La Mancha is the vast territory stretching from the city of Toledo to the foothills of Sierra Morena, on the verge of the great medieval city of Cordoba. That is why it was a land of conflict, a diffuse border between the two great powers that pushed for the rule of Spain since the VIII century, Toledo and Cordoba.
Inside La Mancha we can find two of the largest rivers of Spain, the Tajo (Tagus) and the Guadiana, but here also born a part of the Guadalquivir, the great river of Andalusia.
In the eighth century, in the heart of La Mancha, the Arabs founded the Calatrava Castle, which was always at the service of the caliphs and knights of Cordoba. When in the twelfth century the king of Castile, Alfonso VII, won Calatrava to the Arabs, he opened the door for Christians to move towards Sierra Morena and put an end to the Hispanic-Muslim rule in the area.
It was in 1212 when a remarkable thing happened in Sierra Morena, where there were defeated the hosts of the Miramamolin Caliph in the battle of Al-Uqab (that we call Navas de Tolosa). That same year began the decline of the Calatrava Castle, since then known as the Old as the Christian Kings built a new Calatrava castle, now known as the New.
It’s been said that Calatrava the New was Spain’s greatest stronhold, and still overwhelms the vision of Calatrava the New when travelling the eternal and diffuse boundary separating La Mancha and Sierra Morena. The lords of Calatrava the New founded, shortly after, the city of Almagro, who extended with great palaces and churches.
But La Mancha is now worldwide known by other events, although these are the product of the imagination rather than the vicissitudes of history: La Mancha is the homeland of Don Quixote, the Knight of the Sad Figure that Miguel de Cervantes immortalized in what is considered the most important literary work written in Spanish, and one of the biggest stories of Mankind.
La Mancha offers us a land of legend, where you can still contemplate one of the best image of Spain throughout the world, the La Mancha Windmills, those who fought our valiant knight Don Quixote.
La Mancha is also a land with abundant olives and vineyards, where the most refined palates can enjoy one of the most traditional and typical cuisines of Spain. Many distinguished travelers have passed through La Mancha admiring the scenery and enjoying the Manchego delicacies. Who has not tasted a good Manchego Cheese and a fine Red Wine of our land? New passengers travel the old La Mancha and become captivated with new discoveries: the Las Pedroñeras Garlic, the Almagro Egg-plants … All of them repeat in our ears that “La Mancha has a lot to offer”
Vicente Malagón. 2017. All rights reserved.
