CARRERA DE LOS 101 KM DE "LA SUFRIDA" DE RONDA



Hoy Ronda se ha llenado de atletas y acompañantes para participar en la XV Edición de los 101 Km de Ronda, carrera conocida como "la Sufrida" de Ronda.

Esta carrera, que se ha convertido en todo un clásico del deporte amateur de toda España, puede realizarse a pie o en bicicleta y es una de las citas obligadas de los aficionados al deporte. En la edición del año pasado participaron algo más de 7.000 atletas y este año la ciudad ha vuelto a llenarse de un colorido mestizaje de turistas y deportistas.

Más información en www.lalegion101.com/101KM-24H/

La belleza de la Serranía de Ronda constituye un buen aliciente y el mejos de los entornos posibles para esta carrera.

Imagenes de http://www.lalegion101.com/

BULLFIGHTERS FAMILIES

Maybe foreigners will ask why Ronda is known as the place where standing bullfight was born.

This is because a historic bullfighter was from our town, Francisco Romero, who was the first one that started facing bulls standing up. In fact, in those times Bull Games were played by chevaliers on horseback and Ronda's Bullring was built by a Royal School of Cavalry.

His grandson Pedro Romero was another great bullfighter, better than his grandfather, and he was killing bulls until he was 77 years old. He killed more than 5.000 bulls without being injured and he denied to bullfight for invader Napoleon's troops.

Pedro Romero

In the 20th century another family dignifies Ronda's bullfighting tradition. The patriarch of these series of bullfighters was Cayetano Ordoñez, called "el Niño de La Palma" - "La Palma" was his father's shoe store-. Like his brothers, he tried bullfigting and he was the best of them. Apart from his fine style and well making, he is remembered for organizing the first Bullfight in the Goyaesque style to celebrate Pedro Romero's 200th birthday. His son, Antonio was celebrating this festival every year till he died and Antonio's grandsons have been bullfighting this event until today.

"El niño de la Palma" bullfighting a big one.

Antonio Ordoñez is the best bullfighter born in Ronda and one of the best of all time. He had celeb friends as Ernest Hemingway and Orson Welles, they both felt in love with Ronda, even the second one lies in our town. Antonio's bulfighting style was authoritative and elegant and he rivaled the number one with his brother-in-law Luis Miguel Dominguín. His life looked like a novel but he was very kind and humane.

Ernest Hemigway photographed with the father and his son.

Orson Welles and Antonio Ordoñez

Ernest Hemingway in Ronda

His daughter Carmen got married with another bullfighter, Paquirri, who died young in Pozoblanco (Cordoba) while he was facing a Bull called "Avispao" -it means clever-. Their children Francisco and Cayetano Rivera Ordoñez have became bullfighters too and they are active at the present time. They are very famous and they also work modelling and advertising clothes, watches, perfume, etc.

Fran Rivera Ordoñez

Cayetano Rivera Ordoñez

Old images from Miguel Martin´s Photographic File can be bought at "Viuda de Cipriano" store, at 18 Espinel Street, Ronda

COLEGIATA DE SANTA MARÍA LA MAYOR

Si algo caracteriza a los pueblos del arco mediterráneo, es la mezcolanza y diversidad de culturas que nos han dejado los numerosos conquistadores de cada época. Esta amalgama nos ha legado una esencia y un patrimonio cultural únicos que han formado nuestra identidad actual. Filosofía de la vida, arquitectura, música e, incluso, la famosa dieta mediterránea.

La Colegiata de Santa María la Mayor es el templo más importante de Ronda y en su ubicación siempre ha estado el culto de las distintas religiones, desde un templo pagano dedicado a "Julio", proclamado divinidad protectora de la ciudad "IULIO DIVO MUNICIPES", hasta el templo cristiano de nuestros días, que ya lo había sido en tiempo de los visigodos, antes de una larga etapa intermedia en la que fue la mezquita principal de Runda.

Mirhab de la Mezquita Mayor

Se trata de un edificio donde conviven tres estilos arquitectónicos muy diferenciados, producto de su larga y convulsa historia: la torre mudéjar y las dos naves del templo, una de estilo gótico y la otra de estilo renacentista. Además, tras el altar del Sagrario, junto a la entrada al templo, se conservan restos del Mirhab con distintos estilos de decoración musulmana: caligrafía mayúscula, caligrafía minúscula, geométrica y vegetal.

Tras la Reconquista, los Reyes Católicos decidieron construir el primer templo cristiano de la ciudad sobre la mezquita a la imagen y estilo de la Catedral de Sevilla y la elevaron a Colegiata. El proyecto original era construir una inmensa iglesia de planta de cruz latina pero, al constatar que el número de feligreses era muy reducido en comparación con las dimensiones de la Iglesia, se redujeron las obras y sólo se construyó el brazo mayor de la cruz. El resultado fue un edifico de diseño singular consistente en una alargada nave de estilo gótico tardío.

Arco de medio punto de estilo gótico.

Posteriormente, en el siglo XVI, la iglesia sufrió serios daños debidos a un importante terremoto, especialmente en su muro norte. En la reconstrucción se decidió eliminar dicho muro y construir una nave adyacente para ampliar la iglesia prolongando la existente. Esta nueva nave se erigió siguiendo los cánones del renacimiento, con columnas de estilo plateresco.

Es por ello que la Colegiata de Santa María dispone de dos naves de diferentes alturas que configuran una peculiar y única geometría y cuyo contraste le imprime la personalidad propia del edificio. No se trata de una iglesia "al uso". Además, la majestuosidad de las columnas renacentistas resaltan el Altar Mayor, situado al fondo de dicha ampliación.

Columnas renacentistas con capiteles platerescos.

