Still Discovering Spain...

The brochs of Northern and western Scotland form some of the most remarkable and distinctive defensive structures in Europe.

A similar, though much earlier form of structure was discovered not so long ago in Spain at the settlement of Motilla del Azuer (Daimiel, Ciudad Real), located in the central area of the Iberian Peninsula.

Artificial mounds known as motillas are found throughout the plain of La Mancha. Dated to between 2200 and 1500 BC, they tend to be situated 4-5km from one another and rise to 4-10m high. People have written about motillas since the end of the 19th century but they were erroneously considered to be burial mounds until the mid 1970s when work began on the Motilla del Azuer.

The excavations at Motilla del Azuer, directed by Profs Trinidad Najera Colino and Fernando Molina Gonzalez, have revealed that this motilla was in fact a fortification surrounded by a small settlement and a necropolis. It is the first site of its kind to be excavated in a scientific and systematic way. The first research phase took place between 1974 and 1986; following a break, fieldwork then restarted in 2000 and is still in progress. Their work has revealed that Motilla del Azuer’s fortification mound measures about 50m in diameter with two walled enclosures and a large internal courtyard. In its centre stands a stone tower, quadrangular in shape and with walls measuring over 10m high. The walls have various reconstruction phases indicating that they were built and rebuilt during the whole occupation of the settlement. Access to the tower is by ramps located in narrow corridors.

Motilla del Azuer contains the oldest well known from the Iberian Peninsula and the archaeologists suspect that the walled enclosures were therefore used to protect and manage the livelihood of the people living in the settlement: to secure the well’s water, to store and process cereals on a large scale, to occasionally keep the livestock, and to produce pottery and other domestic artefacts.

The extra-mural settlement area spans a radius of c.50m. The people lived in oval and rectangular dwellings built with stone foundations and mud walls that tend to be associated with timber posts. There are wide open-air spaces between the houses that often contain high concentrations of pits, ovens and hearths related to storage and production activities. In one area the archaeologists even found large pits for animal waste. The erstwhile locals seemingly had a penchant for horses – the team found a high percentage of horse remains, mostly hooves, skulls, large bones and jawbones, probably from the butchering of these animals.

A necropolis is located within the settlement area. This is a usual feature of the Bronze Age on the Iberian Peninsula. Typically the archaeologists found individual inhumation in pits, occasionally covered with stonework or slabs.

In San Pedro de Manrique in Soria, It is said that only local townsfolk can complete the walk without being burned.

In this otherwise unknown village, two different celebrations take place during the Festival of San Juan. The famous ‘Paso del Fuego’ (Firewalking) on the eve of San Juan and that known as  ‘Las Móndidas‘, on the 24th of June. Both of these festivals have been declared of National Tourist and Cultural Interest.

Each year on 23 June, on Midsummer night's eve, this ritual takes place and this year the celebration returned almost to normality. It consists of crossing the live coals of a meticulously prepared bonfire barefoot. The bonfire is lit at 9:00 at night with 2,000 kilos of oak wood, which burns easily and does not form lumps. At around 11:30, the carpet-like path of red-hot coals is prepared by smoothing them with poles called 'hoguneros'. Young men dance around the fire, and exactly at midnight, everything is ready to begin the walk across the coal carpet. Ten to twelve young men are chosen to do this, and they generally carry someone on their shoulders, since the extra weight avoids combustion. They try to ensure that the coals contain no ashes or hard objects; thanks to these precautions they never get burned. 

Only inhabitants of San Pedro Manrique are permitted to pass over this burning carpet and do so accompanied by the fanfare of a trumpet. The ‘Móndidas’ (three local girls who play the role of priestesses) are the first to cross the embers but are carried on the backs of gallant young men after which any one of the neighbours may partake of this ancestral tradition. In the past, it was rare for women to participate but nowadays it is not unusual to see them enduring this ritual. The Móndidas, carrying wicker baskets and long breadsticks ("arbujuelos"), walk in a procession the following day. One of them, the most important one, offers the first "arbujuelo" to the priest. 

Some people would say that this is a Celtic Rite others a purification rite and others a pagan sun and fire-worship but if you ask one of the "fire walkers" (or pasadores) about the origin of the festival, they will simply answer: “It has always been like this” Some people just follow their father’s or grandfather's footsteps, others just do it as a promise to the patron saint ‘Virgen de la Peña’, some just do it to prove themselves that they can do it... there are a lot of reasons, but for every man in this town, the Paso del Fuego is part of their identity. 

Do you consider melon to be a healthy or unhealthy fruit? Often we are misled by its sweetness thinking it must have a high sugar content but it couldn't be further from the truth. 

Honeydew melon - popular in Spain - has just 7,2g/100g of sugar, Watermelon 5,2/100g and Rockmelon as little as 4,7g/100g. In fact, few fruits have less sugar content. You would need to go to strawberries or grapefruits to ingest less sugar. When compared to grapes with 15g/100g or Bananas with 12g/100g it is certainly much healthier. Its high water content (up to 92%, according to the Spanish Nutrition Foundation) and its comparatively lower amount of sugar to other fruits, make it a light and refreshing aperitif or snack to enjoy during the summer.

 HONEYDEW

WATERMELON

ROCKMELON

But that is not all. The reality is that the melon contributes much more since it is a fruit that has different vitamins and other nutrients. For example, 300 grams of rindless melon provide 75% of the recommended daily intake of vitamins as well as multiple minerals, among which potassium stands out, along with phosphorus, iron and magnesium, which is why melon is a natural remineralizing product.

So it is not unreasonable to think that including melon in our daily diet can have great benefits to our organism. The nutritional properties of this plant help to strengthen the immune system. This is substantiated by the fact that it is a food that is very rich in beta-carotene, on the same level as others such as carrots.

These are pigments that belong to the group of carotenoids, but which in our body is transformed into vitamin A. And, as is well known, it is an antioxidant that fights free radicals in the body while strengthening the immune system.

As mentioned before, it is a food rich in vitamin C. For practical purposes, this means that it can help promote the production of collagen in bones and protect blood vessels, muscle and, in general, tissues such as skin, which is an excellent ally to prevent premature ageing and wrinkles.

The melon has very few calories, about 40 per 100 grams. Also, much of the melon consists of water. Therefore, choosing it as a snack over other options can help us lose weight. There are many studies that link a high water content with weight loss and the fight against obesity.

Finally, it is important to remember that melon has bioactive that stimulate the breakdown of fats and promote satiety, in addition to protecting the intestinal microbiota.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 17.7 million people die each year from cardiovascular diseases, which places them as the main cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. A good way to reduce this risk is to eat some cantaloupe/rockmelon every day, as it helps reduce blood pressure by providing a good amount of potassium.

According to the American Heart Association, potassium is a mineral that helps maintain the water balance between cells and body fluids. This helps regulate blood pressure and protect blood vessels, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and hypertension.

As I have already said, it is food with a lot of water. And this is not only good for losing weight, but it ensures that we will stay hydrated, something especially important in episodes of strong heat.

Therefore, choosing to eat a serving of melon each day is a great way to avoid dehydration and its unpleasant effects, such as dry skin and mouth, headaches, constipation, confusion, wrinkled skin, accelerated heart rate, increased risk of suffering kidney stones, fever and fatigue, among others. So what you may have thought was an unhealthy fruit high in sugar is in fact the opposite.

Enjoy melon this summer!