Territorio Mudéjar awards three stays and three artistic residencies for innovative projects that promote the conservation and use of Mudejar heritage in rural areas.

The Gonzalo M. Borrás Gualis stays to develop pilot projects will last six months and almost 15 villages, out of the 48 partners, will receive expert visits from the researchers.
Territorio Mudéjar has awarded three research stays and three artistic residencies aimed at supporting the work of researchers and project promoters who want to work on the development of villages through the responsible and sustainable use of cultural and natural heritage resources. This is the fifth edition of the Gonzalo M. Borrás Gualis research stays and projects and both the stays and the artistic residencies.
The projects selected range from research into new models of spiritual or religious tourism away from overcrowding, the study of painted inscriptions in Mudejar art, symbolism in our heritage, Mudejar ceramics, light in Mudejar spaces and dance and space from an artistic point of view.
These projects are in addition to the 23 from previous editions and the nearly 50 professionals who have formed the network of researchers of the stays since they were launched in 2019 and have provided new perspectives on the management of Mudejar heritage, have had a positive impact on the villages and have promoted an interdisciplinary work network. In addition, specifically, they have improved knowledge of the Mudejar as a World Heritage Site and the benefits it brings as an international brand recognised by Unesco.
The projects selected for Research Stays are:
  • New narratives on Mudejar heritage aimed at the public of knowledge and spiritual tourism in a global way. The author is Bárbara Ruiz Bejarano, PhD in Arabic and Islamic Studies (University of Alicante and Las Fuentes Foundation). This research project is part of the line “Strategic management of Mudejar heritage. Cultural landscape and urban landscape” and aims to generate dissemination narratives about the territory and research on a muslim-friendly, religious and knowledge tourism that adapts to the reality of the Mudejar heritage and its villages.
  • Reading the Mudejar: Arabic inscriptions in medieval Aragonese churches (13th-15th centuries). The author is María del Mar Valls Fusté, PhD in art history (Rovira i Virgili University) and the research project is part of the “New perspectives on Mudejar art” line. The project aims to study the inscriptions in Arabic preserved in medieval Aragonese interiors, with special attention to those present on the wooden roofs and alfarjes of Mudejar buildings.
  • Aesthetics and symbolism in Mudejar heritage. The author is Estrella Noguera Iturralde, philosopher and master in ancient world and archaeological heritage (Basque Public University and University of Zaragoza). It is part of the line “New views on Mudejar art” and studies the symbolism in the ornamental object of Aragonese Mudejar buildings from the point of view of art history and philosophical aesthetics.
The selected artist residencies are:
  • Mudéjar clay, by Javier Seral Posac, industrial designer, engineer in industrial organisation and senior technician in artistic ceramics. Mud is the basis of Mudejar construction and the author intends to use it to create pieces that reflect the Mudejar tradition and inspiration in the transformation of mud into ceramics. The residency will consist of the search for quarries, analysis of the plasticity of the samples, extraction of the clays and construction of the pieces.
  • The wall as dermis. Light in the Mudéjar II by the artist and visual arts researcher Pilar García Verón (Complutense University of Madrid). This residency continues the stay that the author carried out in 2022-2023 and studies the Mudejar as a screen for the projection and manifestation of light as a manifestation of divinity. On this occasion, she studies the filtered light of Mudéjar sacred spaces and its transcendence in space and time.
  • Incorporate. On the vulnerable or how to channel knowledge by Patricia Álvarez Álvaro, a graduate in Arabic Philology (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid) and trained in dance and dramaturgy of the image. This residency is based on a dialogue between the body and the Mudejar heritage space, through dance, using different techniques and skills: dance, theatre, performative installation, creative writing…

Extraordinary Call: Sustainability Plan Daroca

SELECTION OF A PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANT TO PROJECT MANAGEMENT.

Advice, consultation, monitoring and scientific support in the management of historical-artistic heritage for the development of the Tourism Sustainability Plan for the city of Daroca.

Deadline for submission: Until August 31, 2023. [Until 3:00 p.m.]

