Colindres

Colindres is a municipality located in the eastern part of Cantabria (Spain). It is located at an important crossroads between Santander, Bilbao and Burgos thanks to the fact that the Cantábrico highway, which connects Santander and Bilbao, the N-629 road that links Burgos with Colindres, and also the N-634 road, pass through it. that runs along the entire Cantabrian coast.

Colindres is made up of a single population center of the same name, however the population of Colindres is divided into two distinct areas popularly known as Colindres de arriba (old town) and Colindres de abajo (modern part). Currently these two parts are separated by the Cantabrian Highway, since its layout runs between the two.

The most relevant data on the history of Colindres can be found in the book by Javier Ortiz Real (published with the collaboration of Baldomero Brígido Gaviola) which in the year 2000 was edited by the Colindres City Council under the title: History of Colindres. Medieval and Modern Times as indicated in the bibliography of this article.

Colinders from above

Colindres’ new bridge is part of the Cantabrian motorway (A-8).

The old part or Colindres de arriba includes the neighborhoods of San Roque, Santibáñez, Edino, Peralada, Rocillo, Santolaja, Puerta and Cortinas, although we could also include the old neighborhood known as Viar.

The Viar neighborhood, according to the description given by Madoz in his encyclopedia, is a hill about 100 feet high, it is the hill with a stone wall slope today known as "Gurugú" and it currently has that name because one of the inhabitants of the house on its summit was an important soldier who fought in the war in Morocco, among other battles in the one on Mount Gurugú. It is said that in this neighborhood was the Torre del Condestable (Velasco family) and by references from the elderly population, the construction attached to this house or the house itself, had been built using remains of the aforementioned tower (remains of walls). sup>[citation required]

For this reason, the neighborhood immediately below is also popularly known as the "la Torre" instead of curtains. In the Viar neighborhood there was an iron mine in ancient times, the entrance to which can still be seen. Also in the lower part of the northern slope, there is an artificial cave known as "el refugio" which was used as such during the Civil War.

In Colindres de Arriba or the old part, there are still emblazoned manor houses, many of them restored (some with quite little criteria when it comes to respecting their original structure or materials) and others are in ruins.^{[citation required]}

Also in this part is the Palace of the Infantado or the Constable in ruins from an incursion of French corsairs in the area in the year 1639, although almost all of its external structure is still standing. Said palace has, among others, the coat of arms of the Alvarado family, a lineage from Secadura (a town in the municipality of Voto) also in Cantabria.^{[citation required]}

Condestable Palace.

The ancestral homes that can be found are mainly the Agüero house, the Gil de la Redonda house, the Mazo house, the Cachupines or Villota house, the Valle or del Hoyo house, the Bolibar house, Serna house (in ruins), Morí house and house of the Puerta family.

You can also visit the church of San Juan built in the XVI century on the old monastery of San Juan and Saint George. Church that was repaired in 1580 and that consists of a single polygonal apse nave. On the ribbed roof there is a Romanesque altarpiece from the first third of the XVII century, with sculptures and reliefs on its three floors and five streets. In addition, there are two other altarpieces from the period and four chapels on the sides of the nave, belonging to as many illustrious families such as the Alvarado, Castillo, Puerta and Mori families. The members of these mayorazgos had the right to be buried in said chapels and it was so important to them that they came to mortgage their properties for its construction and improvement.^{[citation required]}

Formerly in this same church there were some trunks full of files. Part of them were destroyed during the Civil War along with other parish documents.^{[citation required]}

In ancient times there was a convent and several hermitages in Colindres. The convent of La Merced, of which today only the name of the path that led to it remains, the hermitages of La Magdalena, San Ginés, Nuestra Señora de la Estrella, San Antonio, San Felipe and San Cayetano, all of which have disappeared today, and that of S Roque that is still standing today after being rebuilt in its original place after suffering a fire.

Colindres below

Monument at the Plaza del Quinto Centenario.

The most modern part or Colindres de abajo in ancient times was an area of sandbanks and marshes and in some areas it even had a depth for small boats to navigate.

This part of the town has been filled in naturally with sedimentary contributions from the Asón River and land has also been gained from the waters, filling and drying out the marshes. You can see old photos in which the small fishing boats of the time moored more than a hundred meters from the current port in what is now inland. The Capitanes manor house stands out.

