History & Archaeology Workshops are here again

JIMENA This year's History & Archaeology Workshops, the 19th edition (already!) is scheduled for the weekend of March 30 and 31, with a full programme of conferences and events, as it always is. The spirit behind this event since its inception is the Official Chronicler of Jimena, Don José Regueira Ramos, once the village pharmacist and father of the two present incumbents. He started them with others, including Hamo Sassoon, long time resident of the village, sadly absent since 2004. Read the whole programme below, untranslated; if you want to attend, you will have to have Spanish.>>>

JimenaPulse's very first item - originally published on March 5, 2007

Title: WALKING ALONG THE RIVER
(Picture missing, will try to find it!) Along the Hozgarganta River, on the village side, is a footpath that was probably created originally by the Romans, who carved their way into the limestone rock (see picture). Later, in the XVII Century, a foundry mill (known today as La Fábrica de Bombas, The Bomb Factory) was built at great effort and expense, near the present bridge at Pasada de Alcalá. However, due to miscalculations about water levels in the summer (there ain't none), it only functioned for eleven years and was abandoned in favour of another similar mill near today's San Pablo. See the original here. Given that this is our anniversary month, we will be putting up some of our old articles, and stats, and other bits and pieces - always supposing we have the time between trying to earn a living. WATCH THIS SPACE!

Guy Fawkes and the Spanish connection

Guy Fawkes
by George Cruickshank (1840)

Many of our Spanish readers have no idea who Guy Fawkes was, and why he was important to British history. On the other hand, many of our English readers don't know that Fawkes has a strong connection with Spain. Born on April 13, 1570 (and died on January 31, 1606), Guy Fawkes was also known as Guido Fawkes, the name he adopted while fighting for the Spanish in the Low Countries. He belonged to a group of provincial English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Fawkes was born and educated in York. His father died when Fawkes was eight years old, after which his mother married a recusant Catholic. Fawkes later converted to Catholicism and left for the continent, where he fought in the Eighty Years' War on the side of Catholic Spain against Protestant Dutch reformers. He travelled to Spain to seek support for a Catholic rebellion in England but was unsuccessful. He later met Thomas Wintour, with whom he returned to England>>>

Bits fall off Jimena's symbolic bell tower

JIMENA (Video by TioJimeno) The last time we mentioned it was on July 28 last year. The fig tree (later, treeS) that was growing there would cause irreparable damage to the delicate, ancient brickwork on our bell tower, we said. We don't like to say we told you so (oh, go on, who doesn't?) but it finally happened. At about 5pm yesterday the bomberos were called in because rubble began to come down. When they arrived they had to deal with all kinds of stuff, including a lot of vegetation you couldn't be see from the ground and mountains of pigeon droppings. Fortunately nobody was hurt, but if the Town Hall were aware of the possible problems - and they certainly were, Prospero himself having pointed it out in person to various then-councillors and the then-Mayor himself - why was nothing done until much damage was done? A possible reason is that the bell tower, once part of a church at that spot, still belongs to the Church...

Weather looks good, battle re-enactment is confirmed

One of the star attractions of this year's History & Archaeology Workshops (inauguration tonight at 7pm at Misericordia church) has been confirmed. Weather forecast says it will be sunny on Sunday, so the event is in two parts: At about 11.30 a parade will start from El Paseo (Plaza de la Constitucion) and head up the hill to the castle. After that, with no time established, the re-enactment of a battle in Spains's War of Independence in 1812, takes place in and around the castle grounds. (Check our UpComing Events Calendar for the complete programme for History & Archaeology Workshops.)

Events related to the 18th History & Archaeology Workshops get under way tomorrow

JIMENA The 18th History & Archaeology Workshops get under way tomorrow Wednesday, at least for the children. In an ongoing effort to involve school children in the history of the region, several events for them are planned from tomorrow to the end of the workshops on Sunday (You can see them all on our Upcoming Events Calendar). The first such is a guided visit to the castle for the kids in sixth grade primary school, in the company of educators. Other activities follow, including a story-telling of the French invasion of Spain under the title 'The French are coming!' (poster), a prelude to the scheduled battle re-enactment on Sunday.

20 years recording, investigating and researching the history of the Campo de Gibraltar

CAMPO DE GIBRALTAR The Instituto de Estudios Campogibraltareños (IECG, or Institute for Campo de Gibraltar Studies) was born on April 5, 1991. Twenty years ago a group of local researchers came together to volunteer their cooperation to study the history of the area. There are more than 200 members today, many of whom will be at the several lectures of the eighteenth edition of the History & Archaeological Workshops at Jimena de la Frontera. At various times and places the institute has organized workshops on history, on flora & fauna, on archaeology and Prehistory and on literature - all related to the Campo and Gibraltar. The institute's magazine Almoraima (photo of cover for number 16, about the Siege of Gibraltar), which contained the results of these and many other investigations and the workshops, was published on paper for 37 editions. However, financial constraints have meant that the magazine has not been published since 2007. A digital version of the workshop contents continues to be issued, nevertheless.>

Full programme for History & Archaeology workshops

You will find all the details of this year's History & Archaeology Workshops on our Upcoming Events calendar over on the sidebar. Starting on Thursday, April 6, there are all kinds of interesting lectures (in Spanish), including lectures on the restoration of the castle, on the Algeciras-Ronda railway, on the War of  Independence (i.e. the Peninsular War), a battle re-enactment, and, importantly to those of us who knew the long-time Jimena resident, a tribute to archaeologist Hamo Sassoon. These among other things. Check the UpComing Calendar.

