Requena Villages: Los Isidros

Versión en español

Located in the southeast of the municipality of Requena, in the area of Rambla Albosa, Los Isidros is one of the most important villages in the region, as it possesses more than five hundred inhabitants, an important building dynamism, and an advantageous location, near the motorway N-332, which links the towns of Requena and Albacete.
Up to four buses stop in the village daily, two of them going to Valencia via Requena, and two of them going to Albacete.

HISTORY

In Los Isidros' surroundings there are prints of prehistoric settlements, near La Muela hill, in the place called La Mina, located between Los Isidros and Casas de Cuadra.
The origin of the village is uncertain, though in the middle of the 18th century some families working as farmers and cattle breeders were established in the place. The first hermitage was built in the same place where today stands La Iglesia street in 1817, and was replaced by a greater church in 1896.

In 1870 Los Isidros had 40 houses, grouped around the present streets of La Iglesia, Mayor, Cañada and San Agustín, which converge in San Antonio square, which is the centre of the village.
In the middle of the 19th century the village had around one hundred inhabitants, in 1887 it had 196 inhabitants, in 1920 it had 482 and in 1950 it reached it maximum of about 800 inhabitants.

Emigration, specially intense in the 60 decade of the 20th century, reduced the number of inhabitats down to 592 in 1970, and after to 530 in 1986, and 438 in 1996. At present -2004- the population has become stable in about 530 inhabitants, and has good prospects of growth in the near future.

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

The surroundings of the former stream of Rambla Albosa has very beautiful places. Walking along the stream until it flows into Cabriel river we can find Las Ramblas treadmill, where time ago cereal was milled with the impulse of water; Cocedero place, with impressive views from the hill to the valley; the mouth of Peñas Negras, near the former village of Los Sardineros, which forms an extraordinary landscape with outstanding detached black rocks, and wet lands where we can find an assorted fauna -boars, eagles, owls, hares, wild goats...

ECONOMIC ACTIVITY

The main economic activity is focused in the Agriculture Cooperative Albosa, which has a capacity of about 11 million kilos of grape, getting the harvest from the lands of Los Isidros, Los Cojos and Penén de Albosa.
The cellar of the cooperative was founded in 1958, and had initially 52 partners. Today, there are more than 300 partners, and the annual wine production is of more than 35,000 hectolitres.

The cellar makes white wine from macabeo and tardana grapes, rosés from bobal grapes and red wines from bobal and tempranillo grapes. At present, extraordinary red, rosé and white wines are bottled with the mark "Viñas del Pilar".
There are also other incomes from plantations of almond trees, olive trees, and vegetables.

PUBLIC FESTIVITIES

The festivities of the Patron Saint San Antonio Abad are celebrated in january 17th with a traditional big bonfire with its "capota". The "capota" is a pine tree chosen by the "quintos" -former conscripts, boys of the village who are 18 years old- that is the bigger one they can cut down; they put it in the middle of the bonfire and it gets burnt as well.
There are also festivities devoted to Virgen del Carmen, in july 16th, with fairs and open-air dances.

In San Isidro's Day, a pilgrimage to La Muela de Enmedio, which is some kilometers away, is celebrated. That is a beautiful place where a mass is celebrated, and then everybody enjoys the company of every neighbour. From this place one can make out some villages of the Llano de Campo Arcís.

OTHER INTERESTING ASPECTS

The church, which was built in 1896 and has a bell tower and a clock, stands beautifully in the center of the village.
Los Isidros has an excellent Social Club, which has an olympic-sized swimming pool, a park for children, gardens, a dance floor and meeting rooms.
The church, which was built in 1896 and has a bell tower and a clock, stands beautifully in the center of the village.