Argamasilla de Alba facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Argamasilla de Alba
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Castle of Argamasilla de Alba
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 Argamasilla de Alba
Location in Spain
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| Country |  Spain |
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| Autonomous community | Castile-La Mancha | ||
| Province | Ciudad Real | ||
| Comarca | Mancha | ||
| Judicial district | Tomelloso | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 242 km2 (93 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 671 m (2,201 ft) | ||
| Population
(2018)
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| • Total | 6,901 | ||
| • Density | 28.52/km2 (73.86/sq mi) | ||
| Demonym(s) | Argamasilleros | ||
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) | ||
| Postal code |
13710
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Argamasilla de Alba is a town in Spain. It is located in the Province of Ciudad Real, which is part of the Castile-La Mancha region. About 6,900 people live there. This town is well-known for its special connection to the famous book Don Quixote.
Contents
Argamasilla de Alba and Don Quixote
The Legend of Cervantes
Local stories say that Miguel de Cervantes, the author of Don Quixote, was once held in this town. In the first part of Don Quixote, Cervantes makes a joke about being "engendered in a jail". This is because the word "argamasilla" means "mortar" in Spanish. The book also mentions Argamasilla as the place where Don Quixote is buried. It says that "Academicians of Argamasilla" meet at his grave.
What Scholars Think
However, Argamasilla de Alba never had a group of "academicians". Many experts on Cervantes believe his joke refers to a time he was held in a jail in Seville. One scholar, José María Casasayas, suggested in 1999 that Argamasilla de Alba was the town in the first part of the novel. But in the second part, it might have been Argamasilla de Calatrava. Cervantes might have made this confusing on purpose.
Casa de Medrano
Today, the town's tourist office is in a rebuilt building called the "Casa de Medrano". Beneath this house is the "Cave of Medrano". This is where Cervantes was supposedly held. In the 1800s, a man named Juan Eugenio Hartzenbusch even set up a printing press in the cave. He used it to print an edition of Don Quixote. To honor the book's "Academicians of Argamasilla", a group called the Asociación de Cervantistas held their yearly meeting in Argamasilla de Alba in 1995 and again in 2005.
Images for kids
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Casa de Medrano, with a sign that says Prision de Cervantes (Cervantes' Prison)
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Inside the Casa de Medrano
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A statue of Don Quixote, made by Cayetano Hilario Abellán
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A traditional windmill
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See also
In Spanish: Argamasilla de Alba para niños
