“The ancient one”
Located at the crossroads of the River Jalón with the River Manubles and the Mesa-Piedra, its historically strategic location has led to settlements in the area since the Eneolithic period, with finds documented in numerous places in the municipality.
The Islamic legacy of Ateca can be seen in the Arabic toponym from which its name “la antigua” derives, and is reflected in an attractive hamlet that is built on an urban layout of Islamic character with steep slopes, twists, turns and cul-de-sacs or covered passages, on which stand large houses with high, closed walls. The complex dialogues with the landscape marked by the use of water resources and draws attention to the system of irrigation channels, the most important element of which is the Canal del Val aqueduct.
But if there is one thing that is striking about the town, it is its group of towers. The Mudejar tower of the church of Santa María, dated, according to professor Gonzalo M. Borrás Gualis, to the second half of the 13th century, is the oldest part of the complex, prior to the Mudejar church, and is totally free-standing at the foot of the church and displaced from its axis. Both its structure and its ornamental elements, somewhat archaic for the time, follow the Almohad Islamic tradition, built by Aragonese Moorish masters, perhaps following the local tradition of minarets in the region but in any case built as a Christian bell tower. In 1560, the Clock Tower was built, commissioned by the council to the master builders Domingo and Ameçot to house the new clock that was to regulate the life of the city.
Located at the crossroads of the River Jalón with the River Manubles and the Mesa-Piedra, its historically strategic location has led to settlements in the area since the Eneolithic period, with finds documented in numerous places in the municipality.
The Islamic legacy of Ateca can be seen in the Arabic toponym from which its name “la antigua” derives, and is reflected in an attractive hamlet that is built on an urban layout of Islamic character with steep slopes, twists, turns and cul-de-sacs or covered passages, on which stand large houses with high, closed walls. The complex dialogues with the landscape marked by the use of water resources and draws attention to the system of irrigation channels, the most important element of which is the Canal del Val aqueduct.
But if there is one thing that is striking about the town, it is its group of towers. The Mudejar tower of the church of Santa María, dated, according to professor Gonzalo M. Borrás Gualis, to the second half of the 13th century, is the oldest part of the complex, prior to the Mudejar church, and is totally free-standing at the foot of the church and displaced from its axis. Both its structure and its ornamental elements, somewhat archaic for the time, follow the Almohad Islamic tradition, built by Aragonese Moorish masters, perhaps following the local tradition of minarets in the region but in any case built as a Christian bell tower. In 1560, the Clock Tower was built, commissioned by the council to the master builders Domingo and Ameçot to house the new clock that was to regulate the life of the city.
On the “Camino del Cid”, the Way of El Cid
Ateca is located at a strategic point at the confluence of the rivers Manubles and Jalón and is presided over by a fortification of uncertain origin, documented in the 10th century. At that time, the castle belonged to the Banu Timlat, although it was occupied by the Cid on his way to exile (as mentioned in the Cantar del Mío Cid), and was definitively incorporated into the Kingdom of Aragon in 1120 by Alfonso I the Battler after the battle of Cutanda.
These remains of the old castle watch over the town centre of Ateca, which, in addition to the church of Santa María and the Clock Tower, stands out for its strong character and other architectural features such as the Baroque church of San Francisco and the Renaissance-style town hall, as well as for the conservation of three of the four access gates to the walled enclosure of the medieval town: Puerta de las Fraguas, Puerta del Arial and the gate of San Miguel. The fourth, called Almazán, has disappeared.
Ateca is located at a strategic point at the confluence of the rivers Manubles and Jalón and is presided over by a fortification of uncertain origin, documented in the 10th century. At that time, the castle belonged to the Banu Timlat, although it was occupied by the Cid on his way to exile (as mentioned in the Cantar del Mío Cid), and was definitively incorporated into the Kingdom of Aragon in 1120 by Alfonso I the Battler after the battle of Cutanda.
These remains of the old castle watch over the town centre of Ateca, which, in addition to the church of Santa María and the Clock Tower, stands out for its strong character and other architectural features such as the Baroque church of San Francisco and the Renaissance-style town hall, as well as for the conservation of three of the four access gates to the walled enclosure of the medieval town: Puerta de las Fraguas, Puerta del Arial and the gate of San Miguel. The fourth, called Almazán, has disappeared.
Information
Town Hall: 976 842 005
www.aytoateca.es
Association for the Integral Development of the Region of Calatayud and the Region of Aranda
galcar.es
ATECA VISIT
976 633 296
DO YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE?
Aragon Tourism
turismodearagon.com
Tourism Calatayud Region
comarcacalatayud.com
Centre for Bilbilitan Studies
cebilbilitanos.com
The Cid’s Way
www.caminodelcid.org
Territorio Mudéjar Network
The city council has been a founding member of Territorio Mudéjar since 13 September 2018.
Projects Territorio Mudéjar in Ateca
Monuments | View the project
Pedagogy | View the project
Mudetrad Project | View the project
Mudejar civil architecture | View the project
Didactic Mudejar, the guide | View the project
Preventive town planning | View the project
‘Circular’ Family walks | View the project
Mudéjar RGB | View the project
