Aguaviva (Teruel)

Aguaviva (Aiguaviva de Bergantes in standard Catalan, Aiguaiva in local speech), is a town and municipality in the province of Teruel in the community of Aragón, Spain.

Geography

The municipal area, with an area of 42.15 km², has a triangular shape where the Guadalope and Bergantes rivers are two of its sides and the other, to the south, is soft hills and mountains that overlook the valleys of the Barranco de las Vines and the foothills of the Maestrazgo mountains. In the south of the municipality there are many natural forests (pines, oaks, junipers, hardwoods, etc.) and open spaces that occupy 2,515 hectares, that is, 59% of the land use. The highest point corresponds to the area of La Tornera, at 926 m above. n. m. and the lowest with the confluence of the Guadalope rivers and its tributary the Bergantes, about 450 m above sea level. n. m. The town is about 530 m above sea level. n. m.

It borders the municipalities of Castellote, Mas de las Matas, La Ginebrosa, Zorita del Maestrazgo and Las Parras de Castellote.

Economy

Traditional agricultural and livestock activities predominate (primary sector). The agro-environmental conditions that exist in the area favor the development of olive groves, almond trees or fruit trees, for example the Calanda Peach, in addition to herbaceous crops (winter cereals). Meat products are obtained from the livestock herd, among which local brand cured meat and sausage loin stand out. There are 1,658 hectares dedicated to arable land, 39% of the municipal area. The crops are spread over 929 hectares of herbaceous land; 28 hectares of fruit trees; 62 hectares of olive grove and 5 hectares of vineyard. Regarding livestock activity, the herd exceeds 21,200 heads, with pigs (17,583 heads) and sheep (2,563 heads) predominating. There are also cattle, goats and rabbits.

Parties

Celebrate the Major Festivals starting on August 14, in honor of Saint Lawrence. Saint Augustine on August 28 in honor of the Holy Mystery. Fair, the third weekend of November. The most important religious building is the Parish Church of San Lorenzo (17th century), in Gothic and Baroque style that contains an interesting crypt from the 18th century (both this and the spacious interior lost all their artistic heritage in the Spanish civil war). Also noteworthy are the preserved remains of the ancient hermitages of San Gregorio (17th century) and Santa Bárbara.

Demography

It has a population of 556 inhabitants (INE 2022).

Graphic of demographic evolution of Aguaviva between 1842 and 2021

Population of law according to population censuses of the INE.Population in fact according to population censuses of the INE.

Graphic of demographic evolution of Aguaviva between 1998 and 2022

Population according to the municipal register as of 1 January of the INE.

Administration and politics

Last mayors of Aguaviva

Election results

Initiative against depopulation

At the beginning of the 2000s, there was an initiative by the Aguaviva mayor's office, which was chaired by the Spanish Association of Municipalities Against Depopulation, to repopulate the place with families mainly from South America and Romania. This novel proposal, which was copied by another 200 municipalities in the rest of Spain and even in some other countries, tried to provide accommodation and work to families who came with at least two children under twelve years of age, with the aim of settling the population. To this end, an agreement was proposed between the parties for five years. The implementation of the reception programs meant that Aguaviva went from having 592 inhabitants in 2000 to 718 in 2008. However, part of the foreign immigration chose to go to other places and Aguaviva again lost population to 514. inhabitants in 2019. In 2021 the population had grown a little to 547 inhabitants.

Cultural references

The initiative against depopulation has given rise to several documentaries, including Aguaviva (2006), by Ariadna Pujol, which was screened at the Shanghai International Film Festival, in the Panorama section. The Colombian Mario Burbano and the Argentine journalist, Verónica Marchiaro, filmed Aguaviva: life in three suitcases, which shows the disappointment, disenchantment, inadaptation and abandonment of the project of the Argentines in the town, in the face of their lack of incentives. Verónica Marchiaro has stated: "I found a kind of reproduction, in small form, of what is seen in almost all large European cities: the differentiation, by ghettos, of the immigrant population according to its origin."

There is also a German, a Belgian and a Japanese documentary about the town and the arrival of the repopulating immigrants, who are not very loved by the neighbors.

In 2019, the short film "Enanos", directed by Victor Rofes, chose Aguaviva for its locations. The short film has been filmed entirely in the natural landscapes that surround the town and features the participation of actor Emilio Gavira.

Language

The speech of this town, a variant of Valencian-Catalan, is one of the most original and interesting on the entire Catalan-Aragonese linguistic border. Linguistics technicians refer to it as "Parlar d'Aiguaiva" and is popularly known as "chapurriau". It presents its similarities and differences with nearby towns. Until now, this variant of the Catalan language has not been saved in a dictionary. It can be included in the speeches of Guadalope and Alto Mezquín.

In the vocalism the presence of the diphthong ia stands out, which is not, as in central Aragonese, a consequence of the diphthongization of Latin short E, but seems to be related to the e open from Western Catalan and Valencian, of which it is considered a spontaneous change (cial, sky; pial, skin; tiarra, land). That is to say, this diphthong ia seems to have nothing to do with etymology: it would be a fairly late spontaneous change (it had to be after the century XII, since Aguaviva was reconquered in 1169 by Alfonso II of Aragon) which some have attributed to the influence of the local Mozarabic. On the contrary, the short O always evolves to o: bona (good). There is no seseo (zelles, eyebrows; zent, one hundred), which is why it contrasts with other Catalan languages where it is normal, but also in the Aguaviva language., just as in Torrevelilla, La Ginebrosa and La Cañada de Verich, the voiceless interdental fricative (falz, sickle, pronounced with z as in Aragonese) is opposed by a voiced interdental affricate dotze, twelve, pronounced roughly as "dodde"; setze, pronounced "sedde", etc.). The e is common in plurals (la casa/les cases) and in verbs (cantes, canten) and the loss of final -o (moliner, miller; castell, castle). The voiced s [z] is preserved: house [káza]. But, compared to neighboring Catalan languages, it maintains the final -r (ferrer, blacksmith; parlar, to speak). The initial x or after consonant is pronounced as a prepalatal voiceless affricate (chuflar for xuflar, colchó for colxó), but the initial g-, j- is preserved as a voiced fricative, e.g. in gent, junt, compared to Valencian, in which it is made into an affricate.

Gastronomy

In Aguaviva you can taste excellent garden products, as well as those from pork derivatives such as cured hams, fresh and cured sausages, preserves, pickled meats, fried meats with garlic, olive oil, wine, roast lamb. oven.