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ORBA ALICANTE INFORMATION 2
A HISTORY OF ORBA (Historia) - Last updated 25th Feb 2007
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The recorded history of Orba and district starts with the finding of prehistoric Bronze and Neolithic human and animal remains in the nearby caves of Benidoleig or Las Cuevas des Calaveras (Cave of skulls). Cave finds have been dated up to about 50,000 years old. The 12 skulls discovered in 1768 are thought to be those of early Moors. The area has been subjected to numerous invasions. The original inhabitants, the Iberians, were occupied in turn by the Greeks, the Carthaginians, the Visigoths, the Romans and the Moors. One of the earliest names was Ur-obia (“the place where water at the bottom of the mountain flows”). The Berber tribe Auraba are said to have settled here which seems to have then changed to Awraba and finally today Orba. There are significant Roman remains around Denia, (known to the Romans as Dianium, after Diana goddess of hunting, woodlands and female fertility) but we are not aware of any in Orba itself. Evidence of the occupation by the Moors is still all around us. They arrived in the 8th century and brought with them their techniques and skills for maximising the use and conservation of water by terracing hillsides and building watercourses and for their introduction of citrus fruits and rice into Spain. Mining for iron ore took place in Orba in Roman times, but exactly where?. The Moors dominated of this part of Spain for about 500 years until the Christians started their protracted takeover. James the First of Aragon was the liberator and he divided the conquered land and granted it to the settlers. In the populous areas some Moors were tolerated (Mudéjares) presumably because of their positive contribution to agriculture and wealth. Then the Moors were required to become Christianised and known as Moriscos. Those who did not yield were systematically driven into the more remote inland mountain areas. The Spanish nobility landlords condoned many Moors remaining because of the income that they provided and there is an old saying that translates to “whoever has Moors has gold”. Some Moors were enslaved. For many years there were repeated raids by Berber Moors from the Mediterranean coast. The last stand of the remaining Moors in this area took place on the Green Horse ridge (Cavall Verd) at the head of the Val de Laguar. Coincidental with the decline of the power of the Moors, agriculture in Spain went into decline in the 14th and 15th centuries. Those Moors still living in the mountains constructed stepped mule paths to link their remote trading communities together. It is a tribute to their skills and labours that these Mozarabic trails still exist today and there are fine examples to be seen near to Benimaurell. However the Church in Spain was determined to have Catholic religious unity and the remaining Moors had to go. The final expulsion of the Moors from Valencia region came in 1609 when they were forced to leave via Denia port. Even then it took until 1616 to complete the process. In the Orba valley in 1609 there were 70 “Christian” houses. At the end of 1609 there were none. After repeated appeals to re-populate, in 1611 there came the “Letter of Population” which defined how land would be re-distributed. Migrants from surrounding villages and from Mallorca were brought in to re-establish a viable population and traces of Mallorcan culture are still to be found today in architectural details and food (e.g. ensaimadas). The Moors left their mark not only on the landscape, but on the way that the law operates. Even today, Valencia holds a special open court that rules upon the distribution of water and settles disputes between users, or irrigators, and this operates using the principles laid down in Moorish times. A major outbreak of leprosy in Parcent occurred in 1850 and by 1887 some 20% had the disease. This spread to the nearby villages and towns including Orba in 1873, and although the population of Orba in 1887 was only 160, some 18 people (11%) had the disease. Spain also had high mortality from smallpox amongst children and inoculation with cow-pox was being used to control it. It is thought that the methods used were contributing to the spread of leprosy. The necessity for a hospital was realised and a Commission visited the area to locate a suitable site and one was offered free by the local municipal body. The Fontilles sanatorium opened in 1905 and was founded with Government and Jesuit Church money. This is the only hospital dedicated to leprosy in Europe, (from which it is now effectively eradicated), so work continues to help the rest of the world. Perhaps it is no coincidence that the Font de Dalt (High well) was constructed in 1893 as clean water must have been a major requirement in the control of disease. The Font de Baix (Low well) followed in 1904.
Orba still has its own castle, now a ruin, originally built by the Moors before being taken over by the Christians around the 13th century and known locally as the El Castellet.