Territorio Mudéjar is an association of municipalities, currently forty-seven member municipalities and one collaborating partner, whose objective is to strengthen a unified and collaborative management network for the use of historical and artistic resources linked to the important Mudejar heritage, understanding them as an engine for the development of the towns and as an element of identity for the maintenance of the communities that make up our territory.

Our programme of actions for the coming years has been designed in accordance with the strategic lines defined by the defined by the ” Roadmap of the Council of the European Union 2019- 2022″, which2022″ which, aligned with the goals of the 2030 Agenda, have as a guiding principle that “the cultural identity of territories will contribute to territories will contribute to sustainable social and economic development by differentiating markets and in turn allowing their integration into a diversified a diversified economy that can ensure their future success.

The CITY COUNCIL OF DAROCA has been a founding member of the Territorio Mudéjar Association since 2018, ratified in a founding assembly on September 13, 2018.

According to the statutes approved in assembly on September 13, 2018, some of the actions for the partner municipalities go through:

  • To assist in the management and search for funding for projects that allow for the conservation, restoration, maintenance and dissemination of the assets, in all their extension, […]
  • To promote and collaborate with the Administration in the tasks of a social nature that facilitate the maintenance and increase of the population members of the association, and which are mentioned in Chapter I Article 4, as well as the rest of the figures attached to the association, assuming training and employment programs.
  • Drafting and updating public or private endogenous and sustainable development plans and programmes.
  • Encourage collaboration with entities of the same nature or purpose.

According to art.7 of the Statutes approved in assembly on September 13, 2018, the development of the purposes may be carried out “through contracts, concerts or agreements entered into with public or private entities, either to carry out programs of such entities, or to develop the association’s own duly approved action programs”.

"Plan of Sustainability and Tourist Modernization of the City Council of Daroca. Facilitating access to Heritage from accessibility".

The municipality of Daroca participated in the extraordinary call for Territorial Plans of Tourism Sustainability in Destination, hereinafter PSTD, in the call for the year 2021.

The project was approved by the Secretary of State for Tourism of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism and the Department of Industry, Competitiveness and Business Development of the Government of Aragon on October 17, 2022.

The approved project is defined through projects and actions focused on:

* The adequacy of the walled enclosure. Daroca has almost 4 kilometers of walls that make it one of the most extensive walled enclosures in Spain that requires urgent intervention for its conservation. The intervention consists of the restoration in 3 years of the sections with greater visual impact of the tourist.

* The adequacy of the area of the Castillo Mayor. Although the Torre del Homenaje has already been consolidated, it is necessary to continue with the intervention in the rest of the castle to ensure its conservation and attractiveness for tourists. Both in the access areas, as in the consolidation of the wall of the enclosure.

* The adequacy of roads and trails that allow access and visit both castle, walls and other existing monuments (towers, La Mina, green areas, etc.). Although there is already a path, it is necessary to have funds for its adaptation and maintenance. In addition, the municipality’s green areas will be adapted and new ones will be proposed.

* The decoration of facades within the LIENZOS DE HISTORIA project, also known as Muralea. The proposal allows highlighting the historical diversity and historical cultural fusion of Christian, Muslim and Jewish cultures. The project, recently launched, will be continued over the next three years, expanding the areas of action.

* The adequacy and rehabilitation of streets with the burying of wiring. The street network needs to be improved and rehabilitated together with the burying of cables that have a great visual impact on the urban landscape.

DAROCA. MONUMENTAL HISTORICAL SITE.

A large part of the actions approved in the sustainability plan affect the Historic-Artistic Site of Cultural Interest of the city of Daroca, declared in accordance with Decree 1450/1968 of June 6 and published in BOE No. 158 of July 2, 1968.

And in addition to the aforementioned declaration, the actions affect assets of different nature included, among others, in the Order of April 17, 2006, of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports, which approves the list of Castles and their location, considered Assets of Cultural Interest under the provisions of the second additional provision of Law 3/1999, of March 10, of the Aragonese Cultural Heritage, for the Daroca fortified enclosureDecree 267/2002, of July 23, 2002, of the Government of Aragón, declaring the “La Mina” of Daroca (Zaragoza) an Asset of Cultural Interest, in the category of Monument; Decree 572/1963, of March 14, 2003, second additional provision of the law.

