La Mancha is part of Castille. It is formed by five territories
Toledo,
Ciudad Real,
Albacete,
Cuenca and
Guadalajara.
It is located in central Spain and the territory is mainly plane and dried, cold in winter and very hot in summer. There are several ranges like Cuenca range, Toledo mounts and Central Range. The most important river is Tajo, Guadiana and Júcar.
Toledo and Cuenca are very historic and monumental centers but there are other wonderful cities and villages like Almagro, Talavera de la Reina, Campo de Criptana Mota del Cuervo or Almansa
La Mancha is Don Quixote land where Cervantes located the most important book in Spanish language. Don´t forget to visit the giant-mills in Campo de Criptana or Consuegra.
Try some dishes like Pisto, Gachas or hunting meat.
TOLEDO
Toledo is known as the City of the Three Cultures, a name that refers to the Christians, Islamic and Hebrew cultures that coexist during centuries. This union of traditions is reflected on the architecture, where it can be seen the Mudejar style, a mixture of Islamic and Christian styles, which predominates in the city.
Rome conquered a stronghold of villages in 190 B.C and gave the name of Toletum. It became a very important town around the first century remaining until the present day the Greco-Latin cultural legacy. In the year 569, after the fall of the Roman Empire, the King of the Visigoths establishes his Court in Toledo and in 589 it became the political and religious capital of Hispania. In 712 the Moors conquered the city and occupied for 373 year.
In 1085, when Alfonso VI took the city, many of the Muslim inhabitants decided to stay with Christians and Jews. The harmony between the three cultures bore fruits as notable as the School of Translators of Toledo. With the crowing of Charles V in 1519, Toledo became the most important city, known as the Imperial Capital.
In 1561 King Philip II decided to move the Court to Madrid, initiating a period of political decline, but without effect on religious, artistic and cultural aspects. It was right at that time when El Greco decided to settle in the city and to paint the majority of his famous works of art. In 1989 the UNESCO declared Toledo a World Heritage city in recognition of its uniqueness, as it is almost impossible to walk without coming across an ancient mosque, a Gothic or Mudejar church, a Romanesque or Visigothic structure, a synagogue, or a Renaissance palace.
Posted at 12:31 am by pespy5
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