Santa Cruz de Mudela 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 the Spanish
Province of Ciudad Real
The province of Ciudad Real () is a province in the southwestern part of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It is bordered by the provinces of Cuenca, Albacete, Jaén, Province of Córdoba (Spain), Córdoba, Province of Bada ...
located in the southeastern corner of the
autonomous community
eu, autonomia erkidegoa
ca, comunitat autònoma
gl, comunidade autónoma
oc, comunautat autonòma
an, comunidat autonoma
ast, comunidá autónoma
, alt_name =
, map =
, category = Autonomous administra ...
Castilla–La Mancha
Castilla–La Mancha (, , ), or Castile La Mancha, is an autonomous community of Spain. Comprising the provinces of Albacete, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Guadalajara and Toledo, it was created in 1982. The government headquarters are in Toledo, and ...
.
Geography
Santa Cruz de Mudela has a Mediterranean–Continental climate that consists of cold winters, warm summers, and little precipitation.
History
The founding of Santa Cruz de Mudela
Various artifacts and remains dating back to the first half of the second
millennium
A millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period of one thousand years, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting point (ini ...
B. C. E. have been found in the northern parts of the Meadow of Medula and the lowlands of Jabalon. Additional archaeological evidence from the ''Cerro de las Cabezas'' dig further suggests that the region was an important settlement of the
Iberian ''Oretan'' tribe between the 7th and 2nd centuries B. C. E.
In the following centuries, the region came to lie under the sphere of influence of a
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
, and later
Visigothic
The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is kno ...
, town near present-day
Valdepeñas
Valdepeñas is a municipality in the province of Ciudad Real, in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It is also the seat of the judicial district that covers the localities of Moral de Calatrava, Santa Cruz de Mudela, Viso de ...
. The Roman legacy and influence in Santa Cruz are most evident in the region's
wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...
culture and many
vineyard
A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyards ...
s.
After the sudden
Moorish
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 se ...
conquest of the Iberian Peninsula in the 8th century, Santa Cruz's wine and vineyards became less important in the new
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
ic culture. The town lost much of its former regional economic clout and came to serve mainly as a grain depository for the region south of
Toledo.
In 1212 C. E., after
Alfonso VIII of Castile
Alfonso VIII (11 November 11555 October 1214), called the Noble (''El Noble'') or the one of Las Navas (''el de las Navas''), was King of Castile from 1158 to his death and King of Toledo. After having suffered a great defeat with his own army at ...
and the
Order of Calatrava
The Order of Calatrava ( es, Orden de Calatrava, pt, Ordem de Calatrava) was one of the four Spanish military orders and the first military order founded in Castile, but the second to receive papal approval. The papal bull confirming the Orde ...
drove the Moors from Central Iberia, the townspeople relocated and established around the Good Well (situated in front of what was then a convent, but is now the barracks of the
Civil Guard
Civil Guard refers to various policing organisations:
Current
* Civil Guard (Spain), Spanish gendarmerie
* Civil Guard (Israel), Israeli volunteer police reserve
* Civil Guard (Brazil), Municipal law enforcement corporations in Brazil
Histori ...
) the town center that exists today.
The name of the town itself, Santa Cruz de Mudela, dates back to the 13th century. Several different explanations of the origin exist, mixing historical fact, tradition, and legend.
Oral tradition
Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication wherein knowledge, art, ideas and cultural material is received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another. Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (1985 ...
takes the "Holy Cross" (Santa Cruz) to be that which accompanied the Christians in their triumphant 1212
battle of Las Navas de Tolosa
The Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, known in Islamic history as the Battle of Al-Uqab ( ar, معركة العقاب), took place on 16 July 1212 and was an important turning point in the ''Reconquista'' and the medieval history of Spain. The Christ ...
. More reliable sources suggest that the "Santa Cruz" in actuality refers to the crossroads located in the Meadow of Mudela (so called for its proximity to the pass of Muradal, one of the entrances to the
Central Meseta through the
Andalusian Plain).
