Azuqueca de Henares is a municipality located in the

province of Guadalajara Guadalajara () is a province of Spain, belonging to the autonomous community of Castilla–La Mancha. As of 2013 it had a population of 257,723 people. The population of the province has grown in the last 10 years. It is located in the centre of ...

, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. According to the 2013

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

(

INE INE, Ine or ine may refer to: Institutions * Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research center * Instituto Nacional de Estadística (disambiguation) * Instituto Nacional de Estatística (disambiguation) * Instituto Nacional Elec ...

), the municipality had a population of 34.685 inhabitants.2013 census
/ref> The mayor of Azuqueca is José Luis Blanco.

History of Azuqueca

The name Azuqueca has its origin in the

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a 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. E.Watson; Walter ...

language and means ''lane'' because Azuqueca was a little village situated in a Roman road between Mérida and

Zaragoza Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributari ...

. In II A.C., Azuqueca was a Roman village, near the river Henares. The population wasn't very big and it was a village dedicated to agriculture. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, it was a refuge for the traders when it was under Arabic control, but, after the Christian reconquest, by the king Alfonso VI. After a few years, Azuqueca became part of Guadalajara. In 1628 the Salinas del Río Pisuegra’s marquises bought the village to the king

Philip IV of Spain Philip IV ( es, Felipe, pt, Filipe; 8 April 160517 September 1665), also called the Planet King (Spanish: ''Rey Planeta''), was King of Spain from 1621 to his death and (as Philip III) King of Portugal from 1621 to 1640. Philip is remembered ...

. The following centuries, Azuqueca still being a village with no more than 300 inhabitants, but in the 20th century, with the influence of Madrid’s industrial development, and the National Plan of Economic Stabilization, Azuqueca became a small industrial city: Nowadays, the agriculture isn’t the principal economical activity and the service’s section will continue to develop during the next century.

Education

Six public primary schools and one private school are located in Azuqueca de Henares: * Virgen de la Soledad * Maestra placida Herranz * La paz * Siglo XXI * Giovanni Farina (private and also is a high school) * La Paloma. * La espiga. There are further three public high schools in Azuqueca de Henares: * Professor Dominguez Ortiz. * Arcipreste de Hita. * San Isidro. Another education centers are: *Aula Apícola Municipal de Azuqueca de Henares, Guadalajara, Spai
Aula Apícola Municipal
In addition, there is an adults education center, an apiculture's room and a natural's room too. There is no university in Azuqueca but in several cities close: Alcalá de Henares and Guadalajara and

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...

Transport

Azuqueca is a logistic center due to its position near the capital city of Spain, Madrid, and the highway

- Madrid that connects these cities. Azuqueca is linked by conventional railway line Madrid-

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

and the line C-2 in suburban Madrid, which usually stops at the station in the town. The third major line of communication of the town is Highway Toll Radial 2. Azuqueca is connected by road, which circulate both cars and buses line

Alovera Alovera is a municipality located in the province of Guadalajara, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. According to the 2015 census ( INE), the municipality has a population of 12,247 inhabitants. History Since the discovery of a Roman ''cupae'' (a tomb ...

, Quer,

Villanueva de la Torre Villanueva de la Torre is a municipality located in the province of Guadalajara Guadalajara () is a province of Spain, belonging to the autonomous community of Castilla–La Mancha. As of 2013 it had a population of 257,723 people. The popul ...

Torrejón del Rey Torrejón del Rey is a municipality located in the province of Guadalajara, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. According to the 2004 census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members ...

and the northern region of the countryside,

Meco Domenico Monardo (born November 29, 1939), known as Meco, is an American record producer and musician, as well as the name of his band or production team. Meco is best known for his 1977 space disco version of the ''Star Wars'' theme from his ...

Chiloeches Chiloeches is a municipality located in the province of Guadalajara, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. According to the 2004 census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a g ...

and Baja

Alcarria The Alcarria ( es, La Alcarria) is a natural region in Castile (Spain). It is located mainly in Guadalajara Province but also overlaps those of Cuenca and Madrid. Its principal attractions are its fauna and flora and it is noted for its honey ...

Health

There are two health centers which serves the entire town. In 2007 opened a specialty center for diagnosis and treatment of Azuqueca. Near the town there are also hospitals of in Alcalá de Henares and

Guadalajara, Castile-La Mancha Guadalajara (, ) is a city and municipality in Spain, located in the autonomous community of Castilla–La Mancha. It is the capital of the Province of Guadalajara. Lying on the central part of the Iberian Peninsula at roughly metres above sea ...

Leisure and culture

Monuments

Not many monuments from the past remained in Azuqueca, no civil monuments can nowadays be found in the city. The structure of Azuqueca is quite simple: A church in the center of the village and some hermitages around it. There may other churches in Azuqueca such as the San Miguel's church and the Santa Teresa de Jesús' church. There are some hermitages too. In 1984 opened a huge house of the culture with a library, an exhibition hall, an auditorium etc.

Parks and Gardens

Azuqueca has many green areas. The biggest one is the Quebradilla's park, with 7 ha where the village festivals are celebrated. Other green areas or parks are the Hermitage's park, the Constitution's park, Vallehermoso's park and several more. Four big ponds are close to the river Henares. The river has got a protected space for flora and fauna and a size of 12 ha.

Sports

Azuqueca has four sport centers. The San Miguel's sport center has football fields, running tracks, a pediment, the summer's municipal swimming pool etc.

Festivities

The principal festivities of the town are held on the third Sunday in September, and have the collaboration of the ''peñas.'' The highlight of these celebration is the parade of floats that have been declared tourist interest regional. May 15 celebration are held in honor of patron San Isidro farmer, but are less busy than September.

References

{{authority control Municipalities in the Province of Guadalajara