War of Independence battle to be re-enacted in the castle as part of 18th History and Archaeology Workshops

JIMENA (Press release) This year's annual History and Archaeology Workshops, the 18th, take place from April 6 to 10 next. Given that much of the subject matter this time centres on Spain's War of Independence (called the Peninsular War in British history), as well as the Constitution of that same year (nicknamed La Pepa), one of the features of the edition is the re-enactment of an 1812 battle that is scheduled for Sunday, April 10, starting at 1.30pm. Among various lectures and round tables (see the full programme below), the one by History Professor Pablo Martín Gómez on the Battle of Jimena that took place on September 25, 1811, which sparked the idea for a recreation. The battle will be created and performed by the Asociación Histórico Cultural 'Por la Resistencia', from Algodonales, which has been organizing similar events in the mountain villages for a number of years. The idea is to recreate as closely as possible the battles that occurred at the time, using the uniforms, clothing and armament of the time. This is Jimena's way of being part of the celebrations for the bicentenary of the Constitution of Cádiz of 1812.>

Jimena cenotaph unveiled yesterday

JIMENA (Press release)  A cenotaph in memory of those villagers who were executed during the Spanish Civil War and in the post-war years was unveiled yesterday in an inner courtyard of the cemetery at the castle. It includes 79 names, plus their age and the date and place they were executed, are based on the work carried out by historian José Manuel Algarbani, whose research was funded with a grant from the town hall. Space has been left on the stonework to include other names as they are confirmed. The cenotaph is intended as a place where relatives and descendants of the victims can come to remember them, particularly for those who still do not know where exactly they may be buried, though it is suspected they may be in common graves.>

Jimena sports a new monument, unveiled on Andalucía Day

JIMENA We are a bit late with this item, but we have been asked by several readers what this monument is about. To our shame, we did not attend the various ceremonies carried out on the day that commemorates the arrival of regional authorities after almost 40 years of centralized government of the Franco regime. As Mayor Pascual Collado said at the unveiling ceremony: "This is a day of celebration." Indeed it was. The little plaza that overlooks the campsite now contains a monument to Historical Memory, a monolith that exalts unequivocally democratic values such as solidarity and social justice. The place chosen for it has a significant attachment to these principals for that very spot was the scene of several summary executions of Jimena citizens during the Civil War. The creator of the monument, architect Cayetano García Pérez, said that he had wanted to symbolically express the two sides of that wrenching conflict, for which he used two different materials. On the darker one, are engraved the negative connotations odio (hate), muerte (death) and sufrimiento (suffering), while on the lighter metal are such positive concepts as vida (life), amistad (friendship) and paz (peace). Nightime illumination intends to bring unity to the whole, which, in the words of the sculptor, "eliminates differences and brings it all together in a much stronger unit."

Double whammy at Agaden on Friday

JIMENA (Agencies) This coming Friday, March 4, there is a double presentation at Agaden's Casa Verde, (C/Sevilla 51, just below the town hall). The book by Mario Ocaña, titled Corsarios del Estrecho (Corsairs of the Strait) is about the "battles, shipwrecks, assaults, corsairs, conspiracies, relative victories and absolute defeats, voluble alliances and false armistices" that occurred throughout history in the Straits of Gibraltar. On a related subject, the documentary by Prospero's good friend Juan Manuel Díaz Lima, De Estraperlo (a word meaning 'imported/smuggled goods') is the first-person stories of those who chose to make smuggling from Gibraltar a way of life during the hard years. (We told you about it a year ago, with a trailer.)

Looking back on our history

In an effort to bring ourselves up to date, and in preparation for moving all our sites under one roof, we have spent some time looking back to the very beginnings of JimenaPulse. We realize that we have actually been pretty funny, serious, fighting-your-corner, investigative. Here are some examples of some of the items we brought to CampoPulse on the dates they were originally published: Have you ever thought what you get for the price of a coffee?; European citizens no longer need 'residencia' card; What is the sesentaycinco card? and how you can get one; Alternative energy or hot air? for Jimena (we admit we adjusted the headline to the present - its about an Irish investor); About 'huevos' and fish, not to mention female chickens (not hens) - it's about language, and funny if we say so ourselves... These are from 2007, with our fourth anniversary coming up next month. But you can peruse the old JimenaPulse site at your leisure, which we highly recommend. And we will continue bringing such items forward, slowly but surely, as it's very time consuming (any volunteers? it doesn't need any high tech knowledge, only time). This item also appears on CampoPulse.

