Circular from the Rural School goes out to the territory with a schedule of presentations

The Circular from Rural School project returns to the territory with a schedule of presentations from June 15 to 22.

This initiative is a cooperation project between rural development groups, @Adri Calatayud-Aranda @Adri Jiloca Gallocanta @Fedivalca @Adrae Comarca Ribera Alta del Ebro – Zaragoza @Adefo Cinco Villas @Asomo Moncayo @Cedemar @Leader Aragonese Rural Development Network, led by the Territorio Mudéjar association.

The goal is to develop educational materials focused on the Mudejar identity of the villages, focusing on rural schools and the village educational community.

The 2021-2022 school year in Territorio Mudéjar has been dominated by work with teachers, students, and the educational community in 15 rural school communities.

Based on the excellent work developed, the students from each school have designed a walk through their town in which they will explain the main points of interest and their connection to Mudejar culture.

Wednesday 15th

10:00 MAINAR. Meeting point: Santa Ana School

11:30 VILLARREAL DE HUERVA. Meeting point: Fernando el Católico School

THURSDAY 16

9:30 ANIÑÓN. Meeting point: parish church

11:00 CERVERA DE LA CAÑADA. Meeting point: parish church.

12:30 VILLARROYA DE LA SIERRA. Meeting point: King’s Castle

FRIDAY 17TH

11:30 FIFTH. Meeting point: Fernando el Católico School.

TUESDAY 21ST

11:00 ATECA. Meeting point: Virgen de la Peana School.

6:00 PM RICLA. Meeting point: Maestro Monreal School.

Wednesday 22nd

9:00 a.m. CALATAYUD. Meeting point: Salvador Minguijón School

MOMAr Study Tour of Mehedinti County, Romania

Territorio Mudéjar participated in the latest study visit of the European MOMAr (‘Models of Management for Singular Rural Heritage’) project to Mehedinti County in Romania.

This rural area of ​​the country has served as inspiration for 24 European experts to learn about best practices in rural heritage management models.

On this trip, we visited the Iron Gates Regional Museum, located in the town of Drobeta Turnu Severin, and its exhibits on the communities of Mehedinti County.

On a cruise along the Danube, we observe the natural diversity and historical sites nestled along the river’s banks.

We visited the village of Eibenthal in the Banat Mountains, inhabited by a Czech community and which has become a meeting and celebration place.

They also explained the success story of the DiGiParks initiative, which reproduces 3D models of the region’s notable heritage sites.

The visit continued at the Romanian Hydroelectric Power Station Museum. In Balta Cave, we enjoyed a concert performed by a local music school.

We arrived at the so-called ‘Bridge of God’, the largest natural bridge in Romania, located in the village of Ponoarele.

And the last stage of the tour took place at the church of Selistea.

The Aragonese delegation was made up of the DPZ team: the coordinator of the Citizenship Area, Juan José Borque; the head of the Culture and Heritage Section, Lorena Laga; and the culture technician and member of the MOMAr coordination team, Isabel Soria. Traveling with them were the director of Mudejar Territory, Victoria Trasobares; the mayor of Gotor, José Ángel Calvo; the mayor of Quinto, Jesús Morales; the mayor of Velilla de Ebro, María Rosario Gómez; and the culture technician from the Utebo City Council, Walter Espada.

Representatives of the European partners also attended the trip from Saxony-Anhalt (Germany), South Bohemia (Czech Republic), and the province of Groningen (Netherlands), as well as the project’s technical advisory committee, made up of Irene Ruiz and Marisa Sebastián.

Aragonese Mudejar, in an exhibition at the Retiro Park in Madrid

This year, 2022, marks the 50th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention. It is an opportunity to reflect on the past, present, and future of its application in our territories and communities. Throughout this year, a series of activities organized by the various World Heritage managers in Spain will take place.

Among the activities of the Ministry of Culture, Education, and Sport is a photography exhibition at the Retiro Park in Madrid. This exhibition was on view these past few weeks and included a display of Aragonese Mudejar heritage declared a World Heritage Site, specifically the Collegiate Church of Calatayud.