In the new part or "below" You can find good examples of houses built by Indians on their return from the Americas, some of them restored and others in ruins or in a state of abandonment or already disappeared and demolished.

We can also contemplate the town hall of the town completely renovated during the years 2004-2005 and the bandstand of the old municipal music band in front of the town hall, also recently renovated, where you can see the history of Don Quixote recounted in vignettes painted on tiles that surround it.

There are hardly any examples of the old popular architecture in this part of the municipality due to urban pressure and the fact that Colindres is one of the smallest municipalities in size in Cantabria. For this reason, the spectacular growth of Colindres in recent decades has led to the demolition of old buildings to obtain construction sites.^{[citation required]}

Throughout the entire new part new monuments have been erected: to Fray Pablo de Colindres in front of the church of El Carmen built in brick in 1964 in the same place where the hermitage of La Magdalena was. The Monument to the Fisherman and the Plaza del Quinto Centenario near the modern port. From the port of Colindres you can walk along the promenade towards the municipality of Laredo, arriving at the irrigation park.

Treto Bridge

The Treto Bridge unites the town of Adal and Treto (Bárcena de Cicero) with Colindres. For a while the bridge has been relegated to a second place, by the presence of the new bridge located somewhat further south.

Over the Limpias estuary is the revolving iron bridge, called Puente de Treto, which connects the town of Adal-Treto (belonging to the municipality of Bárcena de Cicero) with Colindres. The N-634 road passes through the bridge. The Treto bridge was designed by the Cantabrian engineer Eduardo Miera and built between 1897 and 1905 by the company Fábrica de Mieres, inspired by construction solutions popularized by Gustave Eiffel.

The harmony drawn by its metal lattices and the peculiarity of its extensive revolving section that is intended to be recovered, within the comprehensive rehabilitation project, stand out. Its mobility was achieved thanks to a key that served as a crank. This work was carried out by the walkers in less than five minutes to allow the passage of ships that entered the estuary towards the port of Limpias. Its metallic structure, 172 meters long, had more than 543 tons of wrought, cast and laminated iron, steel, lead and bronze. The iron came from the Belgian city of Antwerp, the parabolic sections were assembled in Mieres (Principality of Asturias), and the rotating section was assembled in Liège (Belgium). ^{[citation required]}

For some time now, the bridge has been relegated to second place due to the presence of the new bridge, located a little further south, which is part of the Cantabrian highway (A-8). In 2007, the Treto bridge restoration project was presented, which will involve an investment of 3.1 million euros. Development, has been in the construction phase since the end of 2015, with an approximate duration of one year, during which the bridge is closed to road traffic.^{[citation required]}

History

To date, there is no linguistic study or historical evidence that can explain the origin of the name Colindres.

The first vestiges of Colindres date back to the Neolithic with the dolmens found in the area. Later, in the year 26 B.C. C., the Romans presumably settled in Angustina, from where you can see the "Collado Lindo" (popular legend about the origin of the Colindres denomination).^{[citation required]}

The name appears for the first time written in the early medieval documentation that has been preserved in the Cartulario de Santa María del Puerto (Santoña), a document from 805 is preserved, referring to the " council of good men" of the town of Colindres, thus confirming the genesis of the medieval town, probably at the time of the repopulation of the first kings of the Asturian-Leonese monarchy and, in any case, from the year 1000, in which there is a settler impulse in the eastern territory of the region of Cantabria. In 1040 the Vellacoz de Ayala brothers, Lope Velascoz lord in Colindres and Galindo Velacoz lord in Mena appear signing as witnesses in the letter of pledge of the King of Navarra, García III of Navarra to his wife Estefanía. It is assumed that they were from the county house that gave rise to those of the lords of Vizcaya and Álava, the Haro and the Ayala. So Colindres was already then a stronghold and a town with a stately seat.

