Fieldwork 2020: Mudetrad, vernacular architecture itineraries in Mudejar villages

The project considers the importance of knowledge and valuation of the local traditional architecture in order to guarantee its protection. Its understanding and appreciation by users avoids its replacement by new buildings and encourages the development of activities aimed at its conservation. The projection of this architecture outside the municipality reinforces its appreciation by the local population and contributes to connecting territories with similar circumstances. For this preservation to take place in a compatible way, it is essential to offer owners alternative techniques to the use of generic industrial materials which, like hollow brick or cement, do not correspond to the nature and character of traditional buildings. In this sense, the work of local craftsmen who are familiar with traditional building techniques is key to bridging the gap between conservation theory and the day-to-day reality.

The work previously carried out in zone 1 has allowed for the extensive study of the construction techniques present in the local traditional architecture, the analysis of the intervention dynamics that affect it and the identification of craftsmen and construction professionals present in the area. The results have identified a number of needs and opportunities:

  • In general, there is a poor appreciation of traditional architecture and a general lack of knowledge of traditional building techniques. This often leads to the systematic elimination of historical elements and their replacement by industrialised solutions that are often hidden behind a stereotypical rustic finish.
  • At the start of projects, developers are often unaware of town planning regulations and current heritage legislation, as well as the architectural requirements established by the administration to obtain a certificate of occupancy in the case of housing or an opening licence in the case of businesses.
  • There are recurrent prejudices that prioritise replacement over repair and that claim that restoring a building is more expensive than renovating it. This belief has little basis in reality, as the higher unit cost of restoration work is usually compensated by a smaller volume of work.
Based on the research and diagnostic work carried out so far, this project aims to develop tools and implement a programme of training and awareness-raising actions to help address the identified needs. In doing so, it aims to meet the following general objectives:

  1. To contribute to the valuation of traditional architecture in the area of influence of Aragonese Mudejar art, fostering the perception of the construction techniques present as solvent and sustainable systems, and of the buildings constructed with them as a valuable cultural heritage that needs to be preserved and protected.
  2. To value the work of construction craftsmen and contribute to an increase in the demand for craft trades, in order to facilitate the survival of the local construction culture and encourage the use of traditional construction techniques in interventions in the vernacular heritage.
  3. To foster the conservation, restoration and compatible rehabilitation of traditional architecture and to promote the regeneration of the rural territory through its heritage, proposing alternative uses beyond the tourist sector and offering tools that allow for the development of interventions that are compatible and respectful of the local cultural identity.
Based on these general objectives, it is possible to propose a series of specific objectives that this work aims to achieve:

  1. To help promoters to improve the compatibility of interventions in traditional architecture, developing accessible and user-friendly tools and offering personalised technical advice.
  2. Encourage the supply and demand of traditional trades, making the virtues and the real cost of these techniques visible and contributing to the formation of a professional network of territorial scope. Vernacular architecture in the Mudejar villages in the south of Zaragoza: Tools and networks for adaptive reuse and compatible intervention.
  3. To improve local communities’ knowledge of the traditional architecture of the area and reduce the perception of its conservation as wasteful. This objective will be developed through direct and indirect actions of dissemination and social participation.
  4. To project the vernacular heritage of the region and generate connections with other territories, making this traditional architecture visible and sharing experiences and resources with regions facing similar problems.
LINE OF RESEARCH: Territorio Mudéjar and cultural landscape; cultural heritage management.

THE AUTHORS: F. Javier Gómez Patrocinio Laura Villacampa Crespo

More information at: www.estancias2020mudetrad.territoriomudejar.es

International conference: culture, territory and heritage

    Territorio Mudéjar has participated in the international conference on Culture, Territory and Politics organised by the research group Observatorio Aragonés de Arte en la Esfera Pública and the City Council of Graus. It also has the support of the Institute of Heritage and Humanities and the Vice-rectorate of Academic Policy of the University of Zaragoza.

    In this meeting, held online, national and international speakers analysed the role of institutions in heritage management, the reality of heritage in rural areas and its implication in the landscape and the territory.

    They also reflected on the different ways in which we interact with heritage: from destruction to rehabilitation and its use as a revitalising resource.

    Territorio Mudéjar took part in this discussion forum of interest to researchers, managers, teachers and students of disciplines related to heritage management. We spoke on the subject of “Heritage in rural areas: uses, proposals, possibilities and realities”. Specifically, the director of Territorio Mudéjar, Victoria Trasobares, spoke about the management of UNESCO World Heritage in rural areas and detailed how the Territorio Mudéjar network works to build a new model from the local reality.