Mudejar Territory incorporates four localities and now has a network of 41 municipalities working for Mudejar culture.

Territorio Mudéjar has added four municipalities to its network, bringing the total number of associated towns to 41. These towns will benefit from a program of activities to strengthen the management, research, and dissemination of Mudejar heritage, as well as the creation of a network of professionals and jobs linked to the management of these historical and artistic resources. The association of municipalities, promoted by the Zaragoza Provincial Council, recently held its annual meeting, during which it ratified the inclusion of the towns of Utebo—where the Mudejar tower of the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción stands out—Alpartir—with a Mudejar legacy that survives in its urban planning, traditions, and landscape—Villarroya de la Sierra—where the influence can be seen in the water system, construction systems, and urban planning—and Acered—with the plasterwork of the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin as its representatives.

At the meeting, chaired by the mayor of Tobed, Juan Antonio Sánchez Quero, and attended by the mayors of the member municipalities, Victoria Trasobares, director of the organization, presented the plan of activities being developed for 2022.

This program maintains a commitment to research on Mudejar culture through the Gonzalo M. Borrás Gualis Research Internships and Projects (a new call will be announced soon), the search for best practices, curricular and extracurricular internships, and participation in programs such as Desafío (Challenge), internships for recent graduates, UNITA, and Circular por la Escuela Rural (Circular through Rural Schools), the latter of which aims to generate value for schools and encourage the selection of rural schools as permanent destinations for teachers. It also works to professionalize the profiles dedicated to heritage management and to provide a decidedly innovative approach to all its activities with the participation of local stakeholders.

Added to this is the research-based digitization strategy with the project “Study of Aragonese Mudejar Art, Legacy of Gonzalo M. Borrás Gualis.” This project, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, aims to provide quality content for all projects launched and generate activity in the municipalities with the presence of highly qualified professionals.


As part of its commitment to disseminating the Mudejar heritage, this year the association will continue with thematic routes to promote both the historical and artistic heritage of each town and its other tourist attractions: hospitality, commerce, crafts, nature, and gastronomy. Likewise, the dissemination of heritage will be enhanced through media specials, podcast routes as audio guides, and through the information center to address and forward all tourist requests (24-hour telephone: 976 633 296). Territorio Mudéjar was founded in 2018, promoted by the Zaragoza Provincial Council as an association of municipalities 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. These resources are understood as an engine of development for towns and as an element of identity for the maintenance of the communities that make up the territory.

Territorio Mudéjar has added four municipalities to its network, bringing the total number of associated towns to 41. These towns will benefit from a program of activities to strengthen the management, research, and dissemination of Mudejar heritage, as well as the creation of a network of professionals and jobs linked to the management of these historical and artistic resources. The association of municipalities, promoted by the Zaragoza Provincial Council, recently held its annual meeting, during which it ratified the inclusion of the towns of Utebo—where the Mudejar tower of the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción stands out—Alpartir—with a Mudejar legacy that survives in its urban planning, traditions, and landscape—Villarroya de la Sierra—where the influence can be seen in the water system, construction systems, and urban planning—and Acered—with the plasterwork of the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin as its representatives.

At the meeting, chaired by the mayor of Tobed, Juan Antonio Sánchez Quero, and attended by the mayors of the member municipalities, Victoria Trasobares, director of the organization, presented the plan of activities being developed for 2022.

This program maintains a commitment to research on Mudejar culture through the Gonzalo M. Borrás Gualis Research Internships and Projects (a new call will be announced soon), the search for best practices, curricular and extracurricular internships, and participation in programs such as Desafío (Challenge), internships for recent graduates, UNITA, and Circular por la Escuela Rural (Circular through Rural Schools), the latter of which aims to generate value for schools and encourage the selection of rural schools as permanent destinations for teachers. It also works to professionalize the profiles dedicated to heritage management and to provide a decidedly innovative approach to all its activities with the participation of local stakeholders.

