Send Gift Baskets to Guadalajara, Spain

It is known that Arriaca, a Roman town possibly founded by a pre-Roman culture, was located in that region. There is no archaeological evidence for its existence, only references in texts like the Ruta Antonina, which describe it as being in the hands of the Carpetani when the Romans encountered it. During the Roman period, the city was incorporated into Hispania Tarraconensis, the province of Caracca. Located on the high road between Emerita (modern Mérida) and Caesaraugusta (modern Zaragoza), the city was 22 M. north of Complutum (modern Alcalá de Henares).

An individual named “Fara” is credited with founding the city in the Islamic period, and Amadnat al-Faraj was the city’s official name in the 9th and 10th centuries. Alternatively, the town may be called Arriaca (Arabic: “Valley of Stones”), possibly meaning “Valley of Stones” (as in river gravel);[9] it is possible the name comes from the Iberian language. In addition, some have suggested that aj ra can be understood as castles or fortified rocks rather than stones or gravel.

As part of Al-Andalus’ Middle March, the city and its surrounding district was governed by the Umayyad rulers of Córdoba on behalf of the Masmuda Berber clan. In the middle of the 9th century, an Alcázar (fortress) and the Bridge over the Henares (estimated to have been constructed in the late 10th or early 11th century) were built. It was also during this time that the city’s walls were built. In 920, the Banū Sālim were routed from Guadalajara (reportedly because the local population resented their rule) by Abd al-Rahman III, who attempted to rule the territory directly.

As part of Alfonso VI of León-Castile’s 1085 conquest of Toledo, Guadalajara surrendered with no resistance and was annexed as part of his territory. As tradition has it, a group of men led by Adalvar Fáeez de Minaya (one of El Cid’s lieutenants) sacked the city on June 24 at night.

The area was repopulated with people from the North (Castilians from the mountains and Merindades, Basques and Navarreses mainly).

Guadalajara received its first jurisdiction from Alfonso VII on May 3, 1133. Over time, several amendments were incorporated into this charter. Even though the second fuero was probably conceived during Alfonso VIII’s reign, it was nevertheless confirmed by Ferdinand III on May 26, 1219, and April 13, 1251.

Until the mid-20th century, Guadalajara’s water supply was derived from the Henares River and the springs along the cornice formed by the limestone moors of La Alcarria. Local nobility fought over control over water resources during the Late Middle Ages, as it became a symbol of their social status.