    The presentation focused on research and on projects linked to UNESCO World Heritage, the cultural and historical-artistic heritage management and territorial development strategies based on culture.

    What a pleasure to share good practices with heritage professionals!

    Territorio Mudéjar approves its 2021 programme of activities keeping the 20th anniversary of the declaration of World Heritage in mind

    Would you like to work with educational materials related to the Mudejar identity of the villages in the classroom? Do you understand the heritage space as an innovative learning space?

    In the coming weeks the first action of the project “Rural school in motion” (Circular desde la escuela rural) will begin, an introductory course to the project in which Territorio Mudéjar offers to those interested in linking education, heritage and innovation to know the starting point and the methodology with which it will work until mid 2022 together with seven of the local development groups in the province of Zaragoza coordinated by the ADRI Calatayud Aranda group.

    “Rural school in motion” is a cooperation project between rural development groups coordinated by the ADRI Calatayud-Aranda group, together with Cedemar, Adefo Cinco Villas, Asomo Moncayo, Adrae Comarca Alta del Ebro, Fedivalca y Adri Jiloca Gallocanta, and financed by the Government of Aragon through the Leader programme and the Provincial Government of Zaragoza through the Territorio Mudéjar association, as a private collaborating entity that manages the implementation and execution of the initiative.

    The aim is to develop educational materials related to the Mudejar identity of the villages, placing rural schools and the educational community of the villages at the centre of the project, with a triple purpose:

    ◾️To work on the introduction of the Mudejar heritage identity in the work programmes of schools beyond the artistic or complementary areas.

    ◾️To involve the educational community in the valuation of Mudejar heritage as part of their personal history, which favours the knowledge, conservation and dissemination of the identity of the towns.

    ◾️To use the work carried out in schools as material for dissemination and tourist use on the Mudejar heritage of the villages for family and children audiences.

    🔺 In the COURSE we will explain the working methodology and the results of the pilot project that was carried out in the CRA Vicort Isuela during the 2018-2019 academic year and which is the starting point for the implementation of the project in the schools of the villages of Territorio Mudéjar.

    It will be taught by Laura Castejón and Víctor Gumiel, teachers who carried out the design and testing of the pilot project, and Victoria E. Trasobares, director of Territorio Mudéjar who has extensive experience in the management and implementation of Mudejar heritage management projects in rural areas. The Department of Education has included it as an approved course in its catalogue of ongoing teacher training activities and recognises the training hours.

    The course will be carried out on-line through the entity’s digital work platform that we will set up for the specific training.

    Information about the course: https://mcusercontent.com/395a3a370852ce9982369da41/files/c70fb223-f20d-4813-be10-3e7c3b7c3597/CURSO_CIRCULAR.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2ih0BoCjstPS3ueZ4pTuAGNtXDsPSmKjdEUOQ2s-Zd8UkRFONZ-xijwE4

    Application for registration: Option 1: If you have a digital certificate or signature

    Information about the project: https://doceo.catedu.es/epgfp/portada

    If you have any doubts or you want to consult us about any particular issue you can call us on 876 634 125 or write an email to info@territoriomudejar.es

    New MOMAr meeting on best practices in heritage management

    Would you like to work with educational materials related to the Mudejar identity of the villages in the classroom? Do you understand the heritage space as an innovative learning space?

    In the coming weeks the first action of the project “Rural school in motion” (Circular desde la escuela rural) will begin, an introductory course to the project in which Territorio Mudéjar offers to those interested in linking education, heritage and innovation to know the starting point and the methodology with which it will work until mid 2022 together with seven of the local development groups in the province of Zaragoza coordinated by the ADRI Calatayud Aranda group.

    “Rural school in motion” is a cooperation project between rural development groups coordinated by the ADRI Calatayud-Aranda group, together with Cedemar, Adefo Cinco Villas, Asomo Moncayo, Adrae Comarca Alta del Ebro, Fedivalca y Adri Jiloca Gallocanta, and financed by the Government of Aragon through the Leader programme and the Provincial Council of Zaragoza through the Territorio Mudéjar association, as a private collaborating entity that manages the implementation and execution of the initiative.

    The aim is to develop educational materials related to the Mudejar identity of the villages, placing rural schools and the educational community of the villages at the centre of the project, with a triple purpose:

    ◾️To work on the introduction of the Mudejar heritage identity in the work programmes of schools beyond the artistic or complementary areas. ◾️To involve the educational community in the valuation of Mudejar heritage as part of their personal history, which favours the knowledge, conservation and dissemination of the identity of the towns. ◾️To use the work carried out in schools as material for dissemination and tourist use on the Mudejar heritage of the villages for family and children audiences.

