of prey, like eagles, peregrine falcons, kestrels or vultures, soaring near the buildings and walls of the fortress. Watching the flight of these birds, at dusk, is a natural remedy for stress.

Castellar de la Frontera. Fortress, better known as "Castle"

Nowadays the old fortress has been turned into a refuge for bohemian people and high-grade tourists searching for tranquility and  picturesque atmosphere. Inside the fortress, most old houses have been turned into comfortable houses devoted to country holidays. You can find good and surprising accommodations there. Other old buildings are now inhabited for bohemians (most of them foreigners) dedicated to crafts market and artistic activities, like painting and sculpture. They have set up their shops or art galleries in the same houses.

Good meals can be also found in the fortress. You may enjoy typical dishes made with wild boar and venison meat. Inside the walls there is a good restaurant where these dishes are served.

Once there, enjoy unforgettable sights and a peaceful stay.

How to come:

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Gallery:

Inside the fortress.

Castellar de la Frontera. Fortress, better known as “Castle”

Inside the fortress.

Aerial view of Castellar

Sights from the fortress.

Sights of Rock of Gibraltar from the fortress.

Inside the fortress.

Inside the fortress.

Inside the fortress.

Inside the fortress.

Gaucín. Uncharted Spain (2)

Gaucín is located in S.W. of Málaga, in a mountain chain named Mountains of Gaucín. The village has about 1.983 inhabitants; foreigners account to one fourth of the total population. This is a good example of Andalusian village, with white houses, protected by natural defenses, like mountains and a thick wood of Mediterranean pines. Indeed, the village is situated in a peak, at 626 meters above sea level, under the protection of a tumbledown castle.

This village has been a witness of fights between Muslims and Christians. In fact, here died the christian reconquest hero, Guzmán el Bueno, in 1309.

Undoubtedly, this is a place worth visiting, and sleeping there, waking up with the mild, pure air of mountains. From the village, you can see the Spanish Coast, the Rock of Gibraltar, and, on a clear day, you might reach, with a naked eye, the African Coast. Gaucín is surrounded by other sightseeing villages, like Algatocín or Benarrabá.

Photographs:

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Panoramic of Gaucín

(2)

Castle of the Eagle. Castillo del Águila

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One of the surrounding villages: Benarrabá.

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Castillo del Águila.

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Sights from Gaucín

How to come:

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Uncharted Spain (1). The legend of the Seven Infants of Lara.

This old epic story told and retold by Castilian medieval jesters deals about the Legend of the Infants of Lara. As all epic poems, this tale is an array of exaggerated facts taking place in one of the Spanish Kingdoms of that period, Castile. These facts have a clear background of truth and another one of imagination. It is probable the existence of the Seven Infants of Lara and his master, Muño Salido. They were sons of Gonzalo Gustioz, Lord of Salas, a lordship located in Northern Spain, Burgos, nowadays known as “Salas de los Infantes” after the epic poem. The Seven Infants were trained in cavalry arts by Muño Sabido. Seven infants and their master reache eight, a magical number in occultism. All of them took active part in the Reconquest, that period of seven centuries during which Christians and Muslims were in continuous war. In the 10th century, when this story took place, Reconquest was at its height.

Monastery of San Millán de Suso

The aim of revenge is present throughout the story that starts up with an accident. During a wedding, one of infants killed a Doña Lambra’s relative. Ruy Velázquez, husband of Doña Lambra, is persuaded by her to revenge this offence. Gonzalo Gustioz and his sons would be victims of a double treachery. Gonzalo is sent by Ruy Velázquez to Cordoba, at that time capital of Independent Caliphate, carrying a letter written in Arabic addressed to Almanzor, one of the more important and powerful characters in the Caliphate. Since Ruy Velazquez did not understand this language, he did not know what this letter said.  Really, the letter invited the addressee to kill the carrier. At the same time, Gonzalo Gustioz’s sons, the Seven Infants and their master, were captured by Moorish troops. They were surprised and victims of an ambush run by Ruy Velázquez, who had previously warned Moorish army.

Father and sons did not share the same fate. Almanzor, did not murder Gonzalo Gustioz, but he was imprisoned in Cordoba. Seven Infants and their master were beheaded. Their heads were taken to Cordoba in order to be displayed in public. Almanzor shows the heads to Gonzalo, who recognizes them, weeping with emotion. Almanzor pitied him and asks his sister to console the christian prisoner.

