Avila

The Walls of Ávila are much more than just a simple instrument of war. In reality, they are like a book; a book which reflects the history of Ávila and its peoples.
More than just explaining the city, the Walls have throughout history been an active and determining factor in the way the urban development of Ávila was configured and in the distribution of the urban space amongst the various social groups which lived here (craftsmen, noblemen, clergy, Jews, “mudéjares” (Muslims permitted to live under Christian rule), vegetable gardeners, and so on). If the visitor carefully contemplates this monument – the most representative of this wise old Castilian city – he or she will perceive, in an original and evocative way, the great questions which have always occupied the minds of the social groups: power, wealth, honour, and more.
“Holy be the name of the walls and gates of the cities and towns” (Alfonso X the Wise, Official Record III, title XXVIII, law XV)