Aula· Spain, city by cityAragón
Jaca
«Jaca tiene una ciudadela militar con forma de estrella.»Jaca has a star-shaped military citadel.
Jaca is located in a basin at the foot of the Pyrenees, on the road leading to the Somport pass and France. It was the first capital of the Kingdom of Aragon, and one of the first Romanesque cathedrals in Spain was built there in 1076; today, it lives mainly on mountain tourism.
Did you know
The first star citadel in Spain.
Jaca houses the first pentagonal military citadel built in Spain in the 16th century, which remains intact.
How they talk in Jaca
«Jacetano» is the demonym and «Jacetania» the name of the region. In the nearby valleys, Aragonese varieties and Pyrenean vocabulary survive, which also enter the local Castilian.
charrar
To speak; to chat. Used in Aragonese speech to converse or talk, also in derivatives like «charrada».
Everyday life in Jaca
The «ciudadela» with deer inside
The 16th-century star fortress is still military, but the moat is full of deer that live there freely: they look out from the ramparts and people bring their children to see them.
«Dentro de la ciudadela hay ciervos.» — Inside the citadel there are deer.
The «Camino» passes through the middle
The Aragonese Camino de Santiago passes through the city, and from spring to October you can see pilgrims with backpacks in the streets of the centre. The bars recognise them and serve them quickly.
«Por aquí pasa el Camino.» — The Camino passes through here.
The ice rink in the centre
Jaca has had an Olympic ice rink since 1972, and here you learn to skate as a child: the hockey team is the most successful in Spain and plays in the middle of the town.
What to eat in Jaca
Ternasco de Aragón
Young mountain lamb, roasted with salt, lard and white wine.
Trenza de Almudévar
Puff pastry braid with dried fruits and glaze, which is made in the province.
Guirlache
Almond and caramel brittle, in tablets that you break.
Migas aragonesas
Breadcrumbs sautéed with garlic, grapes and chorizo.
Festivals in Jaca
Primer Viernes de Mayo
the first Friday of May
They re-enact the battle in which, according to legend, the women of Jaca put the Moors to flight with mirrors.
What to see in Jaca
Catedral de Jaca
One of the first Romanesque cathedrals in Spain, from 1076: from here the style spread along the route.
Ciudadela
Pentagonal fortress from the 16th century, with deer living in the moat.
Monasterio de San Juan de la Peña
A monastery wedged under an overhang: the cloister has no roof, above it there is the mountain.
Puente de San Miguel
The medieval bridge over the Aragón, where the Camino de Santiago passes.
Where Jaca comes from
The first capital of Aragon
2nd century BC
The Iacetani
The people who give their name to the city, in the basin at the foot of the Pyrenees.
1063
The fuero
Sancho Ramírez gives it the fuero and makes it the capital of the kingdom: the cathedral is begun.
16th century
The citadel
Philip II has the pentagonal fortress built to close the pass towards France.
20th century → today
The mountain
Skiing and mountain tourism make it grow outside the walls.
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