El Padul is a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
of south-eastern
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
, in the
province of Granada
Granada is a province of southern Spain, in the eastern part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is bordered by the provinces of Albacete, Murcia, Almería, Jaén, Córdoba, Málaga, and the Mediterranean Sea (along the Costa Tropical). ...
, within the comarca of
el Valle de Lecrín. The population on 2008 was 8.440 inhabitants. This town is situated 13 km at the south of the city of
Granada
Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...
. Its altitude is 744 meters above the sea level.
Geography
Borders
El Padul borders on
Alhendín
Alhendín is a city located in the province of Granada, Spain. According to the 2005 census (INE
INE, Ine or ine may refer to:
Institutions
* Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research center
* Instituto Nacional de Estadís ...
,
Otura and
Dílar
Dílar is a municipality located in the province of Granada, Spain. According to the 2005 census (INE
INE, Ine or ine may refer to:
Institutions
* Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research center
* Instituto Nacional de Esta ...
to the north, ;
Dúrcal and
Villamena
Villamena is a municipality located in the province of Granada, Spain. According to the 2005 census (INE
INE, Ine or ine may refer to:
Institutions
* Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research center
* Instituto Nacional de E ...
to the east;
Las Albuñuelas to the south and
Jayena
Jayena is a municipality located in the province of Granada, Spain. According to the 2005 census (INE), the city has a population of 1237 inhabitants.
The village is just north of the Sierras of Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama Natural Park
The Sier ...
to the west.
Natural environment
* El Padul's wetland : One of the most important wetlands in south-eastern Spain, recently included in the
Ramsar Convention
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. It i ...
. It has the greatest
peatland of the
Mediterranean basin
In biogeography, the Mediterranean Basin (; also known as the Mediterranean Region or sometimes Mediterranea) is the region of lands around the Mediterranean Sea that have mostly a Mediterranean climate, with mild to cool, rainy winters and w ...
and it has also several threatened species.
History
Etymology
The origin of the name of El Padul comes from the
Roman era
In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...
, deriving from the
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
word ''palus-paludis'' and exactly from its accusative case ''paludem'', which means wetland or bog, clearly referring to El Padul's wetland.
Due to the lack of known manuscripts talking about the name of the town along a period of time ranging several centuries, the phases of evolution of the Latin word are unknown, as well as the preceding
definite article "El". In relation to this point, two plausible possibilities are proposed: (1) The article could have appeared directly from the Latin word ''ille'', which originated the definite articles in all
Romance languages
The Romance languages, sometimes referred to as Latin languages or Neo-Latin languages, are the various modern languages that evolved from Vulgar Latin. They are the only extant subgroup of the Italic languages in the Indo-European language fam ...
. (2) The article could have appeared later with the
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
article ''al''. Regardless this controversy, during the
Nasrid period,
Ibn al-Khatib wrote the word "Al-Badul" (in Arabic spelling), with "B" because "P" does not exist in
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
, although probably people used the sound "P".
The modern name of El Padul appears in the first manuscripts written in
Spanish language
Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a world language, global language with more than 500 millio ...
in the 16th century. Among these manuscripts, the most important are the Parochial Archive and the Book of Surveying
[Libro (del apeo) y demás instrumentos de la población del Padul del partido del Valle de Lecrín (1571). Manuel Ferrer. Ed: Ayuntamiento de El Padul.] written in 1571. In the latter is possible to read this sentence: ''...que era de vecinos moriscos del dicho lugar El Padul...''.
In the 20th century, when the road signs started to be used, most of them were settled with the name of Padul without
article
Article often refers to:
* Article (grammar), a grammatical element used to indicate definiteness or indefiniteness
* Article (publishing), a piece of nonfictional prose that is an independent part of a publication
Article may also refer to:
G ...
, which has caused an important controversy about the real name of the town.
Towards the end of the 20th century, a cultural movement formed by several writers and History teachers of the town proposed to the town council to restore officially the whole name of the town. The result of that cultural movement took place on 18 December 2000, when the Town Council chose the name El Padul as the official of the town. The proposal was accepted by unanimity of all the town councillors.
Prehistory (Origins)
In the municipality, numerous traces pertaining to different prehistoric periods have been found. Thus, in the land of the ancient wetland, close to a peat quarry, fossilized remains of
Mammuthus of the
Middle Pleistocene were found in 1982. A good example of a tusk is exposed in the Sciences Park of
Granada
Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...
