Albalate de Zorita

Albalate de Zorita is a Spanish municipality in the province of Guadalajara, in the autonomous community of Castilla-La Mancha, located on the western slope of the Sierra de Altomira. It has a population of 1056 inhabitants (INE 2022)

Toponymy

The place name of Albalate may have its origin in the Arabic al-balat, the road. Another possible origin of the name, due to its topography, may come from the Celtic alp or alba, height or elevation. The surname of Zorita refers to the former belonging to the alfoz de Zorita.

Symbols

The heraldic shield that represents the municipality was approved on March 5, 1985 with the following coat of arms:

"From blue, the "Cruz del Perro", of gold; cast and sinister, the silver dog. To the bell, royal crown closed».

Diario Oficial de Castilla-La Mancha no 10 de 12 de marzo de 1985

History

Albalate appears at the end of the XI century, after the conquest of the Taifa of Toledo by Alfonso VI of León, as one of the villages belonging to the district of Zorita. In 1156, Alfonso VII, to consolidate the territory against the Muslims, repopulated the area mainly with Aragonese Mozarabs.

In 1175 and faced with the new Almohad danger, Alfonso VIII placed Zorita Castle and its territory in the hands of the Order of Calatrava to reinforce its defense.

Albalate will get its town title at the end of the XIV century or beginning of the XV. It would later pass through the families of the princes of Éboli and Mendoza until the definitive extinction of the lordships in 1812.

Demographics

In 2020 the population amounted to 1056 inhabitants (INE 2022), of which 517 were men and 401 were women.

Graphic of demographic evolution of Albalate de Zorita (municipality) between 1857 and 2018

Population in fact according to population censuses of the INE.

Population by nuclei

Breakdown of the population according to the Continuous Register by INE Population Unit.

Monuments

Church of San Andrés, Gothic style, in the center of the town

The church of San Andrés has a Gothic façade from the 16th century century. Inside, with a hall plan and three naves, there is a Baroque altarpiece made by Juan Alonso Pedroso between 1703-1707, with a painting that represents the martyrdom of Saint Andrew. In the chapel of the Holy Cross is the Cross of the Dog, a Romanesque piece in gilt bronze from the XIII century, which in 1514 It was discovered by a dog under some rocks. The baptismal font, by Juan de la Sierra, in alabaster, is from 1545. It was declared a site of cultural interest in 1992.

Albalate also has two hermitages, the baroque one of Nuestra Señora de los Remedios (1655-1676) and the one of Cubillas (XIII century ), in the cemetery, whose ruins maintain a portal with a pointed arch, with a Romanesque-style corbel eaves.

The cemetery is located on the outskirts of town and occupies what remains of an old Templar convent.

In addition, the fountain of the Thirteen Pipes, of Renaissance origin, of which there is evidence since 1557, although the current one is from the century XVII, it has a coat of arms reminiscent of the Holy Cross and consists of eight spouts on the east face, and three on the west face. Located next to the road, it stands out both for its age and for its complicated underground collection system.

Folklore and customs

House consistorial

The festival of San Blas, in February, in which dozens of botargas dance, during the procession and in front of the saint, accompanied by drums and castanets. Linked to the celebration is the tradition of distributing a kind of bread called charities the day before. These, according to popular belief, have the power to cure throat problems. The following day the San Blasillo Raffle is held, where donated objects are auctioned.

But it is the festival in honor of the Holy Cross, the Sunday closest to September 27, in commemoration of the date when the Cross of the Dog was found, to which Emperor Charles I and Emperor Carlos I came to prostrate themselves due to its devotion. his son Felipe II, the big festival of the town held in September, where more events are held (running of the bulls, parade of floats and the usual liturgical rites).

Parties

The patron saint festivities are from September 25 to October 1, the 27th is the day of the patron saint, Santa Cruz. On the first day of the festivities, there is a proclamation, accompanied by a speech by the mayor of the town and, if appropriate, a small performance. The following day, if it is not the same day as the proclamation, the float parade-contest is held in the afternoon, in which the clubs or simply groups of friends prepare a trailer, decorating it and preparing costumes for everyone who goes in that float The inventiveness, especially of the clubs, is usually diverse and creative. On the 27th there is a parade with the music band at 11 in the morning, which ends at the Town Hall, from which the Municipal Corporation and other authorities are accompanied, whether they are guests from neighboring towns or regional or even national authorities., together with the older brother of the Holy Cross to mass, after which an aperitif is offered to all attendees. The Holy Cross goes out in procession in the afternoon, being adored by its faithful at the end of it. The following day, games for children and a children's confinement are installed, and at night, fireworks and the release of correpiés. The last two days of festivities are dedicated to bullfighting in the center of the town, all of this between dances, festivals and performances every night. The day after the running of the bulls, a stew is made for everyone who wants to attend.

Gastronomy

In addition to the aforementioned charities, in Albalate the torcíos are very typical, some buns similar to donuts that are shaped like a corkscrew.