ORBA RANCH (El rancho, Yeguada Pereto)
On the outskirts of Orba, on the road beyond the filling station (gasolinera) there is a horse ranch that has been featured several times on British television. Created by Snr. Vicente Pereto as a hobby, it has grown over the last 20 years to become an internationally recognised establishment for the breeding and training of magnificent Spanish Andalusian horses. Not content with just breeding horses he has recreated history with a Spanish blacksmiths, a carriage museum housing a fine collection of restored and working carriages, as well as impeccable stables and an air-conditioned tack room. At the entrance to the buildings of the ranch there is a very fine ceramic panel depicting a coach being pulled by six in hand. At the entrance to the drive the ranch’s brand symbol is proudly displayed.
ORBA'S NATURAL HISTORY
BIRDS - To an Englishman one of the good things about Orba's wildlife is that you get a chance to see and study birds that are rarely, but occasionally, seen and heard in England. You have the opportunity to gain the knowledge to be able to recognise them more quickly and positively should they appear at home. BIRDS such as the Hoopoe, the secretive Golden Orioles, Wrynecks and Nightingales, the Crested and Long-tailed Tits, Woodchat Shrikes, Stonechats, Corn Buntings, Black Redstart and the local Sardinian Warbler are regularly seen or heard. Look up into the sky for Swallows, Martins, Swifts including Alpine on migration, and Bee Eaters. At night, apart from the Nightingales you may hear the Scops Owls with its repetitive single note call. Higher up in the mountains you will see Crossbills (Col de Rates road), Choughs (Caballo Verde & 5000 steps), Sand Martins (5000 waterfall), Golden Eagles (Tarbena road) Bonelli's Eagle (Bolulla castle)and Wheatears incl. the Black. This is just for starters and if you travel to the nearby marshes you will see an abundance of water birds. BUTTERFLIES Yellows , Clouded(Colias crocea), Pale or Bergers Clouded(Colias australis), Cleopatra(Gonepteryx cleopatra), Blues, Mountain Argus(Aricia Ataxerxes), Mediterranean Tiger(Tarucas rosaceus), Langs Short tailed(Syntarucus pirithous), Fritillaries, Queen of Spain(Issoria lathonia), Pearl Bordered(Argynnis euphrosyne), Dark Green(Argynnis aglaja), Cardinal(Pandoriana pandora), Painted Lady(Vanessa cardui) Bath White(Pontia daplidice), . Swallowtail(Papilio machaon), Scarce Swallowtail(Iphiclides podalirius), Grayling(Eumensis semele), Tree Skipper(Pyrginae ?), False Ilex Hairstreak(Satyrium ilicis), Two-tailed Pasha(Charaxes Jasius) MOTHS Great Peacock(Saturnia pyri), Humming bird Hawk(Macroglossum stellatarum) INSECTS large black Margaret Bumblebee(Bombus melanopoda), Praying Mantis, Crab Spider(Misumena vatia)- try http://www.leps.it/ FLOWERS – Orba has the distinction of having a plant named after the village which grows in the cultivated terraces and is known as Linaria Orbensis (a type of toadflax) DOES ANYONE HAVE A PHOTO? The floral variety is amazing particularly in the mountains in the early Spring – far too numerous to list here. Many of those listed in “Wild Flowers of the Mediterranean” by David Burnie (Dorling Kindersley) will be found as well as others that are not listed. NASTIES - there are only a few and none are considered really dangerous except to those who are allergic or frail. Avoid the processional caterpillars (Thaumetopoea pityocampa) and their trails and nests in pine trees. Don't leave your clothes or shoes on the ground as they could become a hiding place for the poisonous centipede (Scolopendra cingulata – 12.5 cms long with 20 pairs of spiky legs). Snakes, there are a few different types but you will be lucky, (or unlucky), to see one in Orba. They are at their most active and dangerous from May to October. The most common is the Adder (vipera berus) blackish zig-zag diamond line down the back. There are several other rarer vipers from the same basic family and the larger (up to 7 feet long and hisses) rat and lizard catching Montpellier (Malpolon monspessulanus). You might be lucky and find a sloughed skin from one of these. We have also heard about Red-backed spiders being seen. If bitten, take detail note of by what and seek medical attention quickly (Doctor, Hospital, Farmacia)
WALKS There are lots of walks around Orba and district and many are described in “Costa Blanca Walks” by Roger Massingham and “Costa Blanca Mountain Walks“ by Bob Stansfield. Some of the routes can be difficult to follow and over tricky terrain. It is not recommended that you go walking alone as it is easy to get lost or injured. Best to seek out experienced members, or better still a walk leader, from the Costa Blanca Walkers who will welcome you to join them see website http://www.cbmwalkers.org/ For walk info see links try personales.ya.com/mawalks/ OR vernissapark.abelgratis.co.uk/walks/walksindex.htm :photos http://web.ukonline.co.uk/mountains/blanca5.htm
PIGEON FANCIER (colombofilo)
Local pigeon fancying (colombofilia) in Spain differs from that in England. Racing and Fantails are not for them although I am sure that they must exist somewhere in Spain. The local pigeons are bred for their amorous qualities. In order to identify each bird from a distance the wings are dyed with colours attributable to their owners. The birds are released and are avidly watched with binoculars by their collective owners. When they settle in a tree, or on the ground, the watchers approach them quietly for a closer look. The cock bird (palomo) that mates with a hen bird (paloma) is the winner and a little money then changes hands. So do not be alarmed if a group of Spanish men arrive in your garden, without invitation, to do a little bird watching, as this is their tradition.
