Valdunquillo
Encyclopedia
Valdunquillo is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid
, Castile and León
, Spain
. According to the 2004 census
(INE
), the municipality has a population of 179 inhabitants. The town's residents traditionally call themselves "lechugeros," a testament to the fact that the town had a good reputation for cultivating lettuce
. Valdunquillo is adjacent to the towns La Unión de Campos
, Villalogán, Bolaños de Campos
, Valderas
, Medina de Rioseco
, and Villavicencio de los Caballeros
.
Valdunquillo has been occupied by Christians, Jews
, and Muslims. However, archaeological evidence shows that the area was likely first inhabited by the Vaccaei. The first written reference of the town appears in a document, dating to the year 1126, in which the Countess Doña Mayor donates to the monastery of Sahagún
. In another donation, dating to the year 1192, it is referred to as "Valle de Junquello," perhaps the origin of its present day name. On March 5, 1368, King
Enrique II ceded the town to Alvar Pérez de Osorio. The Osorio family formed much of the town's history, and promoted its convent
. On May 1, 1623, King Philip IV of Spain
granted Francisca de Valdés Osorio the marquisate of Valdunquillo.
and brick with tile roofs, typical of Castile. Also typical of the area are its many palomares. The town is part of the comaraca, Tierra de Campos. The area's first inhabitants were the Vaccaei, then it was occupied by the Romans
, and then the Goths
. It was also the border between Muslims and Christians during the Middle Ages
. During the Medieval era and the Renaissance
, the area was the breadbasket of Spain. As time passed, its importance declined, and people fled to large cities, like Valladolid
, Sevilla, Madrid
, and Barcelona
.
Valladolid (province)
Valladolid is a province of central/northwest Spain, in the central part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the provinces of Zamora, León, Palencia, Burgos, Segovia, Ávila, and Salamanca....
, Castile and León
Castile and León
Castile and León is an autonomous community in north-western Spain. It was so constituted in 1983 and it comprises the historical regions of León and Old Castile...
, 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...
. According to the 2004 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
(INE
Instituto Nacional de Estadística (Spain)
The National Institute of Statistics is the official organisation in Spain that collects statistics about demography, economy, and Spanish society. Every 10 years, this organisation conducts a national census. The last census took place in 2001....
), the municipality has a population of 179 inhabitants. The town's residents traditionally call themselves "lechugeros," a testament to the fact that the town had a good reputation for cultivating lettuce
Lettuce
Lettuce is a temperate annual or biennial plant of the daisy family Asteraceae. It is most often grown as a leaf vegetable. It is eaten either raw, notably in salads, sandwiches, hamburgers, tacos, and many other dishes, or cooked, as in Chinese cuisine in which the stem becomes just as important...
. Valdunquillo is adjacent to the towns La Unión de Campos
La Unión de Campos
La Unión de Campos is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 320 inhabitants....
, Villalogán, Bolaños de Campos
Bolaños de Campos
Bolaños de Campos is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 399 inhabitants....
, Valderas
Valderas
Valderas is a municipality located in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 2,049 inhabitants.-See also:* Leonese language...
, Medina de Rioseco
Medina de Rioseco
Medina de Rioseco is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 5,037 inhabitants. During the Peninsular War, it was here that the Battle of Medina del Rioseco took place on July 14,...
, and Villavicencio de los Caballeros
Villavicencio de los Caballeros
Villavicencio de los Caballeros is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 294 inhabitants....
.
History
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
, and Muslims. However, archaeological evidence shows that the area was likely first inhabited by the Vaccaei. The first written reference of the town appears in a document, dating to the year 1126, in which the Countess Doña Mayor donates to the monastery of Sahagún
Sahagún, Spain
Sahagún is a town in the province of León, Spain. It is the main town of the Leonese section of the Tierra de Campos comarca.Sahagún is notable for containing some of the earliest examples of the mudéjar style of architecture. It lies on the Way of St. James.The initial town arose due to the...
. In another donation, dating to the year 1192, it is referred to as "Valle de Junquello," perhaps the origin of its present day name. On March 5, 1368, King
King
- Centers of population :* King, Ontario, CanadaIn USA:* King, Indiana* King, North Carolina* King, Lincoln County, Wisconsin* King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin* King County, Washington- Moving-image works :Television:...
Enrique II ceded the town to Alvar Pérez de Osorio. The Osorio family formed much of the town's history, and promoted its convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
. On May 1, 1623, King Philip IV of Spain
Philip IV of Spain
Philip IV was King of Spain between 1621 and 1665, sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands, and King of Portugal until 1640...
granted Francisca de Valdés Osorio the marquisate of Valdunquillo.
About the Town
The architecture of Valdunquillo consists mainly of adobeAdobe
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
and brick with tile roofs, typical of Castile. Also typical of the area are its many palomares. The town is part of the comaraca, Tierra de Campos. The area's first inhabitants were the Vaccaei, then it was occupied by the Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
, and then the Goths
Goths
The Goths were an East Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin whose two branches, the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths, played an important role in the fall of the Roman Empire and the emergence of Medieval Europe....
. It was also the border between Muslims and Christians during the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
. During the Medieval era and the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
, the area was the breadbasket of Spain. As time passed, its importance declined, and people fled to large cities, like Valladolid
Valladolid
Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
, Sevilla, Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, 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...
.
Monuments
- Convento de la MercedConvento de la MercedThe Convento de la Merced actually serves today as the Church of San Pedro. It was completed in 1607....
: Founded in 1607, the Mercedarian convent today serves as the actual San Pedro Church. The brick building was built in the 18th century. Although its façadeFacadeA facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
is somewhat austere, inside it is ornate, with gilded altars and religious works of art. - Palace of the Dukes of AlbaHouse of AlbaThe House of Alba is an important Spanish aristocratic family who derive from the 12th century Mozarab nobility of post-conquest Toledo. Their claim to Alba traces to 1429, when the first Álvarez de Toledo was made Lord of the City of Alba de Tormes...
: This small palace dates to at least the 17th century. It belonged to the Osorio family, whose family coat of arms is engraved above the main entrance. Up until now, the palace belonged to the Duchess of Alba, a descendent of the Osorio family, who is MarchionessMarchionessMarchioness could refer to:*A noblewoman with the rank of Marquess, or the wife of a Marquess.*The Marchioness, a pleasure boat that was sunk on the River Thames in 1989....
of Valdunquillo. It has now been restored to be a private home. - San Pedro Church: From the 18th century, all that is left of the church are the ruins of its tower, popularly known as "The Fallen Tower."
- Santa María Church: Built in the 16th century, the church is now not only in ruins, but is also private property now. Its mudéjarMudéjarMudéjar is the name given to individual Moors or Muslims of Al-Andalus who remained in Iberia after the Christian Reconquista but were not converted to Christianity...
-styled arch still stands, as well as two cupolas.
External links
- Official Website(Spanish)
- Official Website of Tierra de Campos(Spanish)