As well as the assets included in the catalogs of architectural heritage and archaeological heritage of the PGOU of Daroca. The catalog of architectural heritage includes 31 properties that require integral protection, 35 that require structural protection and 143 that require environmental protection.

DAROCA. SPECIAL AGREEMENT MUDEJAR TERRITORY PARTNERS

The CITY COUNCIL OF DAROCA has been a founding member of the Territorio Mudéjar Association since 2018, ratified in a founding assembly on September 13, 2018.

The MUDÉJAR TERRITORY ASSOCIATION has been working since its foundation in 2018 on the creation of specific advisory structures for the partner municipalities, currently 47 partners and 1 collaborating municipality, whose objective is to strengthen a unified and collaborative management network for the use of historical-artistic resources linked to the important heritage of the villages and understanding them as an engine for the development of the villages and as an element of identity for the maintenance of the communities that make up our territory.

The agreement regulates the collaboration between both entities for:

  • Assist in the planning and execution of consulting, technical, legal or financial advisory actions, among others, necessary and foreseen in the PSTD to ensure the proper development of those actions within the provisions of the plan and specifically in accordance with the general regime of protection of Historical Heritage at the state and autonomous community level.

  • To create a specific work team to support the Daroca town council in the development of the PSTD, with a group of experts coordinated by the management team:

    A scientific-technical advisor expert in the management of the historical-artistic heritage of Daroca from the field of preventive conservation, intervention and the study of the use of heritage in the service of cultural and heritage tourism.

    It will also have two emerging professionals as project assistants and will create a training internship position for recent graduates through an agreement signed with UNIVERSA – Employment Counseling Office of the University of Zaragoza-.

    Finally, it will create a PSTD office for neighbors, companies and those interested in the project in order to study the synergies arising from the Plan.

EXTRAORDINARY PROFESSIONAL CALL

SELECTION OF A PROFESSIONAL TO JOIN THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT TEAM:

Advice, consultation, monitoring and scientific support in the management of historical-artistic heritage for the development of the Tourism Sustainability Plan for the city of Daroca.

PUBLICATION OF THE RULES: August 16, 2023.

PRESENTATION OF PROPOSALS. Until August 31 at 3:00 pm.

REQUEST FOR CONSULTATION OF THE DOCUMENTATION ON THE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN: Until August 31 before 3:00 p.m. through info@territoriomudejar.es.

See terms and conditions

AWARD

The Contracting Committee meeting held on September 18, 2023, agreed to award the contract to the bid submitted by:

DÑA. IRENE RUIZ BAZÁN

Special agreement with the municipality of Daroca to form a technical and scientific advisory work team for the Tourism Sustainability Plan.

Territorio Mudéjar has signed a special agreement with the town council of Daroca to form a technical and scientific advisory work team for the local tourist destination sustainability plan.

The “Sustainability and Modernization Plan of the City Council of Daroca. Facilitating access to Heritage from accessibility” (PSTD) has included Territorio Mudéjar -an association of which Daroca has been a founding member since 2018- in its technical-scientific work table. The entity will collaborate in the project through advice, consultation, monitoring and scientific support in terms of historical-artistic heritage management for the development of the Plan.

We recall that this project was approved by the Secretary of State for Tourism of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism and the Department of Industry, Competitiveness and Business Development of the Government of Aragon at the end of 2022. And it is focused on several actions:

  • The adequacy of the walled framework.
  • The adequacy of the area of the Castillo Mayor.
  • The adequacy of roads and trails that allow access and visit both castle, walls and other existing monuments (towers, La Mina, green areas, etc.).
  • The decoration of facades within the Lienzos de Historia project, also known as Muralea.
  • The adequacy and rehabilitation of streets with the burying of wiring.

