Villaralto

Prehistory and Antiquity:

The town has several prehistoric, Roman, Arab and Visigoth settlements. The archaeological sites include the Rincon de Berrocoso, located to the northwest, where there are the remains of what is presumed to be a Roman camp or a Roman secondary road. There is an abundance of slate slabs, mineral slags, remains of pots and an Arabic silver coin that have been found in the town. The Ladrillar is an old lead mine, evidenced by the discovery of mineral slags from said metal. In Laguna del Prieto three millwheels with a radius of around 25 centimetres have been discovered and are now preserved in the City Hall. In Cerrocampo there are mineral slags and remains of pots, from an old settlement associated with copper or lead mining. However, the most noteworthy place is the so-called Casa de la Mora, located southeast of the town, in which there was a Roman villa, later occupied by the Arabs, linked with mining activity. Here the findings have been abundant, including the discovery of a treasure trove full of silver coins and a large number of Roman copper coins. Nowadays there are many fragments of ceramics, Roman tiles, mineral slags, etc. There are even remnants of a wall of lime and flint that must have belonged to an Arab construction. This site was the subject of an official visit of archaeologists in March 1985. In Villaralto there are also a large number of Visigoth granite sarcophagi, with a trapezoidal or anthropomorphic shape, which have been moved from their original location and have been used as drinking troughs for cattle. For this reason, most of them are close to wells, such as the three sarcophagi at Pozo de las Cadenas, Pozo de las Cinco Pilas, and Pozo de la Laguna de la Torrica, altogether up to a total of about 20 that are mostly eroded and worn. There are also infant sarcophagi, one of which is preserved and has also been used in the same way. Many of them have disappeared as a result of pillaging and lack of interest in preserving them when various renovations have taken place in their locations.

Middle Ages and Modern History:

The history of Villaralto as it is now known comes much later. The first document that refers to the town of Villaralto is from the year 1424 (at that time having some 3000 inhabitants) in which Juan Ruiz de Santofimia was eager to incorporate it into the Señorío de Santa Eufemia, an act that was unsuccessful. Villaralto emerged in the fifteenth century as a dependent village of Torremilano (now Dos Torres), belonging to the seven towns of Los Pedroches, a region that also incorporated Pozoblanco, Añora, Alcaracejos, Villanueva de Córdoba, Pedroche and Torrecampo. Los Pedroches was under royal jurisdiction in which the territory of all of them was shared and governed communally until the partition in the nineteenth century. In Villaralto, residents from that town are installed to closely monitor payments for vineyards and cattle. According to census information issued by the Diocese of Córdoba in 1587, Villaralto had 83 inhabitants and one font. Villaralto's dependency on Torremilano remained until 1633. On July 28, 1633, Villaralto was sold by King Felipe IV to Don Melchor Fernández Carreras, archdeacon of the Pedroches and Canon of Córdoba Cathedral (who had to first obtain a certificate of blood purity). The assigned price was 1,632,000 silver maravedis. On September 17, 1633, the first census of inhabitants of Villaralto is carried out, indicating the start of a municipal boundary. This gave rise to a serious and long dispute with Torremilano, who opposed the independence of Villaralto and were resistant to allowing the new town. Despite all the impediments, Melchor Fernández Carreras took possession of the town on September 15 in the same year, thus constituting a new administrative entity, the Señorío de Villaralto, which remains until the abolition of the jurisdictional lordships in 1837. Torremilano sends a letter to the King and Queen of Spain claiming that Villaralto de Torremilano was not independent, and even less a boundary of the Seven Towns since according to the letter, the assigned boundary entered into the pasture of Peña Alta (communal lands of the Seven Towns). On December 20, 1638, the judges ruled in favour of Villaralto in whose documents Villaralto's independence was recognized and its own boundary permanently set while urging the Señorío de Villaralto to pay the sale of the town. In 1771, the town of Villaralto receives letters from the Treasury in which they urge payment of the taxes appropriate to the town as an independent for the first time amounting to 1,770 maravedis. Despite the confrontation with Torremilano, both peoples maintained communication, as evidenced by documents on various subjects: fines, taxes, communications, etc. Even Villaralto, in the distribution of goods produced by the communal lands of the Seven Towns, received part of them, though it was not yet established as a municipal town. This irritates Torremilano who continually denounces Villaralto for using the Public Property of the Seven Towns (extensive estates such as Navas del Emperador or the estate of la Jara) for livestock exploitation and, above all, for the limits of the municipality of Villaralto, with which Torremilano did not agree. These disputes continue throughout the 18th century. With regard to the economy, in 1752 Villaralto had 5 textile mills and two factories, one of baize and one of cloths.

