The Ricote Valley: The Last Moriscos in Spain
Murcia, Spain
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Valle de Ricote
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250
XP
+100 Spain
= 350 total
1 day
The Ricote Valley: The Last Moriscos in Spain
250 + 100 XP
The Ricote valley on the middle Segura is still called the Moorish Valley, and for good reason. When the 1609 decree expelled the Moriscos from Spain, the people here argued successfully that they were genuinely Christian and were let alone — the only community in the country to manage it. It did not last. Local landowners wanted their property, a fresh decree aimed specifically at them was issued in 1614, and at the end of that year they were put on ships at Cartagena. They were the last Moriscos to leave Spain. What they left is the irrigation system that still waters the valley.
Required Activities
1
of 5
Walk the huerta and find the azudes and channels — the irrigation the Moriscos built and the valley still runs on
2
of 5
Work out what happened here: exempted from the 1609 expulsion, then expelled anyway by a decree written against them in 1614
3
of 5
Find out who wanted their land, and what happened to it in the 18th century
4
of 5
Walk between the valley villages — Ricote, Ojós, Ulea, Villanueva — which sit in a line along the Segura
5
of 5
Come in February or March when the apricot and peach blossom is out across the whole valley floor
Walk the huerta and find the azudes and channels — the irrigation the Moriscos built and the valley still runs on
Work out what happened here: exempted from the 1609 expulsion, then expelled anyway by a decree written against them in 1614
Find out who wanted their land, and what happened to it in the 18th century
Walk between the valley villages — Ricote, Ojós, Ulea, Villanueva — which sit in a line along the Segura
Come in February or March when the apricot and peach blossom is out across the whole valley floor
Before you go
The apricot and peach blossom is out across the valley in February and March.
Summer heat in the Segura valley is severe. The blossom is a short window in late winter.
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XP Breakdown
Challenge XP
250 XP
Spain country bonus
+100 XP
Potential total
350 XP
Country bonus earned on completion of your first challenge in Spain.
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