Guadalajara, with about 93,000 inhabitants, is a provincial capital in Castilla-La Mancha, on the Henares river about 60 km from Madrid. Not to be confused with the large Mexican city of the same name, it has grown in recent decades as a home for people working in the capital. The name comes from the Arabic Wadi al-Hiyara, "river of stones".
History
A Muslim frontier town, it was taken by the Christians in 1085. In the 15th and 16th centuries it was the fief of the powerful Mendoza family, Dukes of the Infantado, who made it a centre of culture and power. It was badly hit in the Peninsular War and the Civil War, notably in the Battle of Guadalajara in 1937.
What to see
- The Infantado Palace, built in the late 15th century by architect Juan Guas for the Mendozas: its diamond-point façade with Gothic-Mudéjar decoration and the Courtyard of the Lions are masterpieces of Spanish civil architecture. It houses the Guadalajara Museum.
- The Pantheon of the Duchess of Sevillano, a late 19th-century neo-Byzantine mausoleum with a spectacular crypt.
- The Mudéjar co-cathedral of Santa María, built on a mosque.
- The churches of San Ginés and Santiago and the Palacio de la Cotilla, with a room decorated with Chinese wallpaper.
- The Torreón de Alvarfáñez and the walls.
Festivals and food
The fairs and festivals are in September. In spring the Fiesta de la Alcarria is held. Specialities: Alcarria honey, with designation of origin, cabrito asado (roast kid), bizcochos borrachos, syrup-soaked sponge cakes, and cheese.
Around Guadalajara
- Sigüenza, a medieval town with the cathedral of the Doncel and the castle-parador.
- Pastrana, with its ducal palace and Flemish tapestries, linked to the Princess of Éboli.
- La Alcarria, a region of hills and lavender fields made famous by Camilo José Cela's Journey to the Alcarria.
- The pueblos negros, slate villages of the Sierra Norte, such as Valverde de los Arroyos and Majaelrayo.
- Nearby Alcalá de Henares.
Getting there
Guadalajara is linked to Madrid by Cercanías trains and the AVE, at Guadalajara-Yebes station, in about half an hour.