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.
Fréscano
The tour has been carried out following the working model of the schools that participated in the project and adapted to the locality of Fréscano.
During the tour of Fréscano we can see many examples of characteristic elements that have to do with popular architecture, which is the reflection, both in construction and decorative technique, of the monuments of the town. In the case of Fréscano, the palace of the Dukes of Villahermosa stands out, as does the chapel of Nuestra Señora de la Huerta, which houses a valuable vestige of mural paintings in its interior.
The Christians allowed the Muslims to stay in the territory, as they were necessary to sustain the local economy. They allowed them to maintain their religion and customs, but they allowed them to live segmented, in neighbourhoods that we call “morerías” and “juderías”. In Fréscano we can still see part of the Arab layout of the town, although we cannot locate the Moorish and Jewish quarters. We know that, when the Moors were expelled, 450 people left Fréscano.
This point is linked to the didactic activity 1.
The Christians allowed the Muslims to stay in the territory, as they were necessary to sustain the local economy. They allowed them to maintain their religion and customs, but they allowed them to live segmented, in neighbourhoods that we call “morerías” and “juderías”. In Fréscano we can still see part of the Arab layout of the town, although we cannot locate the Moorish and Jewish quarters. We know that, when the Moors were expelled, 450 people left Fréscano.
This point is linked to the didactic activity 2
The materials used by the Mudejars are materials that can be found in the surroundings, what we would call, of proximity. In this way, we will see how commonly used monuments and constructions are made with the same materials and construction techniques. The most common are clay, plaster, wood and alabaster.
This point is linked to the didactic activity 3
Water is the most important principle of the universe according to the Koran. It is a divine symbol, since water is necessary for life. It is also present in the Muslims’ idea of their Paradise. For the Mudejars, who were also Muslims, water was fundamental. We find Mudejar around the great rivers such as the Jalón, the Huerva, the Ribota, the Huecha… which is the area around which many Mudejar populations were concentrated in medieval times, and therefore, many monuments.
This point is linked to the didactic activity 6
Although it is true that there is no point in time in the locality, we can affirm that Fréscano is closely linked to Mudejar culture. Mudejar is understood and spread through different areas related to the population that settled in the territory and of which we have evidence.
In Fréscano we have a great tradition of cultivation that comes from the heritage of the Arab population and that is materialised today in the legacy of a series of irrigation techniques such as irrigation ditches, waterwheels, waterwheels, cisterns… It is also interesting to see how these elements have evolved: in Fréscano we have an example of hydraulic engineering from the 20th century: the Casa de Elevación de Aguas (Water Raising House).
This point is linked to the didactic activity 7
