Toledo
City of Many Historic Layers
As a historian, one of my favorite things about visiting places that have a long human history is the way the geography itself illustrates a place’s many different eras of human occupation and development. Toledo has clear evidence of buildings and defense structures from the Roman, Visigoth, Moorish, Castilian, and post-Reconquista periods. Toledo is not unique in this. It was a recurring theme in my visit to Spain, but Toledo was the first place I visited where it was so evident. Man made structures, of course, were modified, improved, and repurposed for religious and political reasons many times. This phenomenon provides an exciting buffet of attractions for those like me who find the diversity of the human experience over time so fascinating.
This same phenomenon creates a conundrum for preservationists, though. To which era do we turn to experience the historical essence of a particular church, wall, gate, or residence? The original? The period it was in longest use? In most cases, the original has been significantly altered. Should modifications from one later historical period be peeled back to show what a place looked like in a previous era? This would require even more modern modifications. Should Toledo’s late medieval walls be restored to their Roman form? That would certainly be less aesthetically appealing. Even the modern walls have had to undergo restorations by more or less talented restorers as time has passed. I resolve this by accepting what aura I get from a combination of knowing what happened in and around a place, and enjoying the place as it has been preserved – at whatever point in time curators have chosen to retain. To me, either leaving a site as undisturbed as possible or very careful restoration work feel more appropriate than ham-handed restorations with modern anachronistic components.
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Toledo is a commonly recommended day trip from Madrid. Some even suggest touring Toledo and Segovia the same day. That would be a huge mistake. Toledo hosts far more than could be absorbed in a single day, particularly considering most attractions are only open 10-6. This time restriction was a blessing and a curse. It allowed me to sleep in, and forced me to prioritize my site seeing, but limited me to eight hours, minus food breaks.
I caught a bus to Toledo on Saturday morning, my third day in Spain. I made sure to arrive early enough to allow time to walk into town and still arrive just as the historical sites were opening. Toledo’s old quarter sits atop a hill, surrounded by an impressive historic wall. The bus leaves you off below and a mile or so away from the old town. The hike up toward one of the old gates gives one an ominous feeling of the power of the city’s historic defenses. Seeing the alcazar (castle) in the distance and the stone colored walls built my anticipation. Madrid’s baroque architecture was cool, but this was the kind of city I came to Spain to see.
I made my way up through the narrow, winding medieval streets and passed an ancient gate. In several places, Mudejar (Moorish) gates, windows, and doorways were apparent, with their distinct arched shapes. The narrow corridors opened up into cute squares with modern shops offering coffee and pastries to the weekend tourists. I made my way toward the alcazar and its museum, though much of the Army Museum inside was unfortunately closed during my visit. Spanish monarchs had lived in the castle from the time Spain recaptured the city from the Moors until the reign of Phillip II. During the 18th century, it was converted into a military academy. The alcazar was an important Nationalist stronghold during the Spanish Civil War. Underneath the building lie preserved and protected ruins of cisterns from the Roman period. These are clearly visible, and were open during my visit.
My next stop was Cristo de la Luz. This site perfectly exemplified the layered history of Toledo. A clearly visible Roman road ran by the ancient place of worship. The building was originally a mosque, built in 999 during Mudejar rule. Many repurposed columns from the Roman and Visigothic periods are apparent within the small structure. Legend has it that when King Alfonso entered Toledo after ousting the Moors, his horse knelt outside the mosque. A ray of light guided the king to a place in the wall where he found a hidden crucifix. He ordered the mosque be rechristened a church, which he gave to the Knights of St. John. It does not take long to explore the site, as the building is less than 1,000 square feet. It has a correspondingly small exterior garden. Mudejar arches and building patterns are evident as you look at the building, and some fairly old art has survived inside. The structure is otherwise unimpressive compared to other religious buildings, but the age and the clear evidence of chronological layers made Cristo de la Luz one of my favorite stops in Toledo.
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The San Juan de los Reyes monastery was another interesting stop. The “Catholic Monarchs,” as they refer to Ferdinand and Isabella, intended this as their eventual burial place. They were ultimately buried much further South in Granada, the location of their final expulsion of the Moors from Spain. The chapel building is shaped like a cross. In 1494, Queen Isabella ordered that the exterior of the facility be decorated with sets of manacles the Moors had used to shackle Christian slaves. Many of these are still visible hanging from the walls today.
From a lookout over the river, a Roman bridge is visible. No one knows precisely when the original was built, but damage and renovations happened in the 10th century, and again in 1721. I walked down to and across the historic bridge, relishing the privilege of walking on structures created some twenty centuries in the past. I was also able to visit other wells, gates, and facilities that dated from the Roman or Moorish periods. There was a medieval synagogue in Toledo as well. Called Santa Maria la Blanca, this building was likely constructed around 1205. It has an argument for being the oldest still-standing synagogue structure in Europe. The area was ruled by Moors during this period, who allowed its creation. It clearly shows evidence of Mudejar styling. The building has a Christian name, as it was converted into a church in the early 15th century following the persecution of Jews by Spain during that time.
I saw another major cathedral while I was in the city. This church is home of the Arch-Diocese of Toledo. Construction began in 1226, and was modeled on the cathedral in Bourges, France. The place was so big, I got lost in it. One recurring problem I have had in Europe when trying to photograph castles and cathedrals is that the buildings are so large, and the spaces around them so crowded, that it is nigh impossible to capture a photo of the entire building. That was the case here. The art, courtyard, and architecture were all jaw-dropping, but the highlight was the Arfe Custodia, a massive gold structure somehow built to house eucharistic items. Most of the gold and gems used were apparently brought back by Columbus and the original construction was ordered by Queen Isabella.
Toledo is in the heart of a region of Castile known as La Mancha. If the place name sounds familiar, you might remember it as the home of Miguel de Cervantes’ “hero,” Don Quixote. As a result, Toledo also houses a few specifically regional minor attractions. I posed for a picture next to a statue of Miguel de Cervantes. I also visited a Manchego cheese museum. There was a small museum in the building I visited, but it was really more of a cheese store. It was a fun stop though, with some interesting information about Machego cheese, and the sheep it comes from. I like trying different cheeses, and I’m a big fan of Manchego, so I made sure to stop there.
I saw some underground ruins of Roman baths, and just generally enjoyed walking through the town’s squares, medieval gates and walls, and absorbing the historical ambiance of the place. Six o’clock came and went, and most of the attractions began to close. I missed the El Greco Museum, I missed some of the smaller religious facilities, and a few other spots. Toledo probably deserved more than a one day visit, though I really did not have more than one day to spend there, given I was in Spain for only a week. Since it was winter, night fell relatively early, and I caught my bus back to Madrid for the evening. Like El Escorial, I enjoyed Toledo more than Madrid, and I began to think that perhaps it would have been preferable to have taken accommodations in one of these outlying communities and rented a car, just taking public transportation back into the city when I needed it.