A large part of the actions of this sustainability plan affect the Historic-Artistic Site of Cultural Interest of the city of Daroca, declared according to Decree 1450/1968 of June 6 and published in the BOE nº158 of July 2, 1968. And to assets of different nature included as the fortified enclosure of Daroca and “La Mina”, both declared BIC.

In this context, Territorio Mudéjar will create a specific work team to support the municipality of Daroca in the development of the PSTD. The team will have a group of experts coordinated by the management team. To form this team, Territorio Mudéjar will select:

A scientific-technical advisor expert in the management of the historical-artistic heritage of Daroca from the field of preventive conservation, intervention and the study of the use of heritage in the service of cultural and heritage tourism.

It will also have two emerging professionals as project assistants and will create a training internship position for recent graduates through an agreement signed with UNIVERSA – Employment Counseling Office of the University of Zaragoza-.

Finally, a PSTDoffice will be created for neighbors, businesses and those interested in the project in order to study the synergies arising from the Plan .

CONVOCATIONS:

  • Extraordinary professional call.

Selection of an assistant professional

Project Management

Advice, consultation, monitoring and scientific support in the management of historical-artistic heritage for the development of the Tourism Sustainability Plan for the city of Daroca.

Electronic address: https://www.territoriomudejar.es/convocatoria-plan-de-sostenibilidad-daroca/

Publication of terms and conditions: August 16 , 2023

Submission of bids: Until August 31 , 2023 at info@territoriomudejar.es.

  • Call for internships for recent graduates.

Selection of a “Training internship through projects” position.

Information: info@territoriomudejar.es

Applications: As of September 1 , 2023

If you have any doubts or would like to consult us about any particular issue regarding the project, you can call us at 876 634 125 or write an e-mail to info@territoriomudejar.es.

Territorio Mudéjar announces a new edition of its research stays to promote projects related to heritage in rural areas.

¿Te gustaría trabajar en el aula con materiales educativos en torno a la identidad mudéjar de los pueblos? ¿Entiendes el espacio patrimonial como un espacio de aprendizaje innovador?

En las próximas semanas dará comienzo la primera acción del proyecto “Circular por la escuela rural”, un curso de introducción al proyecto en el que Territorio Mudéjar ofrece a los interesados en vincular educación, patrimonio e innovación conocer el punto de partida y la metodología con la que se trabajará hasta mediados del 2022 junto a siete de los grupos de desarrollo local de la provincia de Zaragoza coordinados por el grupo ADRI Calatayud Aranda.

“Circular desde la Escuela Rural” es un proyecto de cooperación entre grupos de desarrollo rural coordinado por el grupo ADRI Calatayud-Aranda, junto a Cedemar, Adefo Cinco Villas, Asomo Moncayo, Adrae Comarca Ribera Alta del Ebro, Fedivalca y Adri Jiloca Gallocanta, y financiado por el Gobierno de Aragón, desde el programa Leader, y la Diputación Provincial de Zaragoza a través de la asociación Territorio Mudéjar, como entidad privada colaboradora que dirige la puesta en marcha y ejecución de la iniciativa.

El objetivo es desarrollar materiales educativos en torno a la identidad mudéjar de los pueblos poniendo como centro del proyecto a las escuelas rurales y a la comunidad educativa de los pueblos con una triple finalidad:

◾️Trabajar en la introducción de la identidad patrimonial mudéjar en los programas de trabajo de las escuelas más allá de las áreas artísticas o complementarias.

◾️Implicar a la comunidad educativa en la valoración del patrimonio mudéjar como parte de su historia personal lo cual favorece el conocimiento, la conservación y la difusión de la identidad de las localidades.

◾️Utilizar el trabajo realizado en las escuelas como material de difusión y uso turístico sobre el patrimonio mudéjar de los pueblos para un público familiar e infantil.

🔺 En el CURSO explicaremos la metodología de trabajo y los resultados del proyecto piloto que se llevó a cabo en el CRA Vicort Isuela en el curso 2018-2019 y que supone el punto de inicio para la implantación del proyecto en las escuelas de los pueblos de Territorio Mudéjar.