Recent History:

In 1812, the town's records show the following: 179 head of cattle, 156 sows, 555 goats and 148 mules among others. It has 259 top quality bushels for crops, second 631 and has 186 houses. In 1876, Villaralto had a population of 1853. There are many gaps in the history of this town due to the destruction of records in the Spanish Civil War. Information regarding Francoism and democracy, however, is preserved.

Patrimonio:

Parroquia de San Pedro:

Data de la época fundacional (siglo XV) de la que se conserva la fachada exterior, con arcos decorados hechos de granito. Las múltiples reformas aumentaron la superficie ocupada por el templo, pasando de una nave a tres, siendo las dos laterales más pequeñas a modo de capillas cubiertas con cúpulas una de ellas. Como patrimonio pictórico y escultórico cabe destacar la talla de olivo policromada de la Divina Pastora, del siglo XVIII, un cuadro de Sebastián de Llanos Valdés del siglo XVII de estilo barroco, que representa a san Pablo ermitaño, la imagen de la Patrona, la Virgen del Buen Suceso, que sustituye a otra talla antigua destruida durante la Guerra Civil y el retablo barroco en el que se encuentra esta imagen.

Este retablo procede de la iglesia cordobesa de San Basilio, ya que tras la Guerra Civil el archivo, las imágenes, los objetos de culto e incluso las campanas fueron destruidos o expoliados, por lo que fue preciso traer objetos de otros lugares. Sin embargo, la torre parroquial es un elemento destacado de la iglesia, constituyendo uno de los símbolos de Villaralto. Con una altura de aproximadamente 17 metros, consta de un fuste prismático de granito, cuerpo de campanas con cuatro arcos de medio punto, aunque solo dos las llevan. Sobre este se sitúan un remate octogonal (que contiene el reloj) rodeado de cuatro adornos de granito con forma curva rematados en punta. La torre concluye con un remate cónico. Data de mediados del siglo XVIII, aunque fue restaurada en 1992, cuyos trabajos consistieron en la eliminación de arreglos de ladrillo y restitución del granito original, sustitución del reloj, consolidación de la estructura, refundición de las campanas y su electrificación, limpieza del exterior y el interior y reposición de ornamentos.

Otros monumentos:

La ermita de santa Rita de planta cuadrada y construida en 1900

La ermita del Cristo de las Angustias de estructura similar.

Museo del Pastor

Fachadas blasonadas de Granito antiguas

Tradiciones y fiestas:

Las tradiciones en Villaralto se muestran en todas las épocas del año. En Semana Santa tiene lugar diversas procesiones, como la de las hermandades del Sepulcro, de las Angustias y de la Borriquita. Sin embargo, la fiesta más característica de este pueblo es la Romería de la Divina Pastora, que se celebra el primer domingo de mayo a orillas del río Guadamatilla. La Virgen va acompañada a este paraje con bonitas carrozas hechas de diversos materiales y muy originales. Las mujeres van ataviadas con el traje típico de pastora. Otras tradiciones son la matanza y los “judas” que se celebran el Domingo de Resurrección en la que los jóvenes destruyen monigotes que representan a Judas Iscariote fabricados por los vecinos, quienes los cuelgan de sus balcones.

Las casas típicas de Villaralto se caracterizan por prevalecer la funcionalidad a la estética, con dinteles de granito y cuadras y cochiqueras para guardar los animales. Un ejemplo magníficamente conservado es el Museo del Pastor, abierto hace unos años y en el que se muestran los modos de vida de los pastores en sus diversas salas que responden a la estructura de la casa típica villaraltera.

Cine:

Villaralto se nombra en varias ocasiones en la película dirigida en 1992 por José Luis Cuerda La Marrana, protagonizada por Alfredo Landa y Antonio Resines entre otros.

Alcaldía: Celia Valverde

Web oficial: http://villaralto.es/