.
The most ancient tracks of human presence match with the
Middle Paleolithic
The Middle Paleolithic (or Middle Palaeolithic) is the second subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, Africa and Asia. The term Middle Stone Age is used as an equivalent or a synonym for the Middle Paleoli ...
, including
projectile points and
racloir
In archaeology, a racloir, also known as ''racloirs sur talon'' (French for scraper on the platform), is a certain type of flint tool made by prehistoric peoples.
It is a type of side scraper distinctive of Mousterian assemblages. It is created ...
s of the
Mousterian culture, which suggest the presence of settlements of
Neanderthal
Neanderthals (, also ''Homo neanderthalensis'' and erroneously ''Homo sapiens neanderthalensis''), also written as Neandertals, are an extinct species or subspecies of archaic humans who lived in Eurasia until about 40,000 years ago. While th ...
s near the wetland and close to important
caves of the municipality.
Neolithic
The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...
remains are more abundant and are represented by vessels, bracelets, domestic and farming tools, etc.
Culture
Monuments
* Casa Grande ''(16th century)'': Palace of civil character. This building served as a scene location for the film
The Long Duel
''The Long Duel'' is a 1967 British adventure film directed by Ken Annakin and starring Yul Brynner, Trevor Howard, Charlotte Rampling and Harry Andrews. It is set in British-ruled India of the 1920s but was filmed in Spain.
Plot
Superintendent ...
starring
Yul Brynner
Yuliy Borisovich Briner (russian: link=no, Юлий Борисович Бринер; July 11, 1920 – October 10, 1985), known professionally as Yul Brynner, was a Russian-born actor. He was best known for his portrayal of King Mongkut in the ...
.
* Church of Santa María la Mayor ''(16th - 18th centuries)''
* Chapel of Saint Sebastian ''(18th century)''.
* Source of the five pipes (''Lavadero'') ''(s. XVI-XIX)''.
* Roman road: The remains of an ancient Roman road that connected the cities of Ilíberis (
Granada
Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...
) and Sexi (
Almuñécar
Almuñécar () is a Spanish city and municipality located in the southwestern part of the comarca of the Costa Granadina, in the province of Granada. It is located on the shores of the Mediterranean sea and borders the Granadin municipalities of O ...
), located in the place known as ''Los Molinos''.
Fiestas
The afternoon of 19 January, the people of El Padul go to the mountains that surround the town in order to look for firewood and aromatic plants. Then they make big pyres during the procession of
Saint Sebastian between the chapel and the church. The following day, 20 January, there is another procession with more huge pyres and gunshots. These days, people sing the local hymn of Saint Sebastian.
The carnival is a traditional feasting period, where many disguised people sing humorous and satirical songs. These consist mainly of faux-tales about how their parents, or grandparents, committed various acts of
petty theft and
adultery
Adultery (from Latin ''adulterium'') is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal ...
.
Within the
Holy Week
Holy Week ( la, Hebdomada Sancta or , ; grc, Ἁγία καὶ Μεγάλη Ἑβδομάς, translit=Hagia kai Megale Hebdomas, lit=Holy and Great Week) is the most sacred week in the liturgical year in Christianity. In Eastern Churches, w ...
, the procession of "Jesus Christ's Burial" in the
Good Friday
Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday (also Hol ...
is of special relevance. This procession relates with 10 ''pasos'' (moving sculptures) all the
Passion.
The
Fair
A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks.
Types
Variations of fairs incl ...
is celebrated the last weekend of September.
Food, Agriculture and Tourism fair of the comarcas of
Valle de Lecrín
The Lecrin Valley ( es, link=no, Valle de Lecrín, ) is a comarca in the center-south part of the province of Granada, Andalusia, southern Spain. This territory borders the Vega de Granada to the north, the Alpujarra Granadina to the east, the C ...
, Temple and Costa Interior is celebrated between the 6th and 8 December. At the same time is celebrated the day of wine and the day of
pig slaughter.
References
External links
Ayuntamiento de El Padul(in Spanish)
Tourist information of El Padul by the Tourist Board of GranadaInformation about El Padul (History, parties, links...)(in Spanish)
(in Spanish)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Padul, El
Municipalities in the Province of Granada