If you ever ask a Spanish person about the history and culture of their country, one of the first things they will tell you is how for centuries, three major religions and their respective cultural traditions, foods, and architectural styles coexisted together for centuries. Of course, how truly peaceful their coexistence was, we will never know, and the Jews and Muslims were all eventually killed, converted, or otherwise forced out of Spain by the Catholics during the Spanish Inquisition. (So peaceful, right?) But we are still able to see evidence of their profound influence on Spanish architecture, food, culture, and even language today.
Most people think of Granada with its impressive Moorish castle, the Alhambra, its Jewish quarter, the Realjo, and the Capilla Real where the Catholic king and queen are buried, as being the crown jewel of this mix, but there are a multitude of cities and small villages around Spain which show case these three cultures, Toledo being one of the finest examples. Toledo doesn’t just have traces of Jewish, Muslim, and Catholic culture, it is dripping in them. You could walk by a synagogue, visit a mosque, and step inside of a cathedral all in a matter of minutes.
The city is replete with ancient ruins, to the point that no one wants to buy any houses or apartments anymore because of the high probability of finding ruins underneath. Anyone who does come across ruins on their property is obligated by law to open their house to the public at least once a year. Woof. Toledo is a city where getting lost isn’t a suggestion, it is a necessity and an almost certainty. (I distinctly remember nearly missing the bus back to Madrid the first time I was here, seven years ago.)
The thing about the Toledo streets is that they have three different stories to tell, and each one is begging to be heard. See for yourself the influence that the three cultures, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism had on the city, its history, and architecture. Don’t miss the Jewish quarter which boasts some incredible museums and synagogues like the Sefardi museum and the synagogue of Santa María la Blanca
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