Added to this is the research-based digitization strategy with the project “Study of Aragonese Mudejar Art, Legacy of Gonzalo M. Borrás Gualis.” This project, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, aims to provide quality content for all projects launched and generate activity in the municipalities with the presence of highly qualified professionals.


As part of its commitment to disseminating the Mudejar heritage, this year the association will continue with thematic routes to promote both the historical and artistic heritage of each town and its other tourist attractions: hospitality, commerce, crafts, nature, and gastronomy. Likewise, the dissemination of heritage will be enhanced through media specials, podcast routes as audio guides, and through the information center to address and forward all tourist requests (24-hour telephone: 976 633 296). Territorio Mudéjar was founded in 2018, promoted by the Zaragoza Provincial Council as an association of municipalities 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. These resources are understood as an engine of development for towns and as an element of identity for the maintenance of the communities that make up the territory.

Territorio Mudéjar has added four municipalities to its network, bringing the total number of associated towns to 41. These towns will benefit from a program of activities to strengthen the management, research, and dissemination of Mudejar heritage, as well as the creation of a network of professionals and jobs linked to the management of these historical and artistic resources. The association of municipalities, promoted by the Zaragoza Provincial Council, recently held its annual meeting, during which it ratified the inclusion of the towns of Utebo—where the Mudejar tower of the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción stands out—Alpartir—with a Mudejar legacy that survives in its urban planning, traditions, and landscape—Villarroya de la Sierra—where the influence can be seen in the water system, construction systems, and urban planning—and Acered—with the plasterwork of the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin as its representatives.

At the meeting, chaired by the mayor of Tobed, Juan Antonio Sánchez Quero, and attended by the mayors of the member municipalities, Victoria Trasobares, director of the organization, presented the plan of activities being developed for 2022.

This program maintains a commitment to research on Mudejar culture through the Gonzalo M. Borrás Gualis Research Internships and Projects (a new call will be announced soon), the search for best practices, curricular and extracurricular internships, and participation in programs such as Desafío (Challenge), internships for recent graduates, UNITA, and Circular por la Escuela Rural (Circular through Rural Schools), the latter of which aims to generate value for schools and encourage the selection of rural schools as permanent destinations for teachers. It also works to professionalize the profiles dedicated to heritage management and to provide a decidedly innovative approach to all its activities with the participation of local stakeholders.

Added to this is the research-based digitization strategy with the project “Study of Aragonese Mudejar Art, Legacy of Gonzalo M. Borrás Gualis.” This project, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, aims to provide quality content for all projects launched and generate activity in the municipalities with the presence of highly qualified professionals.


As part of its commitment to disseminating the Mudejar heritage, this year the association will continue with thematic routes to promote both the historical and artistic heritage of each town and its other tourist attractions: hospitality, commerce, crafts, nature, and gastronomy. Likewise, the dissemination of heritage will be enhanced through media specials, podcast routes as audio guides, and through the information center to address and forward all tourist requests (24-hour telephone: 976 633 296). Territorio Mudéjar was founded in 2018, promoted by the Zaragoza Provincial Council as an association of municipalities 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. These resources are understood as an engine of development for towns and as an element of identity for the maintenance of the communities that make up the territory.

Happy International Museum Day

Territorio Mudéjar celebrates International Museum Day by remembering that museums are cultural hubs that help us learn about and understand our heritage.

In our case, they are part of our daily work and enrich our communities by providing an innovative space where we can learn about the past, understand the present, and imagine the future.

Or to put it another way, museums have the power to transform the world around us. As incomparable places of discovery, they teach us about our past and open our minds to new ideas—two essential steps toward building a better future.

And in this, we work in alignment with ICOM and the SDGs, and we are aware of being a strategic player in the management and development of local communities and an agent of change and innovation through education, knowledge, digitalization, and accessibility to our heritage.

We look forward to seeing you at Territorio Mudéjar to learn about our heritage and innovation spaces.

