The Walls of Ávila

The Walls of Ávila

The walls of Avila, begun in 1090, shortly after the town was reclaimed from the Moors, were completed in only nine years -- a feat accomplished by the daily employment of an estimated 1,900 men. Featuring nine gates and 88 cylindrical towers bunched together, they are unique to Spain in form, unlike the Moorish defense architecture that the Christians adapted elsewhere. They're most striking when viewed from outside the town; for the best view on foot, cross the Adaja River, turn right on the Carretera de Salamanca, and walk uphill about 250 yards to a monument consisting of four pilasters surrounding a cross. And when you ultimately leave Ávila, look back on your way out.

The walls clearly reflect Ávila's importance during the Middle Ages. Populated by Alfonso VI mainly with Christians from Asturias, the town came to be known as Ávila of the Knights, on account of the high proportion of nobles. Decline set in at the beginning of the 15th century, with the gradual departure of the nobility to the court of Charles V in Toledo.

Ávila's fame later on was due largely to St. Teresa. Born here in 1515 to a noble family of Jewish origin, Teresa spent much of her life in Ávila, leaving a legacy of various convents and the ubiquitous yemas (candied egg yolks), originally distributed free to the poor but now sold for high prices to tourists. Ávila today is well preserved but with a sad, austere, and slightly desolate atmosphere. The quietude is dispelled only for the week beginning October 8, when Ávila celebrates the Fiestas de la Santa Teresa with lighted decorations, parades, and singing in the streets as well as religious observances.