18- Identity: the
building blocks of
2. Literature
and philosophy
3. Art and
architecture
4. Performing
arts
5. Cinema
and fashion
6. Media and
communications
7. Food and drink 8. Living culture:
the details of
i. Aragón
Landlocked, people-shy Aragón carries a harsh, varied
beauty, from the Pyrenees’ loftiest peaks in the north,
through the parched plains around a languid Ebro
River, to the largely deserted upland plateau of the
Tereul province in the south. Most Aragónese stay
close to Zaragoza on the Ebro, a busy modern city
with fragments of habitation dating back to the
Romans.The city’s place en route from France and
Barcelona to Madrid has brought it a certain prosperity
that seems to have snubbed most of Aragón.
Venturing out into the forlorn badlands of the south
can be a lonely experience, but one rewarded with
time-resistant stone villages camouflaged against the
rocky landscape.Dancing to a different tune
Aragón was a significant
territory in Spain’s
medieval map, joining
forces with Catalonia to
accrue land well beyond
its modern borders, as far
afield as Sicily no less.
Today the region’s people,
isolated by topography and
the rest of Spain’s apparent
indifference to their world,
have retained a strong
identity. Themaños, as
the Aragónese are known,
are traditionally viewed
as an intransigent bunch
by outsiders. Thejota,a
dance popular across
Spain, is thought to
originate in Aragón and
usually skips into the town
square on any festive
occasion. It features
musical accompaniment
from the usual suspects of
bagpipe and tambourine,
played alongside castanets
and flutes.
Building a reputation:
architectural flair
When Christians wrested
Spain from the Moors in
the lengthyReconquista,
the Muslims that remained,
known asmudéjars, created
some of the country’s most
spectacular medieval
architecture. They outdid
themselves in southern
Aragón where churches
and towers feature ornate
carving, patterned ceramics
and delicate brickwork.
In the region’s north the
reigning architectural legacy
is Romanesque, as seen in
the 9thcentury Monasterio de
San Juan de la Peña, built
under a bulging rock face in
a Pyrenean valley.Aragón saw some of the fiercest fighting of
the Civil War. The haunting, ruined town of
Belchite, south of Zaragoza, offers a chilling
reminder of how the conflict impacted on
people’s lives.