Fregenal de la Sierra
Encyclopedia
Fregenal de la Sierra is a municipality located in the province of Badajoz
, Extremadura
, Spain
.
comarca
(county), among the small hills and ravines of the Sierra Morena
. Fregenal de la Sierra borders Valverde de Burguillos
, Burguillos del Cerro
and Jerez de los Caballeros
to the north, Valencia del Ventoso
to the east, Bodonal de la Sierra
, Segura de León
and Fuentes de León
to the south, and Higuera la Real
to the southwest. It is the seat of the Fregenal de la Sierra judicial district (partido judicial). Fregenal is located on the EX-101, EX-201, and N-435 highways and is served by rail (on the daily Zafra-Huelva line) and by bus.
region in the first two centuries BC; later it became part of Hispania Baetica
, where it remained for over seven centuries until the beginning of the Muslim conquest. New research in this city has uncovered a watchtower first used by the Visigoths and later by Muslims, and a Muslim cemetery. The only reference made by Christians about this city is the name Castillo de Valera, which was dated by the Knights Templar.
The city was conquered by Fernando III with the help of the Templars, but first appearance of Fregenal in historical records was in 1283 when the population was given by Alfonso X of Castile to the Order of the Temple for its work in the reconquista. Fregenal ultimately was returned to the kingdom of Seville in 1312.
Over 100 individuals from Fregenal traveled to the New World during Spanish conquest and colonization, among them Alonso Rodríguez Santos and Benito Arias Montano (son of Rodríguez Santos and nephew of the humanist also named Benito Arias Montano
). Spanish actress Pilar López de Ayala
's (b. 1978) father Rodrigo López de Ayala Sánchez-Arjona (b. 1944) was born here, from descendants of Christopher Columbus
.
Badajoz (province)
The province of Badajoz is a province of western Spain located in the autonomous community of Extremadura. It was formed in 1833. It is bordered by the provinces of Cáceres, Toledo, Ciudad Real, Córdoba, Seville, and Huelva, and by Portugal....
, Extremadura
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...
, 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...
.
Geography
Fregenal de la Sierra is located in the Sierra SuroesteSierra Suroeste
Sierra Suroeste is a comarca located in southwestern province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, western Spain...
comarca
Comarca
A comarca is a traditional region or local administrative division found in parts of Spain, Portugal, Panama, Nicaragua, and Brazil. The term is derived from the term marca, meaning a "march, mark", plus the prefix co- meaning "together, jointly".The comarca is known in Aragonese as redolada and...
(county), among the small hills and ravines of the Sierra Morena
Sierra Morena
The Sierra Morena is one of the main systems of mountain ranges in Spain.It stretches for 400 kilometres East-West across southern Spain, forming the southern border of the Meseta Central plateau of the Iberian Peninsula, and providing the watershed between the valleys of the Guadiana to the...
. Fregenal de la Sierra borders Valverde de Burguillos
Valverde de Burguillos
Valverde de Burguillos is a municipality located in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain. According to the 2005 census , the municipality has a population of 326 inhabitants....
, Burguillos del Cerro
Burguillos del Cerro
Burguillos del Cerro is a municipality in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain. It has a population of 3,284 and an area of 187.5 km²....
and Jerez de los Caballeros
Jerez de los Caballeros
Jerez de los Caballeros is a town of south-western Spain, in the province of Badajoz. It is situated on two heights overlooking the River Ardila, a tributary of the Guadiana, 12 miles east of the Portuguese frontier. The old town is surrounded by a Moorish wall with six gates. The newer portion is...
to the north, Valencia del Ventoso
Valencia del Ventoso
Valencia del Ventoso is a municipality located in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain. According to the 2006 census , the municipality has a population of 2,325 inhabitants....
to the east, Bodonal de la Sierra
Bodonal de la Sierra
Bodonal de la Sierra is a municipality located in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain....
, Segura de León
Segura de León
Segura de León is a Spanish municipality in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura. It has a population of 2,170 and an area of 106 km².-External links:* *...
and Fuentes de León
Fuentes de León
Fuentes de León is a municipality located in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain. According to the 2005 census , the municipality has a population of 2674 inhabitants....
to the south, and Higuera la Real
Higuera la Real
Higuera la Real is a municipality located in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain. According to the 2005 census , the municipality has a population of 2505 inhabitants....
to the southwest. It is the seat of the Fregenal de la Sierra judicial district (partido judicial). Fregenal is located on the EX-101, EX-201, and N-435 highways and is served by rail (on the daily Zafra-Huelva line) and by bus.
Economy
Fregenal de la Sierra's economy has traditionally depended on agriculture and livestock. To a lesser extent, mining has also been important; it was important as a distribution point for minerals mined in the surrounding areas. Today major industries include cork extraction and the processing of pork from Iberian pigs. Tourism is also increasing in importance.History
In the vicinity of the present town lie the ruins (almost entirely buried and little-researched) of a Celtic fort called Nertóbriga, which became known as Nertóbriga-Concordia Iulia after the Roman conquest. This city was part of the Hispania UlteriorHispania Ulterior
During the Roman Republic, Hispania Ulterior was a region of Hispania roughly located in Baetica and in the Guadalquivir valley of modern Spain and extending to all of Lusitania and Gallaecia...
region in the first two centuries BC; later it became part of Hispania Baetica
Hispania Baetica
Hispania Baetica was one of three Imperial Roman provinces in Hispania, . Hispania Baetica was bordered to the west by Lusitania, and to the northeast by Hispania Tarraconensis. Baetica was part of Al-Andalus under the Moors in the 8th century and approximately corresponds to modern Andalucia...
, where it remained for over seven centuries until the beginning of the Muslim conquest. New research in this city has uncovered a watchtower first used by the Visigoths and later by Muslims, and a Muslim cemetery. The only reference made by Christians about this city is the name Castillo de Valera, which was dated by the Knights Templar.
The city was conquered by Fernando III with the help of the Templars, but first appearance of Fregenal in historical records was in 1283 when the population was given by Alfonso X of Castile to the Order of the Temple for its work in the reconquista. Fregenal ultimately was returned to the kingdom of Seville in 1312.
Over 100 individuals from Fregenal traveled to the New World during Spanish conquest and colonization, among them Alonso Rodríguez Santos and Benito Arias Montano (son of Rodríguez Santos and nephew of the humanist also named Benito Arias Montano
Benito Arias Montano
Benito Arias Montano , Spanish orientalist and editor of the Antwerp Polyglot, was born at Fregenal de la Sierra, in Extremadura, in 1527. After studying at the universities of Seville and Alcalá, he took orders about the year 1559. He became a clerical member of the Military Order of St...
). Spanish actress Pilar López de Ayala
Pilar López de Ayala
Pilar López de Ayala Arroyo is a Spanish film actress. She received a Goya for her role as Queen Joanna of Castile in the 2001 film Juana la Loca, directed by Vicente Aranda ....
's (b. 1978) father Rodrigo López de Ayala Sánchez-Arjona (b. 1944) was born here, from descendants of Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
.