Jimena's bullring, 1950 to 1959

As we have often mentioned before, TioJimeno is collecting wonderful photos of the old days in Jimena. People send them in and they are collected - easy (anyone for the English blog?). This one is of the bullring that once existed here - can anyone recognize where? (Click on pic to enlarge. Click on 'comments' below to tell us where it was.)

Mayor signs agreements for castle renovation

The Mayor of Jimena, Pascual Collado, is this morning in Madrid, where he is signing the agreement with the Ministry of Development regarding a substantial grant for restoring the village's castle (first reported here). After several phases of archaeological digs and other activities, it was agreed that the whole castle area is in need of care and attention that will eventually lead to sealing it off against roaming animals, as well as its use as an historical attraction with guided tours. One of the principal results of the €762,931 investment on the part of the ministry will be>t

Council approves agreement with ministry on castle restoration

JIMENA (Press release / Photo: www.miguelangeltabales.com) The Council's plenary session of this morning approved an agreement of cooperation with the central Ministry of Development that will allow to begin work on the castle's renovation (first reported here). Approval by the Council was a prerequisite to obtaining part of the nearly €1 million the work will cost from the ministry, the procedure for which had a deadline of December 10. Mayor Pascual Collado said that the Junta de Andalucía has carried out five phases of archaological digs and studies at the castle over the last few years, the principal conclusions of which pointed out the need for action, so that it can be 'put into value' (Prospero note: translation of 'make available for tourism', we think). Thus, the central government will finance>

Estación celebrates 120 years of the railway station

Estación de Jimena, now poignantly if slowly changing its name to Los Ángeles, is about to celebrate the arrival of the railway to this distant corner of the Campo de Gibraltar. Celebrations for its 120th anniversary are to take place on November 20 next although the station itself was actually inaugurated on October 6, 1890. The central event of the celebrations is scheduled to be held at the Reina Sofía Cultural Centre at 5pm with talks by historian Juan Carlos Pardo, José Manuel Sampedro representing the Friends of the Algeciras Railway association, and local researcher Juan María Moreno Vega, whom we happened to run into yesterday doing some research on the subject, particularly as it affected the life of Jimena as a whole (we pointed him to an item we ran last February). We will be publishing our own little item about the Algeciras-Ronda railway that was built by the British - watch this space!

Ministries agree on €762.931 for castle restoration

(Agencies) The Ministries of Development and Culture have awarded a grant of €762.931 to restore the castle at Jimena. The money will come from a programme called Uno por Ciento Cultural ('Cultural 1%') aimed at contracts for public works. A statement from Culture said that the name 'castle' actually refers to a Roman and Islamic walled citadel that was much changed at the beginning of the 19th century and neglected ever since. This is located on a promontory in the Southern part of the area. The objective of the project is to "facilitate the visitor's interpretation of the history, contsruction, function and spatial aspects of the castle through the conservation and restoration of the esxisting structures and their more immediate evironment." The area in question covers some 11,400 m2 and is centred on the round tower and its surroundings, particularly in the zone that runs from the main entrance to the area, known as Arco del Reloj, and the tower area.

Many thanks to George Foster for a gift to Jimena

George Foster (r.) and Liz  are not visiting Jimena by chance. They are friends of Francis Cherry (to whom best wishes for a quick recovery from a triple by-pass!) and stayed until this morning at Briany's El Chirimoyo B&B. George brought with him a BBC documentary directed by his friend Mike Dibb, 'The Spirit of Lorca', part of which was filmed in Jimena in 1986 and made in collaboration with reknown hispanist Ian Gibson. However, in addition to the film itself, Dibb also shot extra material for a possible film on Flameco, Although it was never finished, the material features several people of Jimena singing at the old Peña Flamenca. George also gave this material to Ricardo 'TioJimeno' Gómez, who will be putting up the latter unedited pieces on his site, from which we will be stealing it. In the photo is Harriet Gilmour, who was instrumental in making all the connections. Many thanks, George, for the effort.

Tito Benady is honoured by the Instituto de Estudios Campogibraltareños

Yesterday's inaugural ceremony for the 11th edition of the Instituto de Estudios Campogibraltareños (IECG) , held over this weekend at the Rena Sofía Cultural Centre in Estación, included a tribute to the significant figure of Tito M. Benady (left in photo, with Alejandro Mogollo), as well as to that of José Regueira, the Official Chronicler of Jimena. Born and raised in Gibraltar, Tito Benady has been working on the social history of Gibraltar for many years and in 2000 was awarded an MBE by the government of Gibraltar for his work. In 1993 he founded a history journal published for the Gibraltar Heritage Trust. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and also a founding member of the institute that organizes this event. His long list of publications, many available on Amazon, include:>