Alatoz

Alatoz municipality
Alatoz - View of the town with Iglesia de San Juan Bautista
coat of arms	Map of Spain
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Castile-La Mancha
Province :	Albacete
Comarca :	La Manchuela
Coordinates	39 ° 6 ′  N , 1 ° 22 ′  W Coordinates: 39 ° 6 ′  N , 1 ° 22 ′  W
Height :	860  msnm
Area :	63.86 km²
Residents :	519 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density :	8.13 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	02152
Municipality number  ( INE ):	02002
administration
Website :	Alatoz

Alatoz is a place and a municipality ( municipio ) with only 519 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019) in the east of the province of Albacete in the autonomous region of Castile-La Mancha in southeastern Spain . The place is on the Ruta de la Lana , a medieval trade and pilgrimage route.

Location and climate

Alatoz is located in the southeast of New Castile a good 47 km (driving distance) northeast of the provincial capital Albacete at an altitude of approx. 860  m . The climate in winter is temperate, while in summer it is warm to hot; the rather low amounts of precipitation (approx. 385 mm / year) fall - with the exception of the almost rainless summer months - distributed over the whole year.

Population development

year	1857	1900	1950	2000	2019
Residents	1,115	1,192	1,541	661	519

As a result of the mechanization of agriculture , the abandonment of small farms and the resulting loss of jobs, the population of the municipality has decreased significantly since the middle of the 20th century ( rural exodus ).

economy

The place is still mainly agrarian oriented; In the past, pasture farming and the production of cheese and sausage were of great importance, which - in addition to animal skins and wool - could be sold to traveling traders. Today agricultural products such as olives and almonds are in the foreground.

history

Iberian , Roman , Visigoth and even Islamic-Moorish settlement finds are missing. After the recapture ( reconquista ) of the area by the Christians in 1240 by Castilian troops to the area came La Toz under the basic rule (señorio) of the Marquisate of Villena (Marquesado de Villena) ; From the year 1591 the existence of only 17 houses with a total of approx. 100 inhabitants is handed down.

Attractions

The Iglesia de San Juan Bautista is a building from the second half of the 18th century; the facade, designed in the late Mudéjar style , shows sections made of both ashlar and brick . The two upper floors of the bell tower (campanario) and the portal are clearly separated. The three-aisled church has a transept with a crossing dome . In the flat-closing apse there is a large altar retable in the style of neoclassicism .

Web links

Commons : Alatoz  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Alatoz, tourism site - photos + brief information (Spanish)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Cifras oficiales de población resultantes de la revisión del Padrón municipal a 1 de enero . Population statistics from the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (population update).
2. ↑ Alatoz / Albacete - climate tables
3. ↑ Alatoz - Population Development
4. ↑ Alatoz Church