Almuñécar to mark 500th anniversary with a programme of events spanning five centuries of history

Exhibitions, archaeology workshops, a historical parade, heritage tours and other events will bring to life the history of a town which, on 6 October 1526, officially received its coat of arms from Emperor Charles V and his mother, Queen Joanna I of Castile.

The mayor of Almuñécar, Juan José Ruiz Joya, has said that this is an opportunity to "stop for a moment and look at what lies behind us. We live in a place with centuries of history, yet we pass by it without knowing all the chapters that lie behind it. This anniversary allows us to bring that history out onto the streets, explain it and share it with the people of Almuñécar."

He went on to say "We don’t want the fifth centenary to be just a date on the calendar. We want these coming weeks to be filled with activities that allow us to discover, to learn and also to enjoy Almuñécar from a different perspective.”

The grant was issued on 6 October 1526 while the court of Charles V was staying in Granada. The royal charter officially recognised the town’s coat of arms and was linked to the defence of Almuñécar against attacks by Barbary pirates. Since then, the coat of arms has been one of Almuñécar’s principal historical symbols. The surviving documentation relating to this episode also forms part of the heritage that this commemoration aims to promote.

 A programme exploring five centuries of history 

The programme will begin on 6 October with the opening of the exhibition ‘Manuscripts of Almuñécar: 500 years of a living town, alongside the exhibition ‘1516: The journey of Charles of Habsburg and Isabella of Portugal to Granada’. Both exhibitions will be open to the public until 31 October and will bring together historical documents relating to the 500th anniversary and the historical context surrounding the granting of the coat of arms.

One of the aims of the exhibition will be to make available to the public documents from various authorities and historical archives, including the University of Granada, the Royal Chancery, the Diputación de Granada and the municipal archives.

On 17 and 18 October, the 13th Almuñécar archaeology conference will take place, dedicated to research, outreach and raising awareness of Almuñécar’s archaeological heritage. On 17 October, there will also be the grand historical parade marking the granting of privileges to the town of Almuñécar, a re-enactment linked to the historical context of the fifth centenary.

24 October will be Noche de Vela and on 24 and 25 October ‘a walk through history’ will take place, an opportunity to explore and discover various heritage sites in Almuñécar.

The programme will continue in late October with the raising of the flag commemorating the fifth centenary and the ceremony to present the fifth centenary insignia of the Almuñécar coat of arms.

To round off the week, from 13 to 16 November, the ‘route of Emperor Charles V: from Almuñécar to Yuste’ will take place, an event linked to the figure of the emperor and the historical context of the anniversary.

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