Coca, Segovia

Coca is a small town in the Spanish province of Segovia, which belongs to the autonomous community of Castile -Leon.

Coca is located halfway between Valladolid and Segovia.

History

Traces of human settlement date back to the Bronze Age. The Celtiberian had here one of the largest settlements in the catchment area of ​​the Duero. The place should then have had 6000-8000 inhabitants. The settlement, which was part of the settlement area of ​​the Arevacer was strategically well protected by the two rivers Eresma and Voltoya that surround the place in the West and East, and merge in the north to open later in the Rio Adajo, a left tributary of the Duero. About the year 220 BC, the Carthaginian general Hannibal moved to this area. As a result, they came under the rule of the Romans, whose consul Lucullus could bc break the local resistance in 151, which Appian says. The Romans called the place that grew to 20,000 inhabitants, Cauca. Also one of the main streets of the Iberian peninsula, the route from Galicia to the central Castile, then touched the city. Cauca was true of the campaigns against Sertorius ( 74 BC ) again strongly affected, but then flourished again. In the second century Roman municipium was Cauca. Especially in late antiquity Cauca was the home of important Roman noble families, the Emperor Theodosius in 347, was born here. With the invasion of the Visigoths in the fifth century the importance of the site declined rapidly. For about 712 Coca belonged to the sphere of the Muslims until Alfonso VI. reconquered by Coca Castile. In the 15th century Coca owned by Don Íñigo López de Mendoza, Marqués de Santillana was and came after ( 1453), Alonso de Fonseca, who built a citadel in Coca. In this burg Napoleon stationed a garrison in 1808. The city traditionally lives of glass-making because it is but now away from the major traffic flows, it is more of a little country church today.

Attractions

From the great Roman past is proved by numerous remains of ancient buildings. But are also most impressive medieval walls. Among the most important churches include the Gothic Santa Maria la Mayor and the Hermitage of Santa Rosalia. Visible from afar is also the chunky Moorish tower ( torre Mudejar ) of San Nicolás. More recent are the Town Hall ( Ayuntamiento ) and the Centro cultural " Fonseca ".

Castle of Coca

However, the landmark of the city is the citadel or castle whose construction was begun in 1453 by Moorish craftsmen and finished at the beginning of the 16th century. The residential building is surrounded by two massive circular walls of brick, which are reinforced with battlements and provided numerous round towers.

The castle of Coca is the most picturesque example of the Mudéjar style. In this stone poor area of ​​entire huge building was built of brick. It was the bastion of the powerful family of Fonseca. The wide trench is not meant to be filled with water, but serves artillery purposes. Coca was, like most Mudejar castles, mostly plastered. The tower-like stepped battlements of the tower was added to the Baroque period.

Today, it houses an agricultural school.