Los encargados de impartirlo serán Laura Castejón y Víctor Gumiel, maestros que llevaron a cabo el diseño y prueba del proyecto piloto, y Victoria E. Trasobares, directora de Territorio Mudéjar y con amplia experiencia en gestión e implantación de proyectos de gestión de patrimonio mudéjar en ámbito rural.

El Departamento de Educación lo ha incluido como curso homologado en su catálogo de actividades de formación permanente del profesorado y reconoce las horas de formación.

El curso se desarrollará telemáticamente a través de la plataforma digital de trabajo de la entidad que habilitaremos para la formación específica.

Información sobre el curso: https://mcusercontent.com/…/c70fb223…/CURSO_CIRCULAR.pdf

Solicitud de inscripción:

Opción 1: Si dispones de certificado o firma electrónica https://doceo.catedu.es/…/portadaInitConsultarActividad…

Opción 2: Si no dispones de certificado o firma electrónica escribe un mensaje a: info@territoriomudejar.es

Información sobre el proyecto: https://mcusercontent.com/…/9591a…/PROYECTO_CIRCULAR.pdf

 

Si tienes dudas o quieres consultarnos cualquier asunto particular puedes llamarnos al teléfono 876 634 125 o escribir un correo electrónico a info@territoriomudejar.es

 

Territorio Mudéjar and Fuentes de Ebro launch a plan for the integration of emerging professionals to develop a strategic plan of action for tourism and heritage.

Territorio Mudéjar and the Town Council of Fuentes de Ebro have signed the first special agreement between the entity and a partner town council to develop a strategic plan of sustainable tourism and heritage action through the insertion of emerging professionals and the development of a calendar of activities in that town.

The activities will consist of a recreational activity and a visit to Fuentes de Ebro guided by heritage professionals in which the Mudejar culture and its relationship with the town will be explored in depth. There will also be a dynamic of citizen participation to listen to the contributions that the neighbours want to make to the design of the strategic plan.

The agreement will last for six months. To develop it, the association Territorio Mudéjar has set up a work team made up of two young professionals who have been trained in the organisation thanks to the Desafío-Arraigo internship programme, better known as rural Erasmus, a pioneering project in Spain that the Diputación de Zaragoza and the University of Zaragoza launched in 2018 to enable university students to do internships in companies, institutions and associations in rural areas of Zaragoza. Territorio Mudéjar is collaborating with this project in 2019 and has made it possible to create a pool of emerging professionals with the necessary skills for the needs specified by the Fuentes de Ebro Town Council.

The team will be supervised by the project management area of the Territorio Mudéjar entity, which will define the strategic lines and integrate the locality’s own actions with the different innovation projects that Territorio Mudéjar has been developing since 2019 in its research stays and projects.

The mayoress of Fuentes de Ebro, María Pilar Palacín, explained that this agreement advances the local tourism strategy of the town, which seeks to make cultural resources, nature tourism and events visible to different target audiences. Among the heritage resources, she recalled that Fuentes de Ebro has the Gothic-Renaissance and Mudejar church of San Miguel, the Moorish and Jewish quarter in the town centre, vestiges of the civil war (trenches, machine gun nests) and the village of Rodén Viejo, declared a site of cultural interest; interesting post-war architecture and rationalist architecture (library), among others, to which are added the resources of landscape, gastronomy and nature.

The director of Territorio Mudéjar, Victoria Trasobares, added that this project is an interesting pilot model of collaboration with the partners that allows for progress in a line of work such as an “observatory” or “advisory committee” that the town councils can use to provide a strategic vision for their work in the management of local resources. Moreover, Trasobares added that “in the case of Fuentes de Ebro, the potential of the town and the great work done so far is evident, but also the intention to work with a vision of the future that would provide a link between the results of other previous projects such as: photography for different uses, the use of educational materials for families, the design of tourist awareness days or the impact of research actions on local development”.

This agreement will be a pilot test that could be extended to the rest of the partner municipalities that wish to incorporate emerging trained professionals who can be linked to the localities in the medium or long term, and introduce a way of working based on the quality and sustainability of the resources of the locality from a strategic and unitary supervision.