    🔺In the COURSE we will explain the working methodology and the results of the pilot project that was carried out in the CRA Vicort Isuela during the 2018-2019 academic year and which is the starting point for the implementation of the project in the schools of the villages of Territorio Mudéjar.

    It will be taught by Laura Castejón and Víctor Gumiel, teachers who carried out the design and testing of the pilot project, and Victoria E. Trasobares, director of Territorio Mudéjar who has extensive experience in the management and implementation of Mudejar heritage management projects in rural areas.

    The Department of Education has included it as an approved course in its catalogue of ongoing teacher training activities and recognises the training hours.

    The course will be carried out on-line through the entity’s digital work platform that we will set up for the specific training.

    Information about the course:  https://mcusercontent.com/395a3a370852ce9982369da41/files/c70fb223-f20d-4813-be10-3e7c3b7c3597/CURSO_CIRCULAR.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2ih0BoCjstPS3ueZ4pTuAGNtXDsPSmKjdEUOQ2s-Zd8UkRFONZ-xijwE4

    Application form: Option 1: If you have a digital certificate or signature https://doceo.catedu.es/epgfp/portada Option 2: If you do not have a digital certificate or signature, write a message to: info@territoriomudejar.es

    Information about the project:  https://mcusercontent.com/395a3a370852ce9982369da41/files/9591a2e9-2ee5-4ea0-bc3b-72947d2bbd3e/PROYECTO_CIRCULAR.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1iiN-Cw1NR7dgSk0_7lKDKLsd2_7lgBLF3JG6XL1CBHiyJ0G15-02DMKg

    If you have any doubts or you want to consult us about any particular issue you can call us on 876 634 125 or write an email to info@territoriomudejar.es

    Rural school in motion: bringing Mudejar heritage to the classroom.

    We are never lazy to go back to school, especially if we do it to talk about how to bring the Mudejar heritage closer to future generations.

    Over the last few months we have been working with the teams from schools such as CEIP Maestro Monreal in Ricla, CEIP Virgen de la Peana in Ateca, CEIP Fernando el Católico in Villarreal de Huerva, CEIP Santa Ana in Mainar, CRA Río Ribota (Aniñón, Cervera de la Cañada, Torralba de Ribota, Villarroya de la Sierra) and CEIP Fernando el Católico in Quinto to develop our Circular desde la escuela rural (Rural School in motion) programme. And we continue to move forward in the next phase and to expand this network.

    It is clear to us that the rural school is a fundamental agent for the durability of links with places. As the director of Territorio Mudéjar, Victoria Trasobares, explains: “It means working from the foundations and with a medium-long term vision given that it allows us a double objective. On the one hand, to work on consolidating the school, and above all the teachers, as an active agent of quality. A measurable objective of this would be to increase the degree of reinforcement of the teaching teams. Education professionals who choose the rural school as their life project”.

    On the other hand, she adds: “Working on local pride and rootedness, the rural school must be able to educate individuals with analytical skills and this can only be achieved by giving possibilities of knowledge, so that the villages unfold their full potential as a space for active learning and become a possible vital option for the future”.

    Circular desde la escuela rural (Rural School in motion) is a cooperation project between rural development groups coordinated by the ADRI Calatayud-Aranda group, together with Cedemar, Adefo Cinco Villas, Asomo Moncayo, Adrae Comarca Ribera Alta del Ebro, Fedivalca and Adri Jiloca Gallocanta, and financed by the Government of Aragon, from the Leader programme, and the Provincial Council of Zaragoza through the association Territorio Mudéjar, as a private collaborating entity that manages the implementation and execution of the initiative.

    Meeting of researchers to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the declaration of the Mudejar as World Heritage

      Territorio Mudéjar has commemorated today the 20th anniversary of the declaration as World Heritage with a meeting of researchers that has been held in Tobed and that has brought together those responsible for many of the more than 30 projects launched by this entity since its founding.

      The aim of these initiatives is to deepen the knowledge of Mudejar art from different perspectives and to generate and promote local development projects based on Mudejar heritage resources: construction materials, popular architecture and its conservation, relationship between Mudejar and agricultural heritage, podcast to learn about the territory, guide to historic Mudejar carpentry, models of cultural management and restoration projects, educational materials to interpret the Mudejar in primary and secondary schools, plastic studies on Mudejar geometry, Mudejar art in the performing arts (music, dance and minstrelsy), digital inventories and virtual reconstruction of Mudejar buildings or maps of the territory through memories and emotions to broaden the view of what it means to be Mudejar…

      20th anniversary of the declaration of the Zaragoza Mudejar as World Heritage

        Territorio Mudéjar and the Council of Zaragoza are celebrating today the 20th anniversary of the declaration of the Zaragoza Mudejar as World Heritage. On 14th December 2001, just two decades ago, UNESCO included six Mudejar monuments in the province of Zaragoza on its World Heritage List, thus extending the maximum recognition it had given 15 years earlier to the Mudejar of Teruel.

