Estudio histórico-arqueológico de Aledo y Totana en los siglos XV y XVI

Abstract

HISTORICAL-ARCHAEOLOGICAL STUDY OF ALEDO AND TOTANA IN THE FIFTEENTH AND SIXTEENTH CENTURIES José Antonio Sánchez Pravia The following doctoral thesis' main aim is to know both the space organization and the society that shaped it and lived in the current villages of Aledo and Totana during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, which was a crucial chronological period. It portrays the transition from the end of the Middle Ages to the beginning of the Modern Era, and over the course of this period, the changes which will determine the history of Aledo and Totana took place. It is for this reason that it was necessary to clarify such aspects as the environment, the land, the settlement and communication, the urban characteristics of these two villages, the agricultural and farming activities and their areas, or the use of the mountain, in order to provide a useful follow-up of their evolution in this period. Having this purpose in mind, the following available information has been used: Firstly, and to a large extent, documentary sources from the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries have been very useful. Secondly, the results found in some archaeological survey reports and the data obtained from the written paperwork itself, have also been of paramount importance. Finally, some more information was collected from the bibliography. The combination of written sources and archaeological evidence is usually very valuable, and in this study, it has been especially important in some fields; for instance, the defensive fields, the road network, or the hydraulic system, to name but a few. As far as the conclusions of this study are concerned, the ones below are highlighted: First of all, and in terms of its evolution as urban areas, it is clear that Aledo and Totana took different routes. Both villages belonged to the Order of Santiago since 1257. However, at the end of the thirteenth century, Totana, which was located in the Valley of Guadalentín, became depopulated, whereas Aledo kept inhabitants because it was placed in an elevated location and it was defended by a wall. It was also a privileged spot in times of instability, due to its closeness to the border with the Kingdom of Granada. From the second half of the fifteenth century on, the Kingdom of Murcia experienced an economic and population growth, and Totana witnessed its own revival as the small village of Aledo. In the sixteenth century, Totana developed more than Aledo, since the former was located near the most important communication roads, and it also owned much land to clear and replant. In fact, the municipal council moved to Totana in 1545. Ever since, Aledo lost many of its inhabitants and never recovered. Secondly, Totana moved from having a shrine, a bakery stove and a butcher's to counting on several bakery stoves, religious buildings, mills, selling points, a pottery workshop, and its own water supply in the sixteenth century. Aledo, on the other hand, kept its original endowment since the beginning of the century. Thirdly, Aledo's territorial boundaries with its neighbouring territories, i.e. Lorca, Alhama and Mula, were finally established by royal decrees at the end of the fifteenth century, and not without some litigation. Fourthly, in the late Middle Ages, Aledo had four orchards, referred to as "common areas": Patalache, Las Viñas, El Colomí and Tirieza, and Totana, the last three of them dedicated to grapevine, olive trees, and mulberry tree, respectively. In the sixteenth century, the population growth brought along an expansion of areas of irrigation, this time private property. There was also a growth in cereal production. A proof of that is that there used to be a flour mill in the fifteenth century and by the end of the sixteenth century there were seven of them. Finally, it is important to point out that after Aledo received its town charter, the council managed a meadow named Buhalaje around the village, while the rest of the area remained the competence of the commanders. However, in the 1520s the Order focused on receiving the earned income and lordly rights, and the council eventually took over the management of the whole territory.