Like the surrounding councils, it must have been formed around a small monastery, that of San Jorge and San Juan, of which written notices of the century have been preserved XI, date on which it was donated to the Monastery of Santa María del Puerto (Santoña).^{[citation required]}

The church of San Juan (XVI century) was built on the ruins of this temple, provided by the Abbot of Najera. The parish was located in the territories of Laredo, so the lawsuits over jurisdiction were continuous, increased by its civil dependence on Laredo since Alfonso VIII so dictated in the "Privilege of Laredo" (1201).^{[citation required]}

This situation changed almost two centuries later: Enrique III "the mourner", had to maintain a war with Portugal that indebted him so much that he was forced to cede Colindres, Limpias and Balmaseda to his Camarero Mayor for 15,000 guilders. The inhabitants of these places paid half of the debt so as not to integrate into his domain, for which the king rewarded them by granting them a Foral Charter in Segovia on June 16, 1399, becoming entitled to tax exemption like the Biscayan territories, although Colindres was never part of the Boards of Balmaseda or Guernica nor did he pay any tribute. This "fiscal limbo" that was enjoyed was the cause of a lawsuit that lasted sixty-one years and that culminated in the administrative reform of 1833. Thirteen years later Colindres began to pay and ceased to have pasture lands and possession over all his lands.^{[ citation required]}

In the life of the municipality, the shipyards of Falgote (1475) also had great importance, which became Royal on April 10, 1618 through an agreement between Felipe III and the Brotherhood of the Four Villas of Cantabria, until a few years ago decades there were still remains of the shipyards. The geographical situation of the place protected it from the incursions of English, French, Dutch, etc. pirates and corsairs.

There was no such luck in August 1639 when, in the middle of the war against France, the army led by the Cardinal of Bordeaux (assigned by Cardinal Richelieu himself) disembarked in Laredo and then went to Colindres where the nephew of the Cardinal of Bordeaux, although the fire and looting could not be avoided until the 27th of that month when the French set sail at dawn. This was not the only contest in which Colindres participated, the truth is that due to his geographical location, he took part in all of them. His intervention in the capture of Laredo in February 1814 stands out, during the War of Independence against the Napoleonic troops, with the Monterrey regiment, contributed along with Laredo.^{[citation required]}

Later, in the Carlist wars, its location between Santander and Bilbao was also decisive, as well as during the Spanish civil war since bunkers had been built on the other side of the Asón estuary and the swing bridge was bombed by national aviation. In Colindres, at least two battalions of gudaris entrenched themselves in the field under the church of S. Juan (one of them was the CNT battalion called Sacco y Vancetti), which after receiving orders to withdraw from the government of Lehendakari José Antonio Aguirre after Agreeing on the pact between Santoña and the rebel army, they headed hastily towards Santoña to embark together with the rest of the Gudaris battalions that were to protect the Asón region, after which it was taken quickly and without any setbacks by the Italian troops who were fighting in this area. part of the north front.^{[citation needed]}

From the aforementioned Falgote shipyards came "la Pinta" and most likely also the "Santa María (nao)". From here they were taken to the port of Palos, so it is quite certain that some sailor from Colindres accompanied Christopher Columbus on his arrival in America. In this regard there is evidence of a certain Ruy García, but still without corroboration. And it was here that the "Captain" (1868), captain in the War of Succession and the largest ship of the time with more than 1,300 tons, 500 more than the largest ship ever seen until then. To build it, so many raw materials were invested that some municipalities were exhausted. This, together with the French attacks, forced the transfer of the shipyards to Guarnizo. Colindres was, and is, a crossroads not only between land and sea, it is also an obligatory passage on the road to Santiago, which is why Carlos I in 1544 ordered the construction of the hospital that was sustained thanks to the lease of 30 feet of orange trees This entity welcomed and cured the pilgrims who crossed by the "barca de Treto" or by the "Puente del Pelegrín", in Colindres de Arriba.^{[citation required]}

In Colindres, daily life was organized around the mayorazgo, a system by which the house and land were left without any division to the eldest son. This one had to give shelter to his elders, dowry to his sisters and studies or placement (the second ones were dedicated to the priesthood, the third ones to the army and the others used to go to the Indies). He could not sell the family assets and could be dismissed for "indignity", that is to say: robberies, crimes or cowardice. Illegitimate children were not frowned upon as they were very common. These children were raised alongside their "legitimate" or together with their forced clerical parents, and they inherited Nobility, a condition that gave them certain privileges and the esteem of the Crown, disappointed by the Nobility. Each Mayorazgo had its burial area inside the temple, where they were placed in religious celebrations. At the beginning of the XIX century, this custom was prohibited because it was a source of diseases, since the floor was neither tiled nor parquet and sat directly on it.^{[citation needed]}

