The “Circular from the rural school” project is a cooperation project between rural development groups led by the Asociación Territorio Mudéjar.
The following have participated in the project: ADRI Calatayud-Aranda, ADRI Jiloca-Gallocanta, FEDIVALCA -Valdejalón and Campo de Cariñena-, ASOMO Tarazona and el Moncayo, CEDEMAR -Bajo Aragón Caspe and Ribera Baja del Ebro-, ADRAE -Ribera Alta del Ebro- and ADEFO Cinco Villas.
The objective is to develop educational materials around the Mudejar identity of the towns, placing rural schools and the educational community of the towns as the center of the project.
Based on the work developed, for almost three years, the students of fifteen schools have designed a walk through their town in which we can learn about the main points of interest and their connection with the Mudejar culture.
Tarazona
The tour has been carried out following the working model of the schools that participated in the project and adapted to the locality of Tarazona.
Tarazona was founded under the name of Turiaso, and according to local legend, it was built by Tubalcaín and rebuilt by Hercules. In the 1st century BC, the city probably already extended towards both banks of the river Queiles.
From the 3rd century onwards, the city was gradually abandoned due to the political instability of the Roman Empire. At the beginning of the 8th century, Tarazona was under Islamic rule until 1119, the year of the Christian conquest by Alfonso I the Battler. From this time onwards, three very important cultures coexisted in the town: Christians, Muslims and Jews.
The Muslims who remained after this conquest became known as Mudejars, and preserved their religion, culture and customs.
As the Christians dominated the territory at that time, they commissioned the Mudejars, who were accustomed to using a series of techniques, materials and decoration typical of their culture, to carry out the constructions. The Christians admired the art built by the Mudejars.
This point is linked to the didactic activity 1.
The Mudejars built many types of architecture depending on the function and the person who commissioned it. In Tarazona we have many examples of Mudejar monuments The Mudejar style of Tarazona Cathedral appears after the War of the Two Peters. It was necessary to rebuild part of the building. There is also an example of a Mudejar cloister attached to the building.
This point is linked to the didactic activity 4
Mudejar architecture can be found around large rivers, as this was the place where the Muslim population usually settled. The Ebro was the backbone of the city, with its main tributaries, such as the Jalón, also gaining importance. The river that crosses Tarazona is the Queiles, an important population centre for all cultures throughout history.
This point is linked to the didactic activity 6
Many examples of Renaissance palace-houses and even religious buildings are preserved in Tarazona. These buildings allow us to talk about the use of traditional Islamic building materials and techniques over time. In 1610 the Moors (Mudejars converted to Christianity) were expelled from Aragon, which meant the end of the Mudejar style. Even so, we can still find buildings that are built in the same construction tradition.
This point is linked to the didactic activity 7
With the arrival of Christianity, the previous settlers had to live segmented into different quarters, although their religion and customs were respected. These neighbourhoods, or aljamas, were like small cities with their own administration at the service of the Christian king.
In the aljamas were located, in addition to the houses where people lived, the main buildings for the conduct of life in each culture, such as mosques and synagogues. There are localities where this urban division is perfectly differentiated. Tarazona is one of the best examples. As well as having an extensive Moorish quarter, it also has a Jewish quarter, as the town had a large Jewish population.
This point is linked to the didactic activity 2