Marquessate of Santa Cruz
On January 30, 1538, Don Álvaro the Elder bought off from
Carlos I Carlos I may refer to:
*Carlos I of Spain (1500–1558), also Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire
*Carlos I of Portugal (1863–1908), King of Portugal
*Juan Carlos I of Spain
Juan Carlos I (;,
* ca, Joan Carles I,
* gl, Xoán Carlos I, ...
the towns of Santa Cruz de Mudela and Viso del Puerto (Muradal), under his own terms and along with civil and criminal jurisdiction, for 26,208,626
maravedíes (approx. $37,441,623 in 2021 U.S. Dollars)(for comparison,
Ferdinand Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan ( or ; pt, Fernão de Magalhães, ; es, link=no, Fernando de Magallanes, ; 4 February 1480 – 27 April 1521) was a Portuguese explorer. He is best known for having planned and led the 1519 Spanish expedition to the East ...
's epic voyage around the earth, financed by Carlos I in 1518, cost 8,751,125 maravedis). Later his son,
Don Álvaro de Bazán the Younger, became the first Marquis of Santa Cruz and built the palace and the
Franciscanos Capuchinos convent, still constituted, as said above, in authentic benefactors of the town.
The lineage of the Bazán belongs to one of the twelve houses of
Navarre
Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...
and continues through the towns of Baztán, and in the vernacular language is called ''soy uno''. Don Álvaro of Bazán was one of the most interesting historical figures from Spain of the 16th century. The illustrious Granadian, celebrated admiral of
Felipe II, was named 'first marqués of Santa Cruz of Mudela, leader of the towns Viso and Valdepeñas, major commander of León, his majesty's advisor and general captain of the ocean sea and of the people during the war of the kingdom of Portugal.
The War of Independence and the Battle of Ocaña
On June 5, 1808,
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
's invasion of Spain suffered a reversal at the hands of peasants from Santa Cruz de Mudela. Of 700 French troops, 109 were killed and an additional 113 were taken prisoner. Throughout November 1808, Santa Cruz de Mudela served as the headquarters for the La Mancha Spanish army under the command of General Don Francisco de Eguía during preparations for the crucial
Battle of Ocaña
The Battle of Ocaña was fought on 19 November 1809 between French forces under Marshal Jean de Dieu Soult, Duke of Dalmatia and King Joseph Bonaparte and the Spanish army under Juan Carlos de Aréizaga, which suffered its greatest single def ...
.
19th century to present
The city became known during the 19th century for its sword and cutlery artisans, who forged steel blades of exceptional quality comparable to those of
Toledo and
Albacete
Albacete (, also , ; ar, ﭐَلبَسِيط, Al-Basīṭ) is a city and municipality in the Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castilla–La Mancha, and capital of the province of Albacete.
Lying in the south-ea ...
.
Landmarks and Monuments
* Plaza and Sanctuary of Nuestra Señora de las Virtudes
* Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción
* Church of San José
* Convent-School of Concepcionistas Misioneras de la Enseñanza
Mayors of Santa Cruz from 1979
*1979 Juan Bustos (UCD)
*1979 Juan Valverde (UCD)(by resignacion of Juan Bustos)
*1983 Antonio Cobos (PSOE)
*1987 Antonio Cobos (PSOE)
*1989 José Antonio López Aranda (PSOE)
*1991 José Antonio López Aranda (PSOE)
*1995 José Antonio López Aranda (PSOE)
*1999 José Antonio López Aranda (PSOE)
*2003 José Antonio López Aranda (PSOE)
*2007 Manuel Saéz Laguna (PVISCM)
Notable residents
*D. Alfonso López de Molina y Martínez Domingo (born in 1600)
*P. Francisco González.
*D.
Máximo Laguna Villanueva, botanist and forester
*Dª. María del Rosario Laguna and Laguna
*D. Antonio Muñoz Patón
*D. Juan de Mata Castro y Cacho
*D. Antonio Senén Castro y Cacho
*D. Leandro Delgado Fernández
*D. Miguel Ramírez Lasala
*D. Miguel Laguna Campos
*D. José Casado Bustos
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Santa Cruz De Mudela
Municipalities in the Province of Ciudad Real