Calendar of activities:

The project began in January with various sectorial meetings and will continue with public activities from March with a calendar of conference-visits. The activities will have a fixed part (historical-artistic visit to the heritage of Fuentes -church and town planning- and to the historical complex of Rodén) and another thematic part that will change on each date with specialists or local experts:

  • Sunday 19 March: architecture and urban planning. Explanation of the urban development of Fuentes de Ebro and Rodén with specialists in the field linked to the town.
  • Sunday 16 April: Holy Week. Explanation of Easter Week linked to Fuentes de Ebro.
  • Sunday 7 May: Landscape and materials. Explanation of the extraction, work and use of the materials found in the area around Fuentes de Ebro, which are traditionally used for construction. Special emphasis will be placed on clay and alabaster. In addition, from the privileged enclave of Rodén, issues such as the explanation of the water resources and their importance in the configuration of the agricultural landscape that forms one of the signs of identity of Fuentes de Ebro and Rodén will be addressed.
  • Sunday 21 May: gastronomy and trade. Emphasis will be placed on local businesses and gastronomic traditions linked to the town of Fuentes de Ebro with various options such as micro-stops in invited businesses along the route and presentation of local products.
  • Sunday 11 June: activities for families. The visit will incorporate a didactic vision of the history of Fuentes de Ebro and Rodén through the different materials developed in the ‘Mudejar Pedagogy’ and ‘Mudejar Territory Circular’ projects.

Territorio Mudéjar currently has 40 member town councils in the province of Zaragoza and works to preserve and disseminate the Mudejar heritage as a driving force for local development.

Special interview on the anniversary of the declaration of the Mudejar as World Heritage in Nsencia magazine.

January brings us a special interview with the director of Territorio Mudéjar, Victoria Trasobares, in the latest issue of Nsencia, in which we take a closer look at the work of the organisation.

“We work on designing and developing strategies and implementing projects designed from a deep understanding of heritage resources as part of the development of rural communities and their inhabitants. We work in dispersed and sparsely populated places and with tailor-made models It’s no use copying what has been successful elsewhere, because it’s not the same to manage heritage in a town of 700,000 inhabitants as in another town of 100″, explains Victoria Trasobares.

And when asked if we still have a lot to know, he says: “Of course. The monuments and the context in which they are located influence the development of the communities and the territory. It is more necessary than ever to continue researching, but incorporating new visions, showing the work processes, the results, the people behind them and the proximity to the field”.

“We have launched 45 projects, 23 of which have arisen from the Gonzalo M. Borrás Gualis research stays and projects, an example of innovation inside and outside Spain. This initiative implements actions in pilot mode and offers results in research, communication and development-investment-financing. As an example, we have studied topics such as materials and techniques from the permanence of the trade, the conservation of buildings from the design of new uses while respecting historical uses, the communication of heritage and its social function, education and digitisation,” explains Victoria Trasobares.

How can projects be made to have an impact on the territory?

“With constant work, thinking strategically to highlight the uniqueness of our localities from the heritage point of view and looking for common lines of work. We try to connect with all the economic activities of the territory, generating high quality dynamics applied through professional networks. Perhaps our best skill is to find people with a forward-looking approach, who work in the medium or long term without losing sight of the present,” he adds.

One of your main actions to raise awareness of the Mudejar style has been the “Rutas Territorio Mudéjar, viaje a la belleza” (Mudejar Territory Routes, a journey to beauty). What does this temporary journey offer?

“The project is an example of the vision we have of heritage and its use for tourism. They are heritage routes to cultivate the spirit and to show a cultural leisure designed to suit the localities we visit, counting on the people. With our trainees, we are looking for a way to connect with new audiences. In this way, travellers find a heritage shown by professionals, with very careful logistics and personalised attention”.

Territorio Mudéjar, an example of good practices at the seminar on cultural heritage as a sustainable resource in ‘empty Spain’

Territorio Mudéjar participates in the leading forums on heritage and innovation, including the online seminar entitled “El patrimonio cultural como recurso sostenible en la España vaciada” (Cultural heritage as a sustainable resource in empty Spain), sponsored by the Spanish Ministry of Culture and Sports. We not only attended, in this case, but also stood out as a role model of good practices.