ANCIENT VALENCIAN LAND MEASURES
On many land deed documents (escrituras) reference to ancient measures is made. These are the deduced dimensions.
A HANEGADA = 832 square metres (about 1/12th of a hectare)
A CUARTONE is 1/4 of a hanegada = 208 square metres
50 BRAZAS = 1 cuartone: therefore a braza = 4.2 square metres, or 2.05m x 2.05m
CARLOS RUANO LLOPIS, the artist, is the internationally famous son of Orba, because of his bullfighting posters and paintings. He was born in Orba in 1878 and when he was young he wanted to be a bullfighter, but his mother prevented him from becoming one. After his elementary education in Orba he went to Alicante but this part of his education was curtailed by the early death of his father. He felt obligated to earn money to look after his family and took a job making fans. It was here that he started to perfect his artistic skills. He later entered the Academy of San Carlos in Valencia to study painting. His debut into the art world came in the first decade of the 20th century when he produced his bullfighting posters. Ondara is still using his posters to advertise bullfights today. When only 23 years old in 1902 he presented his first exhibition in Valencia. Then in 1909 he won a Gold Medal at the Valencian Regional Exposition and this enabled him to further his studies in Italy. In 1910 when he was still only 31 he took his art and exhibited it in Paris, France. He impressed the owner of the Ortega Lithographic Printing Works and held a permanent position there designing for all types of commercial work. He continued to exhibit in Madrid, Bilbao, Marsella, Caracas, New York and of course Mexico. His first book, “Impressiones del Natural”, was published in 1931. In 1933, and then aged 54, he was invited to go to Mexico by the Mexican matador, Juan Silveti. He returned briefly to Orba in 1934, the year his beloved mother died. He held his first exhibition in Mexico, with oil paintings and drawings celebrating the events of the bullfighting scene, to an acclaimed success. In 1943 he published his second book, “Mi Tauromaquia”. Once established in Mexico City he started a school for aspiring Mexican artists. This led to the creation of his now famous deck of playing cards, the “Baraja Taurina”, that depicts scenes of Mexican and Spanish bullfighting on the playing faces of the cards. After 17 years in Mexico, Carlos Ruano Llopis died on the 2nd September 1950 in Mexico City at the age of 71. Carlos Ruano Llopis was considered the maestro of bullfighting art who inspired his successors – Roberto Domingo Fallola (1883-1956), Juan Reus Parra (1911-2003) and Juan Cros Estrems. He is reputed to have said, “Orba is in my blood and I adore it with the same enthusiasm as others adore my art”. An example of his art is to be seen as the centre piece at the altar in the Orba church. It is entitled “Abraham’s Prophecy”. Two other paintings of his, “The Prophet Isaiah” and “The Prophet Jeremiah”, were destroyed in the ravages of the Spanish Civil War in 1936.
If anyone has an ORIGINAL PICTURE, or even a poster, by Carlos Ruano Llopis I would very much appreciate a digital photograph of it to add to a collection of his works.
CRISTÓBAL ZARAGOZA
The Spanish writer Cristóbal Zaragoza died in Orba on Wednesday 24th February 1999 aged almost 76 years. He was buried in his native town of Villajoyosa on the 26th. Zaragoza lived in Orba for the last six years of his life, and suffered from an illness from which he eventually died. Cristóbal Zaragoza was born in 1923 and he published his first novel, “El escándalo del silencio”, (The scandal of the silence), in 1968. He lived in Barcelona from 1962 until he moved to Orba. In 1975 he received the Seville Literary Society Prize, in recognition of his book “Manú”, and in 1981 won the Planeta Prize for his novel, “Y Dios en la ultima playa”.
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