[Gocamino] Matajudios????

[Rosina]

An unbiased reading of the history of Spain, that is, a perusal of the written?impressions of the period as seen from both sides before January 2, 1492, and shortly thereafter, will disclose that Queen Isabel was never, in the least, engaged in "ethnic cleansing" or anything of the sort. She had far bigger fish to fry wanting?to rid her own kingdom, and those?of the Iberian peninsula, from its brutal occupation by a foreign people, with a foreign culture, and a foreign religion.
It has become fashionable to view the Moorish occupation romantically, and to emphasize its influence and contribution to the present day Spain.? But all you need to do is go to the Archives of municipal centers all over the peninsula to read about?the thousands, and thousands, and thousands, of natives of Spain who were subjugated, exploited and very often?killed by the foreign occupiers, Anyone interested in the Camino will have heard of the battle of Clavijo and its reason: resistance to the Moorish demands to yield 100 young woman, per year, from a single town.
If you go to the Cathedral of Pamplona you will see blood-curling etchings depicting the ritual killing of Spanish? male babies by the Moors to forestall future resisters. The gated and grills of the lovely Pamplona Cathedral were forged from the chains used to enslave the native peoples in the work fields...... etc., etc., etc.
And.... if you research the fiscal history of the period (part of it alluded to in the "Cid Campeador" romance) you will learn that when Queen Isabel began to actually unite the Spanish regional kingdoms and to reclaim occupied Spanish territories, a great many?Jewish people living in Spain sided with the Moors?providing financial and other assistance?which enabled the Moors to continue the fight against the Spaniards for decades.
That the Queen emphasized Spanish culture and religion to unite the various kingdoms in Spain in the common desire to recover their native culture, religion, and territories and to free it from foreign influence and domination, by whatever means were available to her, can only be judged by the existence of the modern Spain, which everybody loves and which would not exist today but for?the measures taken by the Queen.
Most of the Spanish literature created before the Queen was born (and there is a lot of it)?consists of heart-rendering descriptions of the suffering of the native Spanish peoples under the Moorish domination. The prevailing cruelty visited by the?the occupiers on the native people has been attributed to the times, but even in our own pretty bloody times it is mind boggling.
In the Burgos archives there is a copy of the famous letter written by Queen Isabel's personal physician, who was a Jew, and sent to her in Valladolid, apologizing for the financial help and assistance that his coreligionists were making available to the Moors and which prolonged the conflict for decades.
Modern writers can romanticize, or condemn, to their hearts' content.... but those who would be realistically informed can become so by perusing the actual documents written at the time.
Like most successful women since the Garden of Eden's Eve, Queen Isabel has been demonized, defamed and reviled for centuries, but all one needs to do to turn unthinking dislike into admiration is read one of the several biographies of her that have been written in English by American writers (pursuant to the Women's Liberation Movement?....)
By the way, the Cid died pretty much in bed, months and months after his last appearance on a battlefield, in the loving arms of his wife, Dona Ximena..... his dead body was never propped on a horse and paraded along the shore line to bamboozle foes.... as popular "culture" would have us believe.
Oh well!
Hugs!
Rosina
ps. I can recommend one or two of Queen Isabel's biographies in English, if you wish.? 


From: Glenn Jilek <guha2005 at hotmail.com>
To: Ultreya <ultreya at yahoogroups.com>; gocamino at oakapple.net
Sent: Wed, 6 May 2009 12:45 pm
Subject: [Gocamino] Matajudios????




This is my 3rd time I passed through Castrojeriz.  The first time, I knew only 
enough Spanish to be a bit courteous, and to get essentials.  The second time I 
noticed a strange sign but it was in the middle of a thunder lightning rain 
storm and I really was concerned with getting shelter.  This time I paid special 
attention to the sign as you approached that steep ascent.  It said Castillo de 
Matajudios.  At the top of the plateau was a sign designating an ecological area 
called Matajudios.  What is the story behind this?  Matajudios means Jew Killer 
does is not?  Was this during the period of Isabels ethnic cleansing, when Jews 
had to leave or die?  Before I went to college, ages ago, I always associated 
Queen Isabel with Columbus and the "discovery" of the new world.  Then I found 
out she really was a major player in one of the first pogroms.

 

It is just shocking to see a sign like that in modern times.  I hope that I am 
wrong in my translation.  Can  anyone clarify this for me.

 

Glenn
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