Azuaga, Badajoz
Encyclopedia
Azuaga is a town located in the province of Badajoz in southern Extremadura
, bordering the Andalusia
n provinces of Seville
and Córdoba in Spain
. Azuga is 140 km from Badajoz, 125 km from Córdoba, and 140 km from Seville
, in the foothills of Sierra Morena in the frontier region of Campiña Sur.
With an area of 498 km², Azuaga is the fourth largest town in the province of Badajoz and includes the village of the Cardenchosa. The inhabitants in 2010 wew 8303.
, Bronze Age
, and also from the Orientalizing Period
.
In the period of the Roman Empire
, Azuaga was part of the province of Lusitania
, known variously as Municipium Flavium Ugultuniacum, Municipium Iulium V, or Julia Flavia. Its inhabitants were of the Galeria tribe (Latin tribu Galeria). Local remains from the era include two stone tablets with inscriptions.
There are few remains from the Visigothic era.
tribe Al-Zuwaga, hence the name. Azuaga still has a surviving portion of its 11th century castle.
In 1236 Azuaga was conquered by the Christian kingdoms of Castile
, during the reign of Ferdinand III
, by the Order of Santiago, directed at that time by Pelay Pérez Correa. The Christian captured the castle and constructed the new Torre del Homenaje ("Tower of Homage"), the best conserved portion of the castle today.
In 1477, in the Ermita (Hermitage) de San Sebastián (later the Convento de La Merced [Mercy], then the Ermita de La Merced), the Order de Santiago held a general chapter meeting and selected Don Alonso de Cárdenas as its new master.
s and dye
s.
Azuagueños artist Juan del Castillo
(1585–1658) did his major work in Seville, where he was the maestro of an atelier. His brother Agustín del Castillo
(1590–1626) painted in Córdoba
.
In the 16th century, two different clerics were known by the same name, Fray Pedro de Azuaga. One was an important Franciscan
theorist, permanent counsellor to Philip II
. The other, active in the last third of the century rose steadily through the eccesiastical ranks, ultimately becoming Bishop
of Chile
in 1596.
During the colonial
era, Azuaga ranked seventh in Extremadura in the number of people who went to the Americas
. This is more significant than it might at first sound, because Extremadura was a major force in the conquest of the Americas.
In the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century, Azuaga was more or less eclipsed. Between 1920 and 1960, Azuaga experienced major activity in mining lead
and (to a lesser degree) silver
, which brought renewed prosperity to the region, fluctuating between 16,000 and 18,000 inhabitants, but after that the population fell off rapidly as workers migrated elsewhere, nearly half of the town's population departing. An identifiable group of azuagueños emigrated to Sant Boi de Llobregat
(Barcelona
).
Extremadura
Extremadura is an autonomous community of western Spain whose capital city is Mérida. Its component provinces are Cáceres and Badajoz. It is bordered by Portugal to the west...
, bordering the Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
n provinces of Seville
Seville (province)
Seville is a province of southern Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is bordered by the provinces of Málaga, Cádiz, Huelva, Badajoz, and Córdoba.Its area is 14,042 km²...
and Córdoba in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Azuga is 140 km from Badajoz, 125 km from Córdoba, and 140 km from Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
, in the foothills of Sierra Morena in the frontier region of Campiña Sur.
With an area of 498 km², Azuaga is the fourth largest town in the province of Badajoz and includes the village of the Cardenchosa. The inhabitants in 2010 wew 8303.
Ancient era
Azuaga has archeological remains from the Megalithic era, the Copper AgeCopper Age
The Chalcolithic |stone]]") period or Copper Age, also known as the Eneolithic/Æneolithic , is a phase of the Bronze Age in which the addition of tin to copper to form bronze during smelting remained yet unknown by the metallurgists of the times...
, Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
, and also from the Orientalizing Period
Orientalizing Period
In the history of ancient Greece, the Orientalizing period is the cultural and art historical period informed by the art of Anatolia, Syria, Assyria, Phoenicia and Egypt, which started during the later part of the 7th century BCE. It encompasses a new, Orientalizing style, spurred by a period of...
.
In the period of the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, Azuaga was part of the province of Lusitania
Lusitania
Lusitania or Hispania Lusitania was an ancient Roman province including approximately all of modern Portugal south of the Douro river and part of modern Spain . It was named after the Lusitani or Lusitanian people...