Mudéjar Territory showcases the potential of its heritage at ARATUR

Territorio Mudéjar returns to the Aragonese Tourism Fair (ARATUR), which held its 16th edition at the Zaragoza Conference Center from May 13 to 15 to a huge success. Some 13,000 people visited the fair, where Territorio Mudéjar had an exhibit where guided tours were offered and projects were presented:

  • Mudetrad, which seeks to enhance the territory through the recognition and dissemination of its traditional architecture.
  • Mudejar Wood, an online video publication that serves as a comprehensive guide to all the historic carpentry found in the towns of the Mudejar Territory
  • Podcast, a project to communicate about the Mudejar territory through a series of thematic podcasts that enhance, encourage, and complement visits to the area.

A raffle has also been held for two people to go to a village in the Mudejar Territory.

In total, around 300 people participated in the raffle, and more than 200 participated in the visits and project presentations held at the booth.

The stand was visited by, among others, the Director General of Tourism of the Government of Aragon, Gloria Pérez; Víctor Ruiz De Diego, Senator for the province of Zaragoza; Michel Arenas, President of the Calatayud DOP and Manager of the Calatayud Wine Route; Jose Ángel Calvo, Mayor of Gotor and President of the Aranda Region; and Agustín Serra, Manager of the sustainability plan The Hidden Face of Moncayo.

There they were welcomed by Territorio Mudéjar’s director, Victoria Trasobares, and collaborators Derry Holgado and Maru Gallego.

Study trip to the Netherlands to explore best practices within the framework of the MOMAr project

The European MOMAr (Models of Management for Singular Rural Heritage) project, led by the Provincial Council of Zaragoza and in which Territorio Mudéjar participates, has brought together 28 heritage experts, including a delegation from Zaragoza, on a study visit to the province of Groningen (Netherlands). The goal is to exchange best practices and learn about Dutch management models firsthand.

The visit took place on April 27 and 28 and was attended by the Zaragoza Provincial Council, including Juan José Borque, coordinator of the Citizenship Department, and Mª Carmen Gracia, head of the Culture Service; Victoria Trasobares, director of Territorio Mudéjar; three of the mayors who belong to the association: Maria Rosario Lázaro, mayor of Villarreal de Huerva; Marta Gracia Blanco, mayor of Almunia de Doña Godina; and Alfonso Puertas, mayor of Torralba de Ribota; and Julio Zaldívar, manager of the Tarazona Monumental Foundation.

MOMAr’s European partners from Mehedinti County (Romania), the Saxony-Anhalt region (Germany), South Bohemia (Czech Republic), the Dutch hosts, and the project’s technical advisory committee, formed by Irene Ruiz and Marisa Sebastián, also participated.

This study visit is the third of a total of four, which seek to exchange knowledge on asset management models among European experts, all from rural areas. The ultimate goal is to import best practices and, with them, develop an Action Plan in which each region will develop new proposals for improving local projects.

The rehabilitation of historical heritage, giving it new social and educational uses for the benefit of local communities, through cooperation between public administrations and private properties, marked the practical visits on this trip.

The first stop on the tour was Maarhuizen, an architectural complex located atop an artificial mound, remnant of what was once a farming village centuries ago. Today, one of its former farms is being reconstructed as part of a holistic project seeking to create a cultural and natural meeting point, involving educational centers in the rehabilitation process.

We visited one of the churches of the Groningen Historic Church Foundation. This organization manages nearly 100 churches, most of them medieval and privately owned. In these churches, religious space has become a community space, open to the public and serving social purposes. Proof of this is the exhibition “Festivity! In the East and in the West,” located in a restored medieval tower and exploring celebrations of different religions (Catholic, Jewish, and Muslim). Through an interactive experience, the exhibition seeks to create common ground between different faiths and open up a non-judgmental intercultural dialogue among its visitors.

The expedition also approached the Wadden Sea, the largest intertidal flat system in the world, listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site for its unique geological and ecological values ​​and high biological diversity.

