The Vice President of the Albacete Provincial Council, Fran Valera, and Yolanda Ballesteros, provincial deputy responsible for the areas of Agenda 2030 and European Funds, accompanied the organization and the residents of Villapalacios throughout the morning program of the II Historical Recreation ‘Villapalacios 1552’. The event, which officially started yesterday evening and received a grant of 3,000 euros from the provincial institution, has once again transformed the town into an authentic 16th-century setting.
Valera emphasized that the support from the provincial government is based on the belief that «our history can also be an opportunity for the economic and social revitalization of our municipalities because we understand that these events go beyond the historical aspect, although they also make us proud of our ancestors, especially for the economic boost they bring.»
The Vice President stated that Villapalacios will be a point of reference in the world of historical recreations this weekend, with visitors and participants from all over the country becoming part of this large family, as «here, in addition to economic resources and potential, there is a lot of sentiment.»
Valera and Ballesteros participated in the procession of Doña Juana Manrique and Don Jerónimo de Aliaga, accompanied by nobles, gentlemen, residents, and visitors, who walked through Placeta de Correo, Calle de los Charcos, and Plaza Mayor, and were welcomed by the mayor. At this more formal moment, the provincial institution received recognition from the City Council as a token of gratitude for their support.
Following that, the institutional representatives witnessed the Renaissance dances in Plaza Mayor, performed by the dance groups from Albaladejo, Yecla, and Villapalacios, as well as the children’s offering of local products to the historical figures.
Subsequently, they visited the opening of stalls and workshops in Plaza Mayor and the surroundings of the church, where trades and products from the 16th century were showcased: tavern, sweets, herbal infusions, woodwork, shoes, soaps, ceramics, lace-making, cheese, wax, honey, among others. They also enjoyed children’s games, demonstrations of Spanish knot rugs, wicker objects, and the traditional game of La Taza de Villapalacios.
The morning concluded with the theatrical performance of «La Ladrona» or the passing of the Doblón de Rueda in Callejón de Don Jerónimo, presented by the theater group Yecla Siglo de Oro and the Theater Workshop of the Association Villapalacios 1552, as reported by the Provincial Council in a press release.
THE PROGRAM CONTINUES DURING THE WEEKEND
Tomorrow, Sunday, the reenactment will continue with the bride’s departure from her palace-house, bridal procession, mass, and recreation of the wedding of Doña Juana Manrique and Don Jerónimo de Aliaga at the church of San Sebastián, organ music, bell ringing, a toast for the couple, as well as the opening of workshops and stalls until 4:00 p.m.
The historical origin of the reenactment ‘Villapalacios 1552’ dates back to a real event that marked the peak of the town in the 16th century: the arrival of Juana Manrique de Lara in Villapalacios in 1552, daughter of Rodrigo Manrique de Lara, III Count of Paredes, and Jerónimo Aliaga, a companion of Francisco Pizarro in Peru. That same year, they were married in the Gothic church of San Sebastián in Villapalacios.
Villapalacios was then the head of the Lordship of the Five Villas, created by the Counts of Paredes in the Sierra de Alcaraz and the southwest of the current province of Albacete. The wedding of these historical figures and the social and political context of the time are the central focus of the reenactment, which brings to life the lifestyle, customs, gastronomy, religiosity, and social organization of Villapalacios during the Golden Age.