More Layers
I remain in awe-- the layers of civilizations, the cooperation and the conflict, the necessity and practicality counterbalanced by eventual rejection in favor of fanaticism. John and I made our way through Málaga and Ronda, trying to learn as much as we could about the history of each and enjoy the culture that each had to offer. I kept telling John that gelato was not culture. He likes Oreo gelato…a lot.
Málaga is the birthplace of Picasso, and John was grateful that we made quick work of the museum there, reserving most of our time for inspection of the Alcazaba. This fortress' sole purpose was to defend the port and hold the lands won by the Moors in the 8th century. It was built on the hillside right next to an ancient Roman theater dating from the 1st century BCE. Underneath the city you can find Phoenician ruins from 7th century BCE coexisting next to Roman ones. This place we roamed experienced Carthegian rule, Roman rule, Visagoths, Byzantium, Umayyad Muslims, Ferdinand and Isabella, yes, the Spanish Inquisition and recent destruction during Spanish Civil war bombardments in the 1930’s. Yet today, the city looks like a cross of the nicer parts of Miami, Rio and LA. Complete with orange cones traffic barriers and lots of police. Málaga wins the prize for the most difficult navigation (one way roads and roads closed due to construction). We even had to go thru a gate and communicate with central command to get authorization to drive on the pedestrian streets to get close to the hotel, only to be told that the parking was being renovated so we had to navigate back out to public parking garage. At least we could drop the luggage! I rubbed one of the rims trying to avoid a building and line of parked motorbikes…good thing we took the insurance this time!
On our day trip jaunt to Ronda, John honed his navigation skills even further. He is becoming quite the reliable first officer. We were supposed to meet our guide at the Bull Fighting ring. Easy, right? It is a big place. Although Málaga is considered one of the oldest cities in Spain, Ronda has art from of Celtic tribes occupying caves nearby in the Neolithic Age. We saw the cliffs from a distance but did not have time or energy to investigate. We were told about the local wine business, which was quite prolific in Roman times, then dormant, but is now experiencing a renaissance. The wine in Roman times was terrible to taste, but had the required amount of alcohol and was used primarily to encourage the garrison to get ready to fight. Thus, it was called “fighting wine.” The new varieties and vintages are said to be much better!
We spent quite a bit of time investigating a church that they call a cathedral, though there is no bishop. It was converted from a Mosque after the Reconquista. The craftsman that did the work were “locals,” meaning that they were Mulsims. That is because the conquering and then occupying forces were knights- professional soldiers, so they had to hire, cooperate and work with the Muslims to get anything accomplished. The Christians were forbidden to loan money-- for that was termed usury and forbidden, so that role was left to the Jews, who were only forbidden from charging other Jews interest. The King had a special place in his heart for the Jews over many centuries, as they paid taxes to him, not the catholic church. Alas, eventually the Jews were expelled as well as the Muslims.
Spain is an interesting place of appearances. Numerous guides mentioned that although more than 70% claim the Catholic Faith as their religion, less than 8% practice it. The Cathedrals, Basilicas and churches are all magnificent. And the bells are loud. What is the fascination with pork? You can tell a traditional bar and tapas place by the hams hanging in the window. Nowadays, that is just tradition. But back in the 16th century, that was to show that the proprietor was definitely not Muslim.
One of the inner walls of the Alcazaba in Málaga. The Muslims archways are clearly Arabic in nature, the recycled Roman columns are more decorative than structural. This is one of few passageways that went straight through, most have 90degree turn to create fatal funnel for invaders.
One of many defensive towers on the second of three walls. One of the reasons this citadel was considered impenetrable. Ferdinand and Isabella conquered it after the longest siege of the Reconquista in 1487...by cutting off water and food. Apparently, there are two types of trees in Spain-- Olive trees and other trees. While those are "other trees," John and I have seen many, but not all of Spain's 384 million olive trees on our journey.
The remnants of the minaret from the central mosque became the bell tower of the "cathedral." Ronda is known for its decorative iron works.
These 3 Abrahamic religions of the book have worked together successfully during periods of cooperation and harmony on the Iberian Peninsula, though most of the time they were in conflict.
another spiral staircase, and another race to the top !
This is the "new bridge" built in late 1700's. The mid-span contained a jail...escape was not an option! Ronda is like the Twin Cities...only smaller. Town homes for families descended from the knights on the right, bull fighting ring and hotels on the left.