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.
Acered
The tour has been carried out following the working model of the schools that participated in the project and adapted to the locality of Acered.
Acered, according to some research, comes from the Arabic “al sirat” (the road). It is located in the Sierra de Santa Cruz, and indeed, it must have been a means of communication between the Arab towns of Daruqa (Daroca) and Qalat Ayyub (Calatayud), as it still is today, a shortcut that would have been taken through the mountains.
The existence of a pre-Islamic population would not be surprising, as there are several examples of Pehistoric and Iberian settlements (Castellar de Berrueco, for example) in the surrounding area of the Comarca de Daroca.
The original nucleus of the town is located in a small walled enclosure that is still preserved on a nearby hill, where the hermitage of the Virgen de Semón stands today. It was later rebuilt to face the various battles with Castile, although nothing can be taken for granted. Acered had a moment of splendour in the 17th century, the result of which are its main buildings.
This point is linked to the didactic activity 1.
The Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción in Acered allows us to speak of the reminiscences of the Mudejar style. The current building is the work of Juan de la Marca, dating from the 17th century. The plasterwork of Mudejar tradition in the interior stands out. Before the present church there was another one, of which the tower and a part of the wall with a brick arch have been preserved.
This point is linked to the didactic activity 5.
During the Middle Ages, three cultures coexisted in our territory: Christians, Jews and Muslims (called Mudejars after Christian rule). Each culture could freely develop its religion and customs, but they were forced to live separately in the so-called “morerías” and “juderías”. In our towns, we have preserved part of this medieval urban separation in the current plan, which is reflected in the layout of the streets.
This point is linked to the didactic activity 2
In Acered, as in other localities, we can see the materials used for the Mudejar monuments or later ones, such as the church, adapted to the houses in common use. The materials used by the Mudejars can also be found in the surrounding landscape. The most commonly used are clay, plaster, alabaster and wood.
This point is linked to the didactic activity 3
For the Arab world, water is a fundamental and divine principle. For the Mudejars, who were Muslims, it would also be so. When the Arabs arrived in the Iberian Peninsula, they introduced many irrigation systems and techniques that we still preserve and use today. Some examples are the irrigation ditches, waterwheels and waterwheels.
Fountains date back to Roman times, as they served to supply the big cities, and were later replicated in the rural world. There are many different types of fountains and they date from the most ancient to the most recent. In this case, the fountain, the trough and the washing place are in the same structure: it is a clever way of economising resources.
This point is linked to the didactic activity 6