        “The declaration of our Mudejar as World Heritage was a fundamental milestone that boosted the promotion, dissemination and international recognition of a genuinely Hispanic style in which Aragon, in general, and the province of Zaragoza, in particular, stand out as an artistic focus”, stresses the president of the Zaragoza Provincial Council and of Territorio Mudéjar, Juan Antonio Sánchez Quero. “That is why Territorio Mudéjar, the association of municipalities promoted by the Provincial Council, has spent months commemorating the 20th anniversary of an event that we will continue to celebrate throughout 2022 with an intense programme of activities aimed at both the general population and a more specialised public”.

        The importance and scope of the Mudejar

        The six Mudejar monuments in Zaragoza recognised as World Heritage by UNESCO are the apse, cloister and tower of the collegiate church of Santa María de Calatayud; the church of Santa Tecla de Cervera de la Cañada; the church of Santa María de Tobed; the Mudejar remains of the Aljafería palace; the tower and church of San Pablo de Zaragoza; and the apse, the Parroquieta and the dome of La Seo cathedral of Zaragoza. However, the uniqueness and scope of this style extends to more than a hundred examples of heritage in dozens of Zaragoza municipalities, so that Mudejar is present in 85% of the province’s territory.

        “Mudejar is usually spoken of as Christian architecture carried out by the Mudejars, i.e. the Muslims who remained in the territory conquered by Christian power. However, the reality is that we are dealing with a much more complex phenomenon that has its roots in the arrival of the Islamic tradition in the Iberian Peninsula since the 8th century and whose influences took on their own form in the Christian era between the 13th and 16th centuries”, explains the director of Territorio Mudéjar, Victoria Trasobares. “The Mudejar is an encounter between Islamic and Christian art, the result of the coexistence of cultures in medieval Spain. An art that represents the most genuine artistic manifestation of Spain and that has in Aragon, a land of frontiers and a melting pot of cultures, its greatest exponent”, says this expert in cultural and heritage management.

        Today’s activities

        Territorio Mudéjar is commemorating the 20th anniversary of its declaration as World Heritage today with a meeting of researchers to be held in Tobed, bringing together those responsible for many of the more than 30 projects launched by this organisation since its foundation. The aim of these initiatives is to deepen the knowledge of Mudejar art from different perspectives and to generate and promote local development projects based on Mudejar heritage resources: construction materials, popular architecture and its conservation, relationship between Mudejar and agricultural heritage, podcast to learn about the territory, guide to historic Mudejar carpentry, models of cultural management and restoration projects, educational materials to interpret the Mudejar in primary and secondary schools, plastic studies on Mudejar geometry, Mudejar art in the performing arts (music, dance and minstrelsy), digital inventories and virtual reconstruction of Mudejar buildings or maps of the territory through memories and emotions to broaden the view of what it means to be Mudejar…

        In addition, this evening the radio programme La Brújula Aragón on Onda Cero will dedicate a special monographic programme to the Zaragoza Mudejar which can be heard from 19.20 onwards and which, among many other contents, will deal with the project ‘Territorio Mudéjar Intelligent Signposting’, which will bring together all the contents created over the last three years by Territorio Mudéjar to put them at the service of the inhabitants of the municipalities, visitors and knowledge of the heritage in situ linked to renowned international projects.

        Promotional campaign and other commemorations

        On the other hand, the Council of Zaragoza has just launched a publicity campaign on the occasion of the anniversary of the UNESCO declaration. Under the slogan ‘Zaragoza, Mudejar province: come and meet yourself’, the campaign vindicates the importance and potential of this unique heritage that is an engine of development for the territory and that also forms part of the identity of the inhabitants of the province of Zaragoza. Although it has been launched around the anniversary of the 14th December, the adverts will be present on television, press, radio and social networks over the next few months.

        In addition, over the coming year Territorio Mudéjar will continue to commemorate 20 years of World Heritage with other activities such as the presentation of the project ‘Study of Aragonese Mudejar art, the legacy of Professor Gonzalo M. Borrás Gualis’, an initiative that aims to expand knowledge about Mudejar heritage, promote the dissemination of interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary studies on this subject and broaden knowledge about this art. In this great project, directed and coordinated by Victoria Trasobares, works a team that brings together several prestigious institutions, including the Ministry of Culture and Sport, the Polytechnic of Turin, the Polytechnic of Milan and the University of Zaragoza.

