Campaspero
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| Campaspero | ||
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| Province | Valladolid | |
| Autonomous community | Castile and Leon | |
| Postal code | 47310 | |
| Altitude | 900 m | |
| Surface | 47.06 km² | |
| Distances | 55 km to Valladolid | |
| Population - Total - Density |
1443 30.45 hab./km² |
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| Demonym | Campasperano/a | |
| Mayor (1995- ) | José María García Hernando (Partido Popular) | |
| Local council website | http://www.campaspero.net | |
Campaspero is a Spanish locality which is placed in the province of Valladolid (Castile and León), next to the borders with the province of Segovia. It is the highest municipality of the province of Valladolid, at more than 900 m over sea level. It belongs to the historical region of Castile, concretly to Old Castile.
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[edit] History
Many are the theories about the origin of Campaspero's name, though, maybe, the most accurate is the one that indicates the former name of " Rough Field ", which has been found in numerous documents, as root of Campaspero's current toponym. Undoubtedly, the stony of the area and the rigorous of the climate served to give to this field the epithet of roughly(harshly).
As the majority of the villages of the Communidad de Villa y Tierra (Community of Town and Land) de Cuéllar, to which it belonged, Campaspero should have been founded at the beginning of the 11th century, in the frame of the repopulation of the Valley of the Douro. This repopulation was entrusted to Don Pedro Ansúrez, as Valladolid’s one.
Since then until 1833, the locality belonged to the province of Segovia. Although, it was very linked to the province of Valladolid because of the proximity to the Comunidad de Villa y Tierra de Peñafiel (Valladolid). In 1833, Campaspero was included in Valladolid’s province once and for all.
[edit] Campaspero today
Nowadays, Campaspero is the only town in Valladolid’s provice belonging to the Churrería, a region integrated by Segovian localities, with the sole exception of Campaspero. The parochial church of Guzmán's Santo Domingo is built on stone of it’s famous quarries. This building dates back to the 18th century, when it was decided to raise this temple due to the condition of ruin of the previous one, which is missing today. The church has a simple structure, and keeps within some carvings of notable interest, as that of the Asuncion, made by Pedro Berrugete, a sculptor from the neighbour town of Peñafiel, in the second half of the 18th century.
The images of Santo Domingo of Guzmán (the church’s patron saint) and San Buenaventura were carved in the same century. They share the major altarpiece with that of the Asuncion. They al so share the Baroque style, and were carved in wood for Pedro Ventosa, an artist from Sepúlveda (Segovia). On the left of the presbytery stands out a sculpture of Christ Crucificado, built in the endings of the 16th century. It was surely carved in Cuéllar by Roque Muñoz. In the side of the Epistle an altarpiece of dressing shows an image of the Virgin of the Rosario.
[edit] Quarries
Campaspero settles itself on a socle of stone of 30 meters of thickness, which the neighbours of the town have used since they settled there. The stone of its quarries and its transformation has been one of the most important ways for the people of the town to earn their livings.
Many buildings of the province have been built with Campaspero's stone, often worked at the same place. It has caused the craftsmen of the town to gain experience. They still made fronts, shields, pantheons and chimneys.
As time goes by, the completely home-made work has given way to technology and industrial processes though, luckily, they still remain some craftsmen in the purest sense of the word. They work with their hands and simple tools that help them to made those pantheons, fronts and fountains, which are very tasteful and smart. The stone-cutters of Campaspero have not forgotten their old skills and put - literally – and they work very hard when they are entrusted any special order, as shields or restaurations of ancient works of art.
[edit] Gastronomy
In spite of the fact that the " Rough(Harsh) Field " has given very few opportunities to the farmers, especially for the water shortage of this high and stony land, the tenacity of its inhabitants has managed to extract the scanty wealth of the soil. It’s been enough for the sustenance of a good number of neighbors. The predominant animal husbandry is the wool one, whose ”lechazos” have determined to a great extent Campaspero's gastronomy, where there can be tasted two of the tastiest specialities of lamb: the typical roast lechazo and the grill of chops.
Inside the gastronomic paragraph, we can highlight the confectionary, with the F. Soria factory of sweets and confectionery, where exquisite sweets (puff-pastries, tea pastries, “lenguas de gato” are elaborated. Their speciality are home-made Christmas sweets (marzipans, “amarguillos” ...)
[edit] Festivals
The first celebration of the year to be held in Campaspero is Carnival, in which the “Quintos” are the main characters.
While the “dulzainas” sound, the young lads ask for money in the village’s streets. The most important day is Tuesday. The “Quintos” have chosen this day to celebrate the traditional cock races. The next celebration to be held is “Pentecostés”. It takes place a sunday at the end of may, and the people of the village make a procession with the “Virgen del Amor Hermoso” which is the centre of the celebration. The children of the village take part in games and sports competitions. The Patron of Campaspero is Santo Domingo of Guzmán, and the saint’s day is the 8th of August.
After an important mass and a dance’s procession, a soft drink is served by the council in the Main Square. The program is completed with bullfighting and running of bulls across the streets of Campaspero.
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