Penàguila (, Spanish: ) 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 ...

in the ''

comarca A ''comarca'' (, or , or ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, ...

'' of

Alcoià Alcoià ( es, Hoya de Alcoy) is a ''comarca'' in the province of Alicante, Valencian Community, Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' ...

Alicante Alicante ( ca-valencia, Alacant) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 , the second-largest in t ...

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...

, Spain.

Geography

Located at the foot of the Sierra de Penàguila in Pre-Baetic Valencian domain, the municipality extends from Morro Ull (1050 m), west to the top of the Creueta, east, forming part of the northern slopes of the Sierra de Aitana and open to the pit of

Alcoy Alcoy ( ca-valencia, Alcoi) is an industrial and university city, region and municipality located in the Valencian Community, Spain. The Serpis river crosses the municipal boundary of Alcoy. The local authority reported a population of 61,135 res ...

. The term river running through Frainós or Penàguila, east of the town, which flows into the river Alcoy Serpis or when it reaches

Cocentaina Cocentaina (, ) is a locality and municipality in the comarca of Comtat, in the province of Alicante, Spain. The village is located between the mountainous Serra de Mariola national park and the Serpis river. Cocentaina is ideally situated for ...

History

Of Muslim origin, the villa was totally walled, and currently some ruins of the walls and towers remain. On April 8, 1276, James I promised Lacerates Berenguer Mayor Penàguila Castle, divide the lands of the same men who guard it strength. On September 26, 1278, Peter III granted Penàguila a town charter. In 1338, Pedro of Aragon ordered the fortification of the castle. During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries the manor belonged to the Fenollar family before it became part of the crown. Penàguila was a royal town with voting rights in the courts (

Corts Valencianes The Corts Valencianes (), commonly known as ''Les Corts'' (), are the main legislative body of the Generalitat Valenciana and therefore of the Valencian Community. The main location of the Corts is in the Palace of the Borgias in Valencia; howev ...

). In contrary to other places in the area, Penàguila consisted of a largely Christian population, so the decree of expulsion of the

Moors The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or ...

, in 1609, was a not important to its demographics: the 200 homes registered before expulsion were reduced to 145, and did not involve an excessive loss. Penàguila belonged until 1707 to the

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Xàtiva Xàtiva (, es, Játiva ) is a town in eastern Spain, in the province of Valencia, on the right (western) bank of the river Albaida and at the junction of the Valencia–Murcia and Valencia Albacete railways. It is located 25 km west ...

, and until 1833, was part of the

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...

. With the provincial division of 1833 it was included in the

Province of Alicante Alicante ( ca-valencia, Alacant) is a province of eastern Spain, in the southern part of the Valencian Community. It is the second most populated Valencian province. Likewise, the second and third biggest cities in the Valencian Community (Alica ...

Economy

A little more than half of the municipal area is cropland (54%), the other half is forest land (46%). The breeding ground is practically all of dry (2,480 ha), where the predominant olive (over 1,400 ha), there are also almond (365 ha) and minor surfaces fruit trees (peaches, plums, apples). Irrigation is minimal (41 ha) and is dedicated to horticultural crops and a variety of fruit. Agricultural activities are organized in cooperative ''farmers'' Virgen del Patrocinio.

External links

Índice estadístico municipal de Penàguila
(Unidad de Documentación de la Diputación de Alicante).
Penàguila en el Registro de Entidades Locales de la Generalidad Valenciana
*
Blog de Penàguila
Blog acerca de Penàguila, con numerosas fotografías históricas y reportajes del municipio. Municipalities in the Province of Alicante Alcoià {{Valencia-geo-stub