Among these mayorazgos, the fratricidal fights between the Agüero and the Velascos (the Giles and the Negretes) stand out. They reached such an extreme, that the Catholic Monarchs prohibited the attendance at weddings, baptisms and other celebrations to relatives more distant than those of 3rd degree, and topped the towers of individual families.

Perhaps the mayorazgo that achieved the most power was that of Alvarado, who came from the valley of Aras, with the coat of arms engraved in the Palace of the Constable or the Infantado. Another important clan descends from this family, that of the Castillo Alvarado. The Hoyos, a very illustrious family from the mountains of Cantabria, owned numerous properties. The surname was lost in 1602 when crossing with the Valle Rozadilla de Bárcena de Cicero.^{[citation required]}

All the families had positions and influence in America, such as the Cachupines from Laredo, who arrived in Colindres through liaison with the Hoyo family. The pejorative name given to the Spaniards in the Indies is supposed to come from this house: "gachupines".^{[citation required]}

At this time, toponymic surnames were typical, that is, those that adopted the name of the place of origin: Puerta (lost in the maternal branches), Mori, Serna, Rocillo and Gil de la Redonda. The latter became related to the Bolívar family, of Basque origin and settled in the Hedino neighborhood.^{[citation required]}

Lastly, the retirement at the end of the XVI century of the "madama" Flemish Barbara Blomberg, mother of Juan de Austria, bastard of Emperor Charles I. She In her youth she had been a libertine woman, so when she was widowed she moved to a Castilian convent. When her son Juan died, she asked to come to Colindres because her life was very hard for her there. Here he resided in the house of Escobedo, ex-secretary of his deceased son, with his other son Conrado de Píramo, his daughter-in-law the Baroness of San Martín and their four grandchildren, later he moved to the town of Ambrosero (town of the municipality of Bárcena of Cicero), where the neighborhood of "la Madama" still exists, until his death. She is buried in the Montehano Monastery.^{[citation needed]}

In the general archive of the Indies there are a large number of safe-conducts and boarding letters (which were mandatory) from people from Colindres who left for the Indies as officials, merchants, soldiers or servants, so it is possible that Colindres suffered a drastic reduction in the population despite the fact that during the operation of the Falgote shipyards, there was an increase in it since workers came to the town for them, mainly from Vizcaya and Guipúzcoa carpenters, blacksmiths, caulkers, etc.).

General view of Colindres Today, with the two bridges to the side.

Geography

Colindres is located in the Costa Oriental region of Cantabria, specifically between the mouth of the Asón River and the coast. The municipality is at a distance of 43 kilometers from Santander. Within the municipality of Colindres there is a part of the Marismas de Santoña Natural Reserve, declared as such in 1991. The municipality is crossed by the Cantábrico Highway (A-8) and by the national highways N-634, between km 172 and 174, and N-629, which heads towards Ampuero and Ramales de la Victoria.

The relief of the municipality is defined by the Limpias estuary and its opening in the Treto estuary and by a mountainous area to the southeast that includes the Sierra de Colindres. The altitude oscillates between 303 meters (Alto del Tejón), to the southeast, and sea level in the Treto estuary.

Northwest: Ría de Treto	North: Laredo	Northeast: Laredo
West: Ría de Treto		This: Clean
Southwest: Bárcena de Cicero y Voto	South: Vote	Sureste: Clean

Nature

Most of the little boscosa part Colindres, it is made up of eucalyptus, intended for timber companies.

The landscape diversity of Colindres is very wide as a consequence of its geographical situation and its own morphology. In the lower area, there are the systems of marshes and estuaries formed by the Asón estuary, with a large number of plant and animal species, among which birds stand out, since Colindres is part of the European network of Ramsar wetlands and its marshes. They are also considered as a Special Protection Area for Birds (ZEPA).