, known variously as Municipium Flavium Ugultuniacum, Municipium Iulium V, or Julia Flavia. Its inhabitants were of the Galeria tribe (Latin tribu Galeria). Local remains from the era include two stone tablets with inscriptions.
There are few remains from the Visigothic era.
Middle Ages
When Spain fell into Moorish hands, Azuaga underwent a period of growth. Among the historicas evidence of Moorish Azuaga, the Arab geographer and traveler Al Idrisi mentions the settlement in the 12th century, alluding to it as a hilltop fort - (حِصْن زُوَاغَة - HiSn Zuwāghah). This is the first writing that mentions Azuaga by name. It would appear that at that time the people of Azuaga were of the BerberBerber people
Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. They are continuously distributed from the Atlantic to the Siwa oasis, in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River. Historically they spoke the Berber language or varieties of it, which together form a branch...
tribe Al-Zuwaga, hence the name. Azuaga still has a surviving portion of its 11th century castle.
In 1236 Azuaga was conquered by the Christian kingdoms of Castile
Crown of Castile
The Crown of Castile was a medieval and modern state in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accession of the then King Ferdinand III of Castile to the vacant Leonese throne...
, during the reign of Ferdinand III
Ferdinand III of Castile
Saint Ferdinand III, T.O.S.F., was the King of Castile from 1217 and León from 1230. He was the son of Alfonso IX of León and Berenguela of Castile. Through his second marriage he was also Count of Aumale. He finished the work done by his maternal grandfather Alfonso VIII and consolidated the...
, by the Order of Santiago, directed at that time by Pelay Pérez Correa. The Christian captured the castle and constructed the new Torre del Homenaje ("Tower of Homage"), the best conserved portion of the castle today.
In 1477, in the Ermita (Hermitage) de San Sebastián (later the Convento de La Merced [Mercy], then the Ermita de La Merced), the Order de Santiago held a general chapter meeting and selected Don Alonso de Cárdenas as its new master.
Modern era
In the first census of Extremadura in 1551, Azuaga was the largest population center in Extremadura. In 18th century censuses, Azuaga appears as one of the principal towns of the region. It dominated the region in artisanal and manufacturing activity, most prominently in textileTextile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
s and dye
Dye
A dye is a colored substance that has an affinity to the substrate to which it is being applied. The dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution, and requires a mordant to improve the fastness of the dye on the fiber....
s.
Azuagueños artist Juan del Castillo
Juan del Castillo
Juan del Castillo was a Spanish Baroque painter.Del Castillo was the youngest brother of the painter Agustín. Both were trained in painting by Luis Fernández in Seville...
(1585–1658) did his major work in Seville, where he was the maestro of an atelier. His brother Agustín del Castillo
Agustín del Castillo
Agustín del Castillo was a Spanish Baroque painter.Del Castillo was born in Seville, and was an older brother of the painter Juan del Castillo. Both brothers were trained in painting by Luis Fernández in Seville. Afterwards he moved to Córdoba, where he painted religious frescoes and oil...
(1590–1626) painted in Córdoba
Córdoba, Spain
-History:The first trace of human presence in the area are remains of a Neanderthal Man, dating to c. 32,000 BC. In the 8th century BC, during the ancient Tartessos period, a pre-urban settlement existed. The population gradually learned copper and silver metallurgy...
.
In the 16th century, two different clerics were known by the same name, Fray Pedro de Azuaga. One was an important Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
theorist, permanent counsellor to Philip II
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
. The other, active in the last third of the century rose steadily through the eccesiastical ranks, ultimately becoming Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
in 1596.
During the colonial
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
era, Azuaga ranked seventh in Extremadura in the number of people who went to the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
. This is more significant than it might at first sound, because Extremadura was a major force in the conquest of the Americas.
In the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century, Azuaga was more or less eclipsed. Between 1920 and 1960, Azuaga experienced major activity in mining lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
and (to a lesser degree) silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
, which brought renewed prosperity to the region, fluctuating between 16,000 and 18,000 inhabitants, but after that the population fell off rapidly as workers migrated elsewhere, nearly half of the town's population departing. An identifiable group of azuagueños emigrated to Sant Boi de Llobregat
Sant Boi de Llobregat
Sant Boi de Llobregat is a town of 80,000 inhabitants in the Barcelona province in Catalonia, located aside the Llobregat river.The town distributes its territory into six districts: Ciutat Cooperativa-Molí Nou, Marianao-Can Paulet, Barri Centre, Vinyets-Molí Vell, Camps Blancs-Canons-Orioles and...
(Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
).