Almanzor’s sister and Gonzalo had a son, named Mudarra. Gonzalo is released and returns to Salas. Mudarra is brought up in Cordoba, but years later he met his father, in Salas. This bastard son ended up revenging the death of his brothers, killing Ruy Velazquez.

For itchy feet travellers.

The trace of this story can be found in several places in Spain. The mortal remains are buried in Monastery of San Millán de Suso, a Unesco World Heritage Site since 1997, located in the Region of La Rioja. This territory has wonderful sights, green woods, typical for a continental weather.  It is considered as the cradle of Spanish language, so its inhabitants speak the language in the purest way.

Sarcophaguses of the Seven Infants of Lara, in Monastery of San Millán de Suso.

Independent travellers can found new emotions visiting a narrow street called “Los Arquillos”, where were displayed the eight heads in Cordoba. This narrow street is perpendicular to other street called “Cabezas” (“Heads” in English). Obviously this last  name is due to the infants. Cordoba has a lot cultural goods, among other, we may mention the Mosque (really, nowadays the old Mosque was devoted to the christian worship and turned into Cathedral). Cabezas street is very near the Cathedral, inside the old quarter, beside ancient Jewish quarter.

Narrow street called “Los Arquillos” in Cordoba, where the eight heads were displayed.

Without a shadow of doubt, you may feel yourself as a part of History reading this text situated in the entrance of “Los Arquillos” narrow street:

Dos insignes historiadores cordobeses Aben Hayan, Ambrosio de Morales, y un cantar de gesta nos dicen que en año 974 en esta casa estuvo preso el señor de Salar Gonzalo Gustioz y que las cabezas de sus hijos, los siete infantes de Lara, muertos en los campos de Soria, fueron expuestos estos ” estos arcos. Verdad y leyenda venerable, de fama multisecular en toda España

Two distinguished Cordovan historians, Aben Hayan, Ambrosio de Morales, and an epic poem tell us that in 974, in this house was imprisoned the Lord of Salas Gonzalo Gustioz and the heads of his sons, the seven infants of Lara, dead in the country of Soria, were displayed on this arcs. Truth and venerable legend, of multisecular fame in all Spain.

Uncharted Spain (0)

We open a new section in this blog devoted to places, stories, and people unknown by most of Spaniards, although we are talking about Spain. This section is intended to show the rich variety of Spanish stories, tales, customs, thoughts, lifestyles. We hope this information is useful for independent travellers, curious, and all kind of people interested in new outlooks about life and facts. We do not tell facts in the same way of History books, because this is not an scholar paper.

Nobel Prize with sense of humour.

Obama, under whose command is the most powerful army in the world, has been awarded Nobel Peace Prize. I hope as soon as possible UNESCO Tolerance Prize is given to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Iran, in order to stimulate worldwide goodwill policy and disarmament, or, at least, to pay tribute to Groucho Marx.

What’s about Rockwell Blake?

Rocwell Blake

From what I gather, Rockwell Blake does not sign any more, at least in front of an audience. Several critics have questioned his prodigious faculties in last performances, in the early 2000s. However, these so-called decadent performances are more amazing than other ones by new, young opera singers. Rockwell Blake will quietly vanish off stage, far away from the media gigantic attraction that was used by other tenor infinitely less gifted than him for singing.

Here it is, one of those “decadent” performances:

New fallen angels

“The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterwards—when the sons of God went in to the daughters of humans, who bore children to them. These were the heroes that were of old, warriors of renown.” (Genesis 6:4)

Guido Reni's archangel Michael (in the Capuchin church of Santa Maria della Concezione, Rome, 1636). Source: Wikipedia

A big variety of fallen angels adorns the recent financial history of civilised nations. Bernard Madoff, Nick Leeson, John Rusnak, Peter Young are the most household cases, dramatically pulled to hell by a civil society overtired as a result of worldwide crisis. They are indispensable pieces of our human system because they symbolize triumph and failure, personal triumph and social failure, indeed.

To a certain extent, they appeal a hungry crowd searching for heroes who to adore to, or for rogues who to imitate to. This last idea is reckoned, pretty much, as a necessary engine of our system that, once in a while, spurts in a long-lasting string of convicted people of fraud.

Bernard Madoff. Source: Wikipedia

Social hypocrisy feeds up all these damnable behaviours, applauding, equally, offenders and redeemed from fraud crimes. After having had lunch with God, new fallen angels, Madoff, Leeson, etc., come back to Earth, or to Hell, acclaimed by the mob that buys memorabilia and biographic books.