Over the weekend, a delegation of the Spanish Committee of ICOMOS, the International Council of Monuments and Sites, visited several municipalities in the province of Zaragoza that belong to Territorio Mudéjar to learn about the activities that have been launched and the projects to be undertaken in the medium and long term.
Alicia Castillo, the president of this entity linked to UNESCO, advising it on world heritage nominations, considers that Territorio Mudéjar’s heritage management model demonstrates the change in dimension afforded to cultural values. “They must be dealt with in a multi-faceted, comprehensive manner across the territory, because the building itself is not what has value,” she explained. She believes that what makes a heritage space interesting are the people that bring it to life, that preserve it in their memories and that maintain it as part of their inheritance. In addition, she pointed out that one of the most valuable features of rural areas is their landscape, the place where a monument is set, and the relationship that the inhabitants have with that asset. For this reason, she feels that complicity with the inhabitants of a region is crucial. “We are all tired of flagship projects designed by a single institution or a single stakeholder that fall flat when launched because they didn’t take anyone else into account,” she noted.
Mainstreaming the region as a network
Territorio Mudéjar is made up of 32 city councils in the province of Zaragoza that decided to join forces one year ago to manage their historical, artistic and natural resources in a unified, collaborative, sustainable manner. These towns all share a common artistic legacy of Mudejar art, which was declared UNESCO World Heritage in 2001. Based on this connection, a work plan was drawn up which outlines among its objectives heritage outreach actions within and beyond these towns, making use of this world-renowned, highly valued brand and placing the participation and relevance of the town’s inhabitants at the forefront.
Arranging this tour for the ICOMOS members was yet another step in this line of work. “We need to spotlight the region beyond the local level to familiarize people with our towns, the people behind these projects, the situation day to day in each of these places,” remarks Victoria Trasobares, director of Territorio Mudéjar.
The president of the International Council of Monuments and Sites praised the initiative of this association because it endeavors to create a network of diverse assets in places that are hard to mainstream. According to Alicia Castillo, “It’s a very good idea, especially because it makes use of an opportunity”.
ICOMOS board of directors in Tobed
On Sunday morning, a meeting of the board of directors of ICOMOS Spain was held at Espacio Mudéjar in Tobed. Afterwards, the board members met with representatives of local associations and groups devoted to heritage management. The purpose was to hear their proposals for cultural management and to familiarize those who, in one way or another, manage local cultural resources with the duties and goals of this Council.
Since last Friday, the ICOMOS delegation has visited the cloisters of the collegiate church of Santa María la Mayor in Calatayud, the palace of the Condes de Argillo and the church of San Miguel, also known as La Señoría, in Saviñán, as well as the churches of Cervera de la Cañada and Torralba de Ribota. On Saturday, they left Tobed to visit the church of Torrellas, which was originally a Mudejar mosque, the Casa de la Estanca and Casa de las Conchas in Borja, as well as the Museo de las Momias in Quinto and the abandoned village of Rodén. They ended the day at the closing event of the Ancient Music Festival in Daroca.
On behalf of Territorio Mudéjar, we hope that this visit marks the beginning of a partnership and close contact with this Council, which is composed of heritage experts in a range of fields, all working on common grounds to promote the protection and use of monuments.
Territorio Mudéjar plans to assess the possibility of joining the entity, which would put us into contact with its network of professionals working throughout Spain and enable us to propose collaboration projects with other Autonomous Regions based on rural areas but with a global approach