        2022 will also see the culmination of the ‘Circular desde la escuela rural, el pueblo como espacio de aprendizaje’ (Rural school in motion, the village as a learning space) project, an initiative that brings together heritage, education and innovation to develop educational materials that allow schoolchildren to learn about the Mudejar identity of their villages. The project will involve the collaboration of at least 14 rural schools and will incorporate professionals based in the villages of Territorio Mudéjar and from the Challenge programme, the ‘rural Erasmus’ promoted by the Council of Zaragoza, the University of Zaragoza and the DPZ Chair on Depopulation and Creativity.

        Other planned activities include the travelling exhibition, ‘Mudejar, the intelligence of beauty. 20th World Heritage Anniversary’, which will continue touring the 37 partner towns of Territorio Mudéjar and which has been made possible thanks to the collaboration of Adri Calatayud-Aranda and the Leader grants from the Aragon Rural Development Programme 2014-2020; and the consolidation of the Territorio Mudéjar Routes and the Projects on Route: each month in 2022 an activity will be programmed for each project, promoting knowledge of the heritage and the local professionals who work on them.

        Zaragoza, Mudejar province. Come and meet yourself

        The Council of Zaragoza has just launched an advertising campaign on the occasion of the anniversary of the UNESCO declaration. With the slogan ‘Zaragoza, Mudejar province: come and meet yourself’, the campaign vindicates the importance and potential of this unique heritage that is an engine of development for the territory and that also forms part of the identity of the inhabitants of the province of Zaragoza. Although it has been launched around the anniversary of the 14th December, the adverts will be present on television, press, radio and social networks over the next few months.

        Territorio Mudéjar takes part in Aratur 2021, the tourism fair in Aragon

        Territorio Mudéjar is taking part in Aratur 2021, the Aragonese tourism fair held at the Zaragoza conference centre. It does so with a stand where it informs about how the entity works with, by and for the Mudejar. There you can also see the special travelling exhibition on the 20th anniversary of the designation of Mudejar architecture as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Those interested can take part in 15-minute guided tours on different themes.

        In these visits, in which the students of the Challenge Programme have participated, it has been recalled that Mudejar is an art developed in the context of the coexistence of cultures, in which the characteristics of Eastern and Western art are mixed. The characteristics of the Eastern heritage have been explained. For example, Mudejar art inherits from Andalusian art the aesthetics of the mutable, i.e. for Muslims God is the only being that remains, while everything else is mutable or ephemeral. This is translated in art into the use of perishable materials. The tour also explores the figure of the Mudéjar master craftsmen and discusses ceramics, bricks, plaster and wood, materials that form an indissoluble part of the Mudéjar whole. The visits have included explanations on history and World Heritage and on the keys to the Mudejar through the fortress-churches and towers.

        Happy International World Heritage Day

        What better way to celebrate International World Heritage Day -which commemorates the first convention held in Paris in 1972- than with two initiatives related to this statement and to the Mudejar?

        On the one hand, you can now enjoy the special report on the 20th anniversary of the declaration of the Mudejar architecture of Aragon -among which are the church of Tobed, the church of Cervera de la Cañada and the collegiate church of Calatayud- published Prames SA in its bimonthly magazine ‘La Magia de Viajar por Aragón’ (The Magic of Travelling in Aragon).

        In this report we remind you that on 14th December 2001, the International Committee of UNESCO in the meeting held in Helsinki, distinguished the “Mudejar Architecture of Aragon” with the designation of World Heritage for its “universality, uniqueness and authenticity”.

        UNESCO thus extended the 1986 declaration, specifically highlighting ten buildings in the towns of Teruel, Zaragoza, Calatayud, Cervera de la Cañada and Tobed.

        In this way, it reinforced the path taken when the Mudejar architecture of Teruel began the process of promotion, dissemination and recognition of an art that until then had been considered a minor style compared to those of European influence.

        Here you can see a preview: https://lamagiadeviajar.com/pdf/LMV128-2.pdf

        On the other hand, the director of Territorio Mudéjar, Victoria Trasobares, has given a talk entitled “The management of Mudejar heritage: chronology and keys to the construction of a model with an international brand” in the church of San Pablo, as part of a commemorative conference to mark the 20th anniversary of its declaration as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

        Remember that, in addition, in San Pablo you can see until Sunday our temporary exhibition Mudejar 20th Anniversary World Heritage.