The rural region of Oldamst, located near the German border, was the focus of experts’ attention during the second day of work. This area was considered the breadbasket of Holland decades ago thanks to its fertile land. However, depopulation and the loss of local agriculture have left hundreds of farms abandoned or in serious danger of collapse. Adding to this process of degradation are earthquakes, largely caused by gas extraction, and soil oxidation, which causes significant subsidence. Thus, an enormous historical heritage, in private hands, faces the costly challenge of reconstruction and rehabilitation, but they are not doing it alone, as public administrations are contributing financially and strategically to the preservation of these centuries-old buildings.

Circular from the rural school: exchange between the schools of Alparir and Ricla

The Circular project from the rural school advances and has allowed us to share a special exchange between the schools of Ricla and Alpartir in which students have been able to learn about the heritage of another locality and show their own to other classmates. This twinning activity has been a peer-to-peer and cooperative learning experience in which students have interacted with other students to achieve educational objectives.

The first visit took place on 30 March. The third year primary pupils of the CEIP Maestro Monreal de Ricla welcomed the pupils of the CEIP Ramoìn y Cajal de Alpartir and told them the first ideas about the local mudeìjar and the cultural landscape.

They visited the ‘Aula mudéjar’, a museum space dedicated to exhibiting everything that has been worked on, adding period costumes and handicrafts.

The Alpartir schoolchildren then strolled through the streets of Ricla – full of twists and turns, alleyways and lanes – to reach the church of the Assumption with its slender Mudejar tower.

There, the pupils learned about the most important moments of the church (which was built in three stages) from Hilario, the parish priest. They also climbed to the top of the tower, from where they could see the town planning of Ricla, which we also talked about later.

There was time to go up to the castle of Muslim origin, although it is very much renovated, the result of an interesting existence. Today it has the appearance of a manor house and shows its great past importance as a defensive position.

The children from Ricla returned the visit to their classmates from Alpartir on 6 April. The Alpartir school team was in charge of welcoming the guests at a reception attended by the mayoress of Alpartir, Marta Gimeno, and the director of Territorio Mudéjar, Victoria Trasobares.

They then began the tour with a first stop at a point in the town from which La Almunia de Doña Godina, another of the towns that form part of the Mudejar Territory network, can be seen. Allí hicieron una presentación sobre los mudéjares, su forma de vida y el legado que todavía hoy conservamos. Además, aprendieron el origen del nombre de La Almunia de Doña Godina (Al-munia significa «huerto» y su apellido lo tomó de Doña Godina, una rica propietaria de Cabañas que en el siglo XII). La segunda parada dio a los participantes una perspectiva de Alpartir y de su entorno urbano que les permitió aprender sobre el caserío y la distribución de sus calles. Y el recorrido llegó hasta la calle de los obradores, donde conocieron los restos de un antiguo alfar.

The excursion was accompanied by a musical atmosphere and served to learn about the orientation of the village and the reason why it is on an “m” shaped slope, the importance of agriculture was also discussed and, of course, they went to the church, where they recognised elements such as the alabaster, the colopial arch and other decorative motifs.

The schoolchildren took part in various workshops. Among them, a crossword puzzle with words related to heritage or another in which they had to help Maribel, a historical character who ‘lands’ in the year 2022 somewhat disoriented and who must be helped so that she can get the building materials she needs. They also learnt to relate the Mudejar towers of our villages with their names and were introduced to the art of construction: sticks and plasticine were the raw materials with which they had to put themselves to the test to build towers of between two and five storeys high.

They also learned traditional crafts and became tanners for a day to learn how to make their own purses.

Circular from the Rural School allows learning by doing with an active, globalising, playful and participative methodology that manages to motivate students and helps them to gain knowledge about heritage.

