Tourists immerse in Teruel’s history, traditions and legends: the story of the Teruel lovers and the traditional festival Vaquilla del Angel.
Discovering Teruel Legends
The Spanish city of Teruel is not only famous for its four Mudéjar-style buildings inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List but also many other interesting aspects. When we wandered through the streets of the historic center, we got lost in its history, its traditions and its splendid legends. For this reason, reading, listening and eating are essential actions of a trip to Teruel. Traditions are so important that we first heard of Teruel from a friend in Zaragoza. She told us that the last night she was in Teruel for a festival.
The most famous Spanish festival is held in Pamplona but Teruel also hosts an important event that attracts visitors from nearby cities. Our friend was referring to the Fiesta Vaquilla del Angel (Calf Festival), which commemorates the mythical founding of the city.
In legendary story, a brave bull led a group of brave Aragonese knights. This strangely assorted group built Teruel after defeating a Muslim fortress. In reality, the king of Aragon Alfonso II founded the city of Teruel in 1171 to strengthen the borders of his kingdom. Further south, the city of Valencia was still under the Muslim rule of al-Andalus.
Mudéjar history
The Islamic kingdom of al-Andalus was founded in 711 and soon the first Christian rebellions began which gave birth to the reconquest. The Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula was a long process, which ended in 1492 when the last Muslim rulers were expelled from Granada. Around the year 1000, the first group of Christian kingdoms were established in Aragon, which annexed the Valencian community in 1238.
The Christian kingdoms tolerated the presence of Muslim believers until 1502 when Queen Isabella of Castile expelled all non-believers from her territory. In 1526, the kingdom of Aragon approved the same law. Muslims had to decide whether to convert to Catholicism or to leave Spain.
Before the expulsion, the Muslim believers residing in the Christian part of the Iberian peninsula were called Mudéjar. In those years, Muslim architects, craftsmen, sculptors and painters contributed to enrich the Spanish and Portuguese culture.
The Mudéjars mainly influenced architecture, in which they repeated the signs and geometric patterns present in the traditional Islamic style. These patterns also applied to typically Christian buildings, such as Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance churches and towers.
Mudéjar Legends
Mudéjar art is now included in the UNESCO heritage “Mudéjar Architecture in Aragon”. Two of the four towers of Teruel included in the UNESCO list have a legendary origin.
It is said that the city commissioned the Muslim architects Abdullah and Omar to build the two towers. Upon starting the work, they saw the beautiful Muslim Zoraida and both fell in love with her. The girl did not know which architect to marry. Then, her father gave the two architects a challenge. Zoraida would marry whoever built the most beautiful tower.
The two architects began to build the two towers. The two towers are both magnificent and almost likes twins. Omar was the first to finish the San Martín tower. Despite the splendor, the architect noticed that the tower was slightly inclined. Filled with rage, he ran to the highest point of his work and threw himself on the road.
Omar died instantly. The next day, Zoraida married Abdullah. The two young spouses went to the tower of el Salvador and sighed sadly while observing the tower of San Martín, built by poor Omar.
Lovers of Teruel
The love of Isabel and Diego
The Mudéjar Tower of San Pedro also belongs to the UNESCO list. The church of San Pedro has the tower that houses the mausoleum of the lovers of Teruel. The mausoleum houses the tombs of Isabel de Segura and Diego de Marcilla.
It is said that in the 13th century the Segura and Marcilla families were among the richest in Teruel. Diego and Isabel already dated as children and knew that one day they would get married. But Diego’s family fell out of favor and Isabel’s father refused the marriage proposal.
Then, the young man came to terms with Isabel’s father. Diego would leave the city to accumulate wealth. If five years later he was rich again, his father would have consented to their union.
What happed to Isabel and Diego?
During Diego’s absence, his father urged Isabel to marry. She agreed to celebrate the wedding exactly 5 years after Diego’s departure. Just a few hours after Isabel’s wedding, Diego returned full of riches.
In the night, Diego entered the bedroom of the couple. He asked Isabel to kiss him at least once, because otherwise he would have died. She refused so as not to betray her husband and Diego died under her bed. Isabel woke her husband who decided to take the corpse away and give him a proper burial. The funeral was held the next day. Isabel went to Diego to give him that kiss that she had denied him in life. At that moment, she died too, as if overwhelmed by her passion.
Isabel’s moved husband asked to bury the two lovers together, inside the church of San Pedro. In 1555, two mummies were found which are supposed to be the remains of Isabel and Diego. In the 20th century, the contemporary artist Juan de Ávalos y Taborda sculpted their funeral monument.
Fiesta Vaquilla del Angel
The history of the Festival
Despite the charm of the UNESCO sites, we must remember that we arrived in Teruel thanks to the Vaquilla del Angel Festival. The Festival is celebrated every year for four days from Friday to Monday at the turn of July 10th. The celebration is dedicated to the Santo Ángel Custodio (Holy guardian Angel), patron saint of the city.
It is said that as early as 1397 the inhabitants of Teruel entertained King Martin I of Aragon with bullfighting, songs, dances and shows. Later the mass held at 12 am on Sunday dedicated to the guardian angel was added.
The program of the Festival
On Friday, at 04:30 pm, the mayor of Teruel leans over the balcony of the town hall and proclaims “¡Vaquilleros, la Vaquilla es vuestra !, que suene el campanico”. Soon after, the crowd goes to the Plaza del Torico. Here, a group of cheering young people climb the column where the small bull that is the symbol of the city stands. This is how the “Puesta del Panuelico” takes place, the ritual with which young people place a red cloth around the neck of the Torico.
On Mondays there is the parade of “ensogados” bulls (roped bulls). The bulls are not free to run around the center and they are actually firmly fixed on two ropes, called Soga and Baga. on Sunday at 06 pm , the inhabitants of Teruel meet the bulls who will perform on Monday morning. On Monday at 05 am, in the plaza de toros (bullring) the four bulls go wild against a straw doll. on Monday at 06 pm, the real bull parade is celebrated along the city streets.
At the midnight between of Monday and Tuesday , the inhabitants withdraw the red cloth from the Torico and return it to the mayor half an hour later. The party ends, the crowds return home. It remains a legendary city that we highly recommend visiting.
Written by Enrico, Translated by Hua and Photo from Hua