At this meeting, coordinated by the Cultural Heritage Institute of Spain (IPCE) and held on October 5 and 6, the lecturers included full professors of the art history department at University of Zaragoza Ascensión Hernández Martínez and María Pilar Biel Ibáñez, who gave a conference entitled “La cultura y el patrimonio como recurso: la lucha de Aragón contra la despoblación” (Culture and heritage as a resource: Aragon’s fight against depopulation).

In line with the theme of the seminar, they discussed how this demographic challenge requires coming up with strategies to encourage people to stay in places with difficulties and studying measures that generate social benefits for the residents, attract visitors and possible new residents, and turn heritage into a driver of the economy, tourism and employment and, above all, to uphold a cultural identity.

In this regard, they explained how we, at Territorio Mudéjar, strive to consolidate a unified, collaborative management network for the use of historical and artistic resources linked to important Mudejar heritage in our towns. And also how we see these resources as a driving force in the development of the towns and as emblems of identity for upholding the communities existing in our region.

They further highlighted that our entity ensures that the projects directly affect the region through responsible and sustainable management of Mudejar cultural heritage.

Experts from the IPCE, the University of Seville’s Industrial Heritage Laboratory, the Santa María la Real and DeClausura Foundations, the Polytechnic University of Madrid School of Architecture, and Asociación Amigos de los Castillos, to name a few, also participated in the seminar. They discussed the issue of desertion of rural areas and the ensuing consequences for heritage, including the loss of traditional architecture and monuments, movable assets, habits and intangible customs.

They also assessed good practices such as reputable cultural routes, famous restoration projects, preserved monuments, foundations whose efforts have had excellent outcomes and models such as that of Territorio Mudéjar.

Mudejar valley culture, in the Ruta 67 digital catalog of the Community of Calatayud

The Ruta 67 digital catalog was created as part of the “Descubre tu comarca” (Discover your district) employment workshop, in which Territorio Mudéjar participated by presenting one of the sessions. It maps out tours of the Community of Calatayud district, to discover its historical, cultural and culinary treasures. These routes invite travelers to enjoy the Mudejar heritage in these towns:

Territorio Mudéjar participated in this employment workshop last year by offering a training session that included a field trip to the entity’s offices in Tobed. Participants who took part in the workshop, sponsored by the Community of Calatayud district and subsidized by the Government of Aragon and the INAEM, for a full year received a level 3 professionalism certificate for local tourism promotion and visitor information, which qualifies them to work in visitor information settings.

Posters with QR codes will be set up in the towns through which the routes pass, which travelers can scan with their mobile phones to read the digital brochure. You can also download it here.

    Territorio Mudéjar participates in the CortonaOpen3D workshop as an example of innovative heritage management

    Territorio Mudéjar took part in the CortonaOpen3D workshop, a specialized course in computer graphics and smart city design applied to cultural heritage, which was held from August 1 to 10 in the Italian city of Cortona, in the province of Arezzo (Tuscany), to share its example of innovative management of artistic and historical heritage in a rural setting.

    During this workshop, the participants work individually or as a group to develop an architectural design project or an art installation inserted into the context of the city of Cortona. To do this, they receive specialized training in different areas related to architecture.

    In this regard, Victoria Trasobares, director of Territorio Mudéjar, gave a conference to explain the Territorio Mudéjar model “as a strategic example of heritage management: the project behind the projects”.

    The lecture was streamed live from the town of Tobed and in it, Victoria Trasobares discussed how the Territorio Mudéjar network began and grew, outlined its activity program and, in line with the course contents, explained how a technological vision can guide the work of historical, artistic and cultural heritage management.

