Spain's Background & Toledo

Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World War I and II but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39). A peaceful transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975, and rapid economic modernization gave Spain a dynamic and rapidly growing economy and made it a global champion of freedom and human rights. In 1986 Spain joined the European Union. The government continues to battle the Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) terrorist organization, but its major focus for the immediate future will be on measures to reverse the severe economic recession that started in mid-2008.

 This photo is in Toledo, Spain. Toledo served as the capitol of Spain until 16th century. Nearly all the different stages of Spanish art are represented in Toledo: Moorish-Mudejar-Jewish buildings, such as the Transito and Santa Maria la Blanca Synagogues; Gothic structures, such as the splendid cathedral: and Renaissance buildings are all here.

Important Places to See:

•  Plaza de Zocodover: former Arab souk and then city’s Tuesday market until the 60s, it has also witnessed bullfights and Inquisitorial autos da fe.  Somewhat triangular  in shape, the Zoco is Toledo’s main “plaza,” a place to sit and watch the world go by. 
• Alcázar: A short step south of the Zocodover, the massive Alcázar stands on the highest point of Toledo and together with the Cathedral dominates the skyline. Romans, Visigoths and Muslims built forts here. The present citadel was originally built in the 16th century as a royal residence for the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, but it has undergone several restorations. The Alcázar now houses a military museum and a regional library.                                                                                                      
• Cathedral: Basically a Gothic church, begun in the early 13th century with several later stylistic additions. The Cathedral is the seat of the Primate of Spain and its wealth legendary. One early 16th-century traveler thought it the richest in Christendom. A popular 16th-century saying summed up four of the best known Spanish cathedrals like this: "Toledo the richest, Seville the largest, Santiago the strongest and León the prettiest."  

• Church of Santo Tomé:Contains El Greco’s masterpiece, the Burial of the Count of Orgaz (Entierro del Conde de Orgaz).
• Casa de El Greco:There’s no evidence that El Greco actually lived here.  The “casa” was restored in 1910 to look like a typical 16th-century house. It contains a miscellaneous collection of minor works by El Greco, Velazquez, Murillo, Zurbarán and others.
• Sinagoga del Tránsito: One of two synagogues remaining of a once vibrant Jewish presence in Toledo. 14th-century building deceptively modest on the outside. Inside, its interior walls of arabesque patterns are startlingly intricate, more in line with the inner chambers of the Alhambra or Pedro the Cruel’s palace in Seville, built at approximately the same time.  Only the Hebrew inscriptions identify the building as a Jewish temple and not a mosque. It now houses a small Sephardic Museum.
• Sinagoga de Santa María la Blanca: Built in 13th century, and beautifully restored, it was in turn a refuge for prostitutes, an army barracks and a carpenter’s shop. Looks like a small mosque with its striking rows of horseshoe arches. 
• Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes: A monastery church founded by Ferdinand and Isabel, the Catholic Monarchs, in 1476.  Beautifully elegant late Gothic, its light open interior makes a good comparison with the somber Cathedral.

• La Puerta Antigua de Bisagra: Part of old Arab walls, this 9th-century gate  is also called Puerta de Alfonso VI since it was apparently through here that Alfonso VI entered Toledo when the city was conquered in 1085.
• Iglesia de Santiago del Arrabal: Mudéjar brick church probably built during reign of AlfonsoVI (who reconquered Toledo in 1085) and later reconstructed in the 13th century. (Mudejars were Muslims who chose to remain under Christian rule; brick buildings were a characteristic of their style) The tower with its arched windows was the minaret of an earlier mosque. 
• Mezquita/Iglesia de Cristo de la Luz:Tiny mosque built in late 10th century.  A brick apse was added in the 12th century.