This area, formed by the marshes, contains the meadows bordering the estuary, the shipyard beach, the fishing port, the promenade or the irrigation park.

In its upper part, above the historic quarter, is the Monte de Colindres, with an extension of about 20 ha, in which eucalyptus trees are cultivated, although repopulation areas with native oak vegetation are increasingly abundant, chestnut trees, holm oaks, ash trees and maples, which join ancient cherry trees, hazelnut trees and shrubs that have remained in almost inaccessible areas. In this high area you can enjoy great landscape views of Colindres and the Nature Reserve, as well as the Santoña Bay, Laredo beach and the interior mountains and valleys of the Asón River.

Panoramic view of Colindres.

Symbols

Shield

It seems that the Villa de Colindres does not have any coat of arms recognized in any heraldry treaty or registry, according to a study commissioned by the municipal corporation and that in 1975 it was decided to create a coat of arms taking into account historical facts and characteristics of the town.^{[citation required]}

Despite this, elderly people claimed that until the Spanish Civil War, there was a mayor's command baton in the town hall, made of ebony wood with a silver handle and on this handle the arms of Colindres were carved. From then until today, the town has owned three different shields.^{[citation needed]}

Flag

The Colindres flag is composed of three horizontal stripes from top to bottom green, yellow and green. This flag was chosen by voting by school-age children (EGB) from the two schools in the town in 1984. The town's coat of arms was recently incorporated into the flag.^{[citation required]}

Anthem

The hymn of Colindres makes a clear allusion to the historical link that the municipality maintains with the Cantabrian Sea. This bond is still valid in many traditions of Colindres. The hymn alludes to San Ginés, Patron of the Colindres fishermen's guild, whose festival is on August 25.

• Wikisource contains a copy of Colindres.

Economy

General view of the port of Colindres.

Its most important economic sector is fishing. It is the third most important fishing port in Cantabria (of the eight that there are). The preserve that is produced mainly in Colindres is the anchovy or bocarte in salt or oil. The coastal or hake, sea bream, monkfish and grouper seasons in winter, anchovy and mackerel in spring and tuna in summer. Generally making a stop in autumn.^{[citation needed]}

Despite being its main sector, it is clearly in decline due to the overexploitation of the fishing grounds where the Cantabrian fleet works. The fishery that has suffered the most has been that of anchovy, closely followed by other species such as hake, sea bream, grouper and mackerel. At present, the boats from Colindres can continue thanks to the coastal tuna of the North, but despite using traditional and selective fishing gear, specifically the bonito from the North is caught by rod, they continue with a policy of overexploitation to compensate for the losses del bocarte.^{[citation required]}

There are several factories in the canning industry and workshops dedicated to repairing boats in the municipality. There is even a small shipyard for maintenance, upgrades and ship building in the port.

Until not many years ago there were small livestock farms, especially in the old part of the town, mainly cattle but also sheep, as well as self-supply orchards throughout the town that hardly exist today.^{[citation required]}

Colindres is a town that has a lot of small shops, restaurants and bars that in summer has a notable increase in inhabitants due to tourism. For this reason, currently one of the most thriving sectors is the construction and real estate business. In ancient times, low-quality chacolí was also produced in Colindres and today sites whose name confirms it are preserved, such as the "alley of the vines", "la viñuca", etc.^{[citation required]}

However, the phylloxera plague that devastated Europe ended this production. In addition, there are documents in historical archives where the purchase and sale are mentioned, as well as litigation on behalf of trellis vineyards.^{[citation required]}

Subsequently, the population dedicated itself to the collection of chestnuts for export, but once again a plague destroyed almost all the chestnut trees in the town and today it can be seen that even in the few and small parts of the town's native forest, that there are hardly any chestnut trees.^{[citation needed]}

Later there were fruit plantations such as apple trees to obtain cider, nuts, etc. There were also production areas for oak, walnut, holm oak, etc. Currently they have practically disappeared due to the abuse of logging and the creation of pastures for cattle, mainly cattle, but also sheep and goats.^{[citation required]}

Likewise, citrus oranges and lemons were grown and exported mainly for confectionery, these being of high quality but a year of intense frosts wiped out practically all the citrus trees (1833).^{[quote required]}

Currently most of the small forested area of Colindres is made up of eucalyptus for logging companies.