Circular from the Rural School is a cooperation project between rural development groups coordinated by the Adri Calatayud-Aranda group, together with CEDEMAR, Adefo Cinco Villas, Asomo Moncayo, ADRAE Comarca Ribera Alta del Ebro – Zaragoza, Fedivalca and ADRI Jiloca-Gallocanta, and financed by the Government of Aragón through the Leader programme, and the Diputación de Zaragoza through the Territorio Mudéjar association, as a private collaborating entity that manages the implementation and execution of the initiative.

Circular from the rural school broadens horizons: Tobed, the first school to host the event

Last week, the students of Tobed (CRA Vicort-Isuela), where in 2017 the didactic pilot project that was the seed of Circular from the Rural School was developed, hosted the students of the SchoolHouse Zaragoza school.

The project continues to grow because we are extending the presentations to schools beyond the localities of Territorio Mudéjar. It is a small test that opens up a wide range of possibilities.

After a great welcome at the Mudejar Museum “Espacio Mudéjar Mahoma Calahorri”, Marta and Diego, 5th grade and 3rd grade students, respectively, from the Tobed school, accompanied and helped Eugenia Gallego, who is part of our network of professionals, explaining the details of the location, landscape and urban planning.

They then visited the Mudejar church of the Virgin, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2001, learnt how bread and sweets are prepared in the “Horno de Pan Cocer”, walked and played around the village to get to know its heritage.

In this way, the schoolchildren of Zaragoza had a first contact with the Mudejar that helps them to begin to identify concepts and to value and care for heritage.

MOMAr study tour: 18 European experts share best practices in the Czech Republic

Territorio Mudéjar has taken part in the study trip-visit to South Bohemia, in the Czech Republic, as part of the MOMAr programme, in which it participates.

After two years of work identifying good practices in heritage management in rural areas of Europe, this trip has allowed the projects presented by the partner from the Czech Republic to be seen on the ground. A form of knowledge exchange between international experts that offers the possibility of assessing the importation of successful cases to the reality of heritage in Zaragoza.

The conference began with a presentation of the tourist offer of the South Bohemia region by the director of the regional tourist office, together with a visit to the castle hotel in the town of Hluvoboká nad vltavou.

Afterwards, a visit was made to a historic malting plant in the village of Písek as an example of reconstruction of industrial heritage for social use. The building is now a public toy library offering educational exhibitions for children, with great success among the local population.

The experts got to know the Soběslav municipal library, a success story in the recovery of a disused historical space. The public facility is located in what used to be a medieval castle, which, thanks to the architectural renovation initiated by the residents, now offers a communal space for the local community dedicated to culture.

On the second day, the trip began with a visit to the monument to the national hero, Jan Žižka, in the village of Trocnov, a replica of a medieval farmhouse completely reconstructed with original materials and techniques. It is a necessary and unique place for the recovery of historical memory in the whole country, as no original building from that time has been preserved.

There was also a visit to a 14th century castle which the Malše River Castles Association is rebuilding through a cross-border cooperation project with Austria and which is part of an extensive line of defence along the common border.

There, a working session was held between the project partners to analyse cases of heritage infragestion and from which it was concluded that it is necessary to include the local population in all heritage management projects. Together with the Libau Foundation of Groningen, Territorio Mudéjar participated as a stakeholder, contributing its experience in the management of heritage resources in rural areas as part of local development in all its facets.

The day ended with a tour of the Renaissance town of Český Krumlov, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The town attracted millions of tourists before the pandemic but the consequences on international mobility have made it a case study because of the challenges and opportunities that are now opening up in the field of heritage management.

The Spanish delegation was made up of those responsible for the project on behalf of the Diputación de Zaragoza, Lorena Laga and Isabel Soria, as well as the director of Territorio Mudéjar, Victoria Trasobares; and the mayors of Quinto, Jesús Morales; of Torrellas, María Pilar Pérez; and of Velilla de Ebro, María Rosario Gómez.

They were accompanied by MOMAr’s European partners from Mehedinti County (Romania), the region of Saxony-Anhalt (Germany), the province of Groningen (The Netherlands), the Czech hosts, and the project’s technical advisory committee formed by Irene Ruíz and Marisa Sebastián.