Burgos to Leon

A short walk of 10 km on a never-ending rolling plain of harvested wheat fields.and a rest day at Leon.

Leon was a Roman Legion town, to oversee the 600,000 slaves in the Spanish gold mines. Outside the medieval town, the Knights of Santiago built a wonderful headquarters on the Camino. The knights were quite a late addition to the military orders designed, in this case, to protect pilgrims to Santiago and to kill Moors. However, by the time they really got going, the Reconquista was substantially complete and the pilgrim numbers had dropped precipitously. However, the knights, being of noble blood, progressively acquired more and more land so they became the wealthiest landowners in northern Spain and a threat to church and crown. So they were put to the inquisition, disbanded and killed. Lands were forfeit to the king, but we were left with a marvelous complex of buildings, now a hotel in which we stayed. It had also been a prison and torture site during the civil war and after.

 

The Leonese were celebrating an event from 1200 years ago while we were there. Abd al Rahman II. Emir of Cordoba, had demanded, it is said, a tribute of a hundred maidens. In 844, Ramiro I, king of Leon, refused to pay the tribute and  gathered an army to defend the decision. The Muslim army nearly defeated them, but were routed at the last moment with the help of St James the moor-slayer. Annually, and coinciding with our visit, a hundred maidens in simple gowns and cloth caps paraded up to the cathedral – a wonderful early gothic work lit by excellent and extensive coloured glass. They were followed by 250 pennants on poles 20-30 feet high, carried by relays of strong men. Each pennant was from a local village, which also parades its women and men in wonderfully embroidered costumes and shawls, accompanied by their own bagpipes, short oboes, castanets and drums. Behind this lot come fully accoutered knights in full armour and with weapons on display, fancy helmets and hides make them exotic. They sound invincible when given the full martial music treatment by the municipal orchestra. Wonderful!