Heritage

The three most outstanding elements of municipal heritage, included among the Inventoried Assets of Cantabria, are:

• Church of Saint John.
• Tower or Condestable Palace.
• House of culture, example of Spanish secessionist architecture.

Demographics

Colindres has experienced tremendous growth in the second half of the XX century. Starting in the 1960s, it suffered massive population growth, at a growth rate of 50% every ten years, both in the 1960s and in the 1970s (see population evolution graph in the XX century: from 2,209 inhabitants in 1960 to 3,320 in 1970 (+50%) and from this amount to 4,885 in 1980 (+47%)). The fundamental cause of this massive population growth between 1960 and 1980 (the population of 1980 is 220% of that existing in 1960) is found in the promotion of the secondary sector, with the creation of two large factories (FEMSA and Magefesa, respectively). in the urban limits (to the East and to the South). Both companies needed more than 2,000 workers until the 1980s, most of whom emigrated to Colindres from valleys and nearby towns. In the 1980s and 1990s the municipality's population still maintained a high growth rate (around 20% every 10 years), although less than in the two preceding decades. The subsequent population growth, as the number of jobs in the large factories in the area decreased, with 16% of the population under 15 years of age and an average age of its residents of 37 years, is due to the economic strength of the sector secondary, to the canning industries, and services, so that, only in the last decade, its population has noticed an increase of 24.8%.

Population Chart 1900-2000

Figure of demographic evolution of Colindres between 1900 and 2000

Current Population Chart

Figure of the demographic evolution of Colindres between 1988 and 2020

Gastronomy

Colindres is closely linked to the sea, therefore the companies dedicated to canning fish are the most notorious in the municipality. Colindres has stood out for its beautiful and its respigos. It is also worth noting the existence of a wide range of fruits, such as grapes, of which in the past, there was a certain production to make chacolí, or citrus fruits (orange and lemon), especially oranges in ancient times, which were exported to the kingdom of England and Flanders, of which small self-supplying family productions remain today.^{[citation needed]}

Municipal facilities

Junk player in the bowl of Colindres.

• There are three schools in Colindres (Fray Pablo de Colindres, Pedro del Hoyo and Los Puentes) and two schools, as well as a kindergarten, as well as an institute (Valentín Turienzo).
• Likewise, there are also three covered sportsmen, tracks of athleticism, a football field, a covered pavilion, a municipal school of kárate, a fully equipped municipal gym, a paddle school, a bowling alley, a bowling alley and various sports courts throughout the village.
• A fully equipped health center.
• Outdoor pools
• A music conservatory.
• A house of culture with library, hall of acts of multiple uses and ludoteca. As well as an outdoor setting in the park of the same.
• The village also has several green areas and playgrounds given the youth of its inhabitants.
• Indoor swimming pool,with fully fitted facilities,includes municipal gym
• Recently opened a canine park

Illustrious people

Fray Pablo de Colindres

Folklore and festivals

House of music.

In 1999 the Colindres City Council created the "Escuela Municipal de Folclore de Colindres" with the aim of publicizing the culture of Cantabria in the field of music, dance and clothing, teaching regional dance classes, tambourine, bagpipe, requinto and drum, and also carrying out exchanges with similar schools in other Spanish autonomous communities.

In 2003, a children's group of dancers was formed to participate in the dance of "palos y varas", some traditional dances from Colindres that disappeared 40 years ago.

Within the school there are also workshops on regional costumes aimed at making the clothing of the dancers, those of pilgrimages and the traditional ones of the different regions of Cantabria.

The main festivals of the municipality are the following:

• June 24, patron saint of San Juan.
• July 16, the Carmen, Patrona de los Marineros.
• July 25, Santiago.
• August 16, San Roque, romería campestre.
• 25 August, San GinésPatron of Colindres' fishermen's brotherhood.

• Also stresses the Festival of Cantabri folk, organized by the cultural association "SAUGA" with also intervention by artists from other Spanish regions and international artists, which is held approximately the second half of the month of August since 1995. In 2007, 8,000 people came to the festival and had as protagonist the Asturian Gaitero Hevia.

Twinned cities

• Le Haillan France