    She also talked about the “Mudéjar Patrimonio Mundial 3D” (3D Mudejar World Heritage) project, a cross-disciplinary initiative led by Luis Agustín Hernández, architect and professor at the School of Engineering and Architecture of University of Zaragoza, aimed at revaluing Mudejar heritage. The project arose from the 2019 fieldwork grants and will continue in a major new cross-disciplinary, multi-university project between Spain and Italy. The University of Zaragoza (School of Engineering and Architecture, and the Art History department of the School of Humanities), the Polytechnic of Turin, Polytechnic of Milan and the University of Salerno will all take part.

    In addition, the conference at CortonaOpen3D represented the first of numerous wide-ranging activities open to the students in the 2020 Challenge Program internships, an initiative funded by the Provincial Government of Zaragoza and managed by Universa, the job orientation and employment service of University of Zaragoza.

    The Aragonese Mudejar, a mouse-click away around the world with the Google Arts and Culture platform

    The Mudejar architecture of the province of Zaragoza can be accessed at the click of a mouse by anyone, anywhere around the world, thanks to its inclusion in the “UNESCO World Heritage” collection on Google Arts and Culture, a multi-lingual platform that has received more than 175 million visits and a mobile application that has been downloaded more than 30 million times, which offers virtual tours of museums and heritage treasures around the world.

    Thanks to the initiative of the Provincial Government of Zaragoza and Territorio Mudéjar’s collaboration, the platform has included the Mudejar architecture of Aragon in a special UNESCO project for the promotion and dissemination of World Heritage sites. Specifically, the platform displays the monuments designated as UNESCO World Heritage sites in 2001: the church of Santa Tecla in Cervera de la Cañada, the church of La Virgen in Tobed and the Santa María collegiate church in Calatayud, in Zaragoza province, and the Seo, the San Pablo tower and the Aljafería palace, in the city of Zaragoza. Mudejar sites in the province of Teruel, declared UNESCO World Heritage 15 years earlier, thus triggering the process of promotion and rediscovery of the Mudejar as the most authentic art form in Aragon, can also be seen.

    The Mudejar art of Aragon has a strong regional component and cannot be understood through a single site. Its diversity and wealth is much more thoroughly explained when it is defined as “valley culture”, in which the valleys of Zaragoza are a highlight. To discover all its splendor, Google Arts and Culture has also included photographs of some monuments in Territorio Mudéjar that are not listed as World Heritage, such as the church in Torralba de Ribota, the San Andrés tower in Calatayud, the magnificent views of the city of Daroca and the church in Aniñón, just a few of the many wonderful examples found scattered throughout the valleys of Zaragoza. In addition, there are also images of the Seo in Zaragoza, the San Pablo tower and the Aljafería palace in the city of Zaragoza, as well as the El Salvador church tower in the city of Teruel. All of them offer a glimpse of the scope of Mudejar heritage as a cultural expression found nowhere else in the world.

    The platform offers photographs, a video about the Mudejar identity of the towns in Zaragoza that share this rich heritage, and a photogrammetric model of some of the World Heritage churches. This model was created as a result of the work done in one of the Territorio Mudéjar fieldwork grants in 2019, representing a launching pad for many other projects in the field of 3D heritage. The owners of the more than 30 million mobile phones that have downloaded the Google Arts and Culture app have received a message containing a link to all of these contents.

     

    Universality, uniqueness and authenticity

    This initiative spotlights the Mudejar World Heritage brand internationally and provides a powerful tool for heritage outreach and for the towns in the province.

    The Mudejar architecture of Aragon was declared World Heritage by UNESCO in 2001 for its “universality, uniqueness and authenticity”. Although Mudejar is usually described as Christian architecture built by Mudejars, Muslims who remained in the lands conquered by Christian rulers, this avant-garde movement from the medieval period is actually much more complex. This genre, which extends across several centuries and has a regional component entailing journeys across valleys, mountains and urban settings, has stamped each town with a unique personality that goes beyond mere monuments to encompass urban design, the division of land, the landscape and society, impacting the intangible heritage of the towns and their idiosyncrasy.

     

    Link to Aragonese Mudejar architecture on Google Arts and Culture:

    https://artsandculture.google.com/story/VwVBrGnQt1ZofQ