El baldaquino, situado en el Altar Mayor, está tallado en madera de pino rojo canadiense y pertenece al retablo de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles (donde hoy día se encuentra la adoración al Sagrado Corazón), sustituyendo al anterior retablo del Altar Mayor destruido en 1936.

Altar Mayor

En el centro de la iglesia, situado al fondo de la zona gótica, antes de la renacentista, está el Coro, precioso mueble tallado en dos alturas y perteneciente también a éste último estilo. En esta iglesia ejerció como beneficiado el famoso músico rondeño del siglo de Oro Vicente Espinel.



Coro de la Colegiata de Santa María

Completan el edificio las catacumbas visigodas situadas en la esquina suroeste y la pequeña nave de bóveda de cañón de la Sacristia Mayor, en la esquina opuesta, construida a finales del siglo XIX.

RONDA'S MUSLIM GATES

In the muslim urbanism there are distinguishing features of great importance in the management of cities and public life. In a previous entry we told about the intricate layout of its streets, far from being chaotic, it is a defense against the weather and against an enemy incursion into the city. Similarly, the walls protect the heart of the city: the Medina, where the Mosque, the Barracks, the main palaces and, in short, the political, economic and religious centre of power. They also have a sort function and separation of urban areas, leaving outside its walls the suburbs or populated neighborhoods. It protects well the Medina against uprisings and riots.

Within the configuration of the wall, its doors are particularly important, to control and monitor access to the city. Typically in Muslim city, the main gates are associated with the cardinal directions: North, South, East and West. However, the special topography of the Arunda table, impossible to access on the north side until the construction of new bridge many centuries later.

This physical impossibility was a strategic advantage because the walls of the cliff (called Tajo) were the best natural fort that could be made available. The life in the Muslim city of Arunda was mainly looking towards the South, where the main suburbs were located stretching from west to east.



Cíjara's Gate
الجسر الشرقي

The access to the city was from Malaga's way, in the east, after crossing a little muslim bridge. Across the river there was a slum inhabited by Mozarabic Christians and Jews, and there were leather factories in it. It is the area known today as the "Padre Jesus" Neighborhood. The Gate Bridge or Cíjara's Bridge now rebuilt in a different location, was adjacent to the magnificent Arab Baths which I described in a previous entry, and it was near a small mosque that allow the traveler to purify his body and soul before entering the Medina. It was therefore a very important door for regulating trade and fiscal relations with the road to Malaga and the local industry.

 

Once you have crossed this door, you have entered a broad corridor, between the outer wall and inner wall. It was an important military where defensive soldiers were allowed to move along the wall and in case of losing position, became a narrow pass for an invader who was exposed to the arrows, burning oil and stones that the defenders would throw. In this pass, called Chefchaouen Round is rebuilt the Cíjara's Gate. Esparteros' Gate, now walled up, connected the two suburbs, lower or neighborhood of San Miguel and the height or area of the Holy Spirit.

Esparteros' Gate.



Cíjara's Gate.
Foto de: carlostapiaronda.blogspot.com

To the south, way of Algeciras is Almocabar Gate, which owes its name to the Muslim cemetery near the outskirts (etymology Al-maq-a-bir, cemetery). It is flanked by two towers where they were staying duty soldiers who protected and provided access to high-suburb as we said, today is the neighborhood of the Holy Spirit.

It consists of three consecutive arcs, being built in brick, like almost all the wall and then coated with masonry, decorating it with shells of the bombards that were used in the capture of the city. This is because it was the first time the Christian artillery used this type of weapon in Spain and was decisive in the siege. Amended under Charles V, incorporating Renaissance door which is now on your left.



Mill Gate



Gate of the Wind, after being repaired.



Almocábar Gate. Renaissance door on your left.

المقبرة
Muslim triple Arch, sheltered by the towers.



Almocábar Gate illuminated at night.
Foto de: www.rondamagacine.com/

Near the Almocábar, also facing south and up the hill for direct access to the Medina, was the former Gate controlled Images from the Citadel, ruined castle siege by both the Christian and by the outrages of the French troops that, in their retreat, blew up the castle and its magazine.

In the West, en route to Seville, find Mill Gate and the Gate of the Wind, recently restored. The first, as the name suggests is giving access to the mills located in the bottom of the Tagus, in the river bed Guadalevín, where there was grinding wheat to make bread. For her, like the second, also gave access to areas where livestock fencing (basil). It was therefore very important logistical access to the city. Even now there is operating a small hydroelectric plant whose turbines evoke the old mills.

HISTORIA MALTRATADA

Escribo esta entrada sumido en la consternación e impotencia que dos noticias recientes me han provocado. Se trata de dos sucesos que se han producido en nuestra ciudad y que evidencian una desaprensiva y brutal falta de sensibilidad por parte de sus autores, desgraciadamente desconocidos.

Por un lado, se han localizado numerosos agujeros y excavaciones en las ruinas de Acinipo, Ronda la Vieja, donde los expoliadores se habrán hecho con objetos metálicos -pulseras, agujas, monedas- para comerciar con nuestra cultura y pasado.

Por otro lado, se ha producido un incendio, presuntamente provocado, en la Casa del Rey Moro. En él han sido afectadas un par de estancias del edificio histórico del siglo XVIII. Tanto si se trata de una gamberrada navideña, como si se trata de algo más oscuro, el caso es que constituye un episodio más en la nefasta y truculenta historia de un lugar tan singular como este.

Parece mentira que en una ciudad como la nuestra, en la que se respira la historia, las autoridades y los ciudadanos permanezcan impasibles e indiferentes ante un expolio y un abandono lacerantes que afectan a la esencia misma de Ronda.