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.
Pozuel de Ariza
The route has been carried out following the working model of the schools that participated in the project and adapted to the locality of Pozuel de Ariza.
Pozuel de Ariza is a border town between the autonomous community of Castilla y León and Aragón. This has been the case throughout the town’s history, as during the border wars between the two kingdoms in medieval times, the town was a key point. The roof of the Hermitage of Nuestra Señora de la Torre stands out from the medieval period. This route takes us through the town, crossing the river Nágima, passing by the parish church and strolling along the Calle Mayor.
Pozuel de Ariza was a strategic point in the wars over the border disputes between the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon. It is a town on the border between the two Autonomous Communities, even today. In fact, the castle on the border belongs to the Castile and León region and the Nuestra Señora de la Torre hermitage is in the Aragon region.
This point is linked to the didactic activity 1.
In the hermitage of Nuestra Señora de la Torre we find one of the few Mudéjar roofs in the whole of Aragon with a structure of moamares limes. There are others, such as the one in the parish church of La Seo in Zaragoza. Each Mudejar roof is named according to its structure. There is a rich variety of names, as many as there are types of structures: limas moamares, alfarjes, par y nudillo (pair and knuckle)…
This point is linked to the didactic activity 5.
The Arabs were pioneers in the introduction of irrigation techniques in the rural world. Examples include waterwheels, waterwheels, cisterns and the most common, irrigation ditches. The introduction of agricultural products and techniques also favoured local crops, which grew better and faster. In addition, the idea of the agricultural landscape was generated, which is fundamental for understanding our localities.
This point is linked to the didactic activity 6
After the arrival of the Christians in the territory in the 12th century, we can say that the Mudejar period began. 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 forced them to live segmented, in neighbourhoods that we call morerías. The same would happen with the Jews, who would live in the Jewish quarters.
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 commonly used materials are clay, plaster, wood and alabaster. Pozuel de Ariza stands out for being a dry land, with an abundance of soil.
The colours of the architecture blend in with those of the landscape, with brown and reddish tones standing out. The earth has a specific way of being worked, in this case the technique of adobe and walling is used above all.
This point is linked to the didactic activity 3
