|
The knocker on the door of Santa María
church
Arcos de la Frontera: History
Local legend has it that Arcos de la Frontera was founded around the
time of the great biblical flood and was built originally by King Briga,
Noah's grandson, some 2000 years before Christ.
Even disregarding the legend Arcos de la Frontera is an historical gem
of a town.
What follows is a summary of the historical highlights in Arcos de la
Frontera from prehistory through to the present day.
Prehistory
Archaeological evidence unearthed here in the form of primitive tools
and utensils proves that the site was inhabited in prehistoric times.
Romans
On the same site the Romans later founded the town of Arcobriga,
a name which derives from the Latin word 'Arx-Arcis', meaning high
fortress. Detailed information about the Roman age is hard to come by
but evidence of Roman settlements abounds in this Andalucian province.
Pictured below is a Roman column used in the wall of a house in Arcos.
Roman column
Visigoths
After the Romans left, the site was occupied by a Germanic tribe called
the Visigoths. It is unfortunate that the Visigoths left little
evidence of their culture behind. In Arcos de la Frontera, the only
significant finding is that of a winemaker whose corpse was unearthed
in 1870.
Don Rodrigo was the last king of the Visigoths and he
lost both his empire and life here during the Battle of Guadalete in
711 when the town was taken by Tariq Ibn Zayid's invading Moors.
From Moors to Christians
Following the Roman age, the Moorish period is considered the most
important in the history of Arcos de la Frontera (the Moors called it
Medina Ar-Kosch) during which the town was incorporated into a kingdom
of Spain called the Caliphate of Córdoba. This was a period when
Córdoba was at the height of its powers, recognised as one of Europe's
leading intellectual centres.
During the 13th century the site occupied a decisive and
dangerous position on the border between the Moors and the
Christians, hence the suffix 'de la Frontera' ('of the Frontier')
which the town was to adopt around 1300. Such was the danger that many
inhabitants fled in fear and the Christian Kings often had to make
financial contributions to stop the population from dwindling
completely.
 In 1250 Ferdinand III
(pictured left), who was then the King of León
and Castille, took control of the town and changed its name from Medina
Ar-Kosch to Arcos de la Frontera, a name it has kept since then.
Ferdinand III allowed the Moors to stay but eventually, after a
rebellion in 1264 the Muslim population was exiled during the reign of
his successor Alfonso X, 'The Wise'. He split up the Moors' land and houses and donated them to 50 noble families, the surnames of some of
which still survive today.
Mudejar (Moorish) influence must have remained strong among the
artisans who stayed behind. The Moors were in Arcos de la Frontera for
500 years and their building and design skills are evident at almost
every turn here.
Ponce de León family
Until the start of the 16th century there's a
lack of information available on the fate of Arcos de la Frontera, but
we do know that the town was passed from hand to hand until 1440 when
the King transferred it to the Ponce de León family, headed by a daring
hero named Don Rodrigo (not the Visigoth of the same name!) who became
the first Duke of Arcos de la Frontera.
On behalf of the Catholic Kings, Don Rodrigo used to capture towns and
villages held by the Moors, including many of those now known as the
Pueblos Blancos, or White Villages.
The Ponce de León family lived in the castle and
remained Dukes of Arcos de la Frontera until as late as the 18th
century. Carved images of Don Rodrigo and his wife Doña Beatriz Pacheco
(shown below)
still survive in the Chapel of Mercy, which Doña Beatriz founded, here
next to Casa Campana.
Doña Beatriz Pacheco
Don Rodrigo
The chapel founded by Doña Beatriz Pacheco, next to Casa Campana
In the Spring of 1485 Ferdinand and Isabella, the King and Queen of
Spain no less, visited Don Rodrigo in Arcos de la Frontera for a few
days of rest. Only seven years later they would be accepting the keys
to Granada from the last of the Moorish leaders, Boabdil; an act which
spelled the end of Islamic rule in Spain. This is the moment famously
immortalised by Francisco Pradilla Ortiz (1848-1921) in his beautiful
and evocative painting The Surrender of Granada:
The Surrender of Granada
From 1544 to the present day
Records tell us that in 1544 Arcos de la Frontera had 1908 inhabitants
and that there were 18 tailors, 2 swordsmiths and 2 fencing teachers!
The Town Hall is situated in front of the castle
During the 17th century Arcos de la Frontera expelled the remaining
Moors and the Town Hall was built
(pictured above). It still stands proudly in the Plaza
de Cabildo.
In this century Arcos de la Frontera for the first time became known
for its literary scholars.
Perhaps the most outstanding event of the 1700s in Arcos de la Frontera
is the earthquake of 1 November 1755, famous for destroying Lisbon. It
happened on a Sunday morning at 10 o'clock and lasted 15 minutes. All
three main churches suffered significant damage, as did the castle, but
no inhabitants lost their lives.
 
Crack from earthquake
Moorish
arch
The crack running down the Moorish arch
(pictured above)
was caused
by the earthquake. The arch was discovered in the 1980s in a private
house here.
Arcos de la Frontera was to suffer greatly between 1810 and 1812 when
it battled against Napoleon's troops. It was an unpleasant time of
robbery, taxes and reprisals. Two people were hanged from the Tower of
Santa María church. All this left Arcos de la Frontera exhausted.
In the twentieth century
 Arcos de la Frontera was home to fine painters,
musicians and writers. Among the poets was Julio Mariscal (1922-1977),
one of the famed 'Generation of the 50s' poets and known as The Poet of
Arcos de la Frontera. Collaborator in and founder of several magazines,
he published his first book in 1953. Mariscal
(pictured left) loved
teaching, poetry and flamenco. His poems are homages to all that
Andalucia represents.
As the 20th century developed Arcos de la Frontera became more
prosperous, thanks largely to local agriculture and growing tourism. In
1962 it was recognised as a place of special historic interest by Royal
Decree.
Top
|
