All language subtitles for The.World.From.Above.S09E13.Spain.Morella.to.Merida.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-alfaHD_track3_[eng]

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(uplifting music)

- Our journey in Central Spain

begins at the historic city of Morella.

From there, we head west
and discover Valdelinares,

the highest settlement in mainland Spain.

Continuing west into the mountains

is the remote town of Albarracin,

once a stronghold of the
Moors in the 12th century.

In this central area of Spain are many

interesting and dramatic castles.

The Castillo Belmonte was
abandoned in the 17th century

and restored into a mansion in the 19th.

One of the great sights of the region

of La Mancha are the white windmills.

And one of the best places
to see them is at Consuegra.

To the west is Guadalupe, and
the monastery of Santa Maria,

one of Spain's finest buildings,

and an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Our journey ends at Merrida,

with its spectacular Roman remains.

Morella is an ancient walled city

on a hilltop in the province of Castillo,

with a history stretching
back to the early Iberians,

who were followed by
invasions from the Greeks,

Romans, Visigoths and Moors.

Morella is now a tourist destination

with many historic buildings.

One of the top sights is Morella Castle.

Due to its strategic position,

it was fought over for centuries,

right up to the Spanish
Civil War of the 1930s.

The town is surrounded by castle walls,

giving the local population a measure

of safety in dangerous times.

Crammed inside them is
a fine church, convent,

and a spectacular sprawl of ancient stone

whitewashed houses with rustic
terracotta colored roofs.

But a different sort of danger appeared

in the late 17th century,
and a much deadlier one.

Morella was severely
affected by the plague.

After 20 years of suffering,
the citizens decided

to buy a statue of the Virgin Mary.

The townspeople then processed
it through the streets,

and it's said that the plague

immediately disappeared from the city.

To commemorate this, the Sexenni festival

takes place every six years,

with the town girls performing
ancient dances in her honor.

This magnificent town is considered

one of the most beautiful in Spain.

Our journey takes us across central Spain,

from Aragon, through Castillo
la Mancha, to Extremadura.

In summer, it's very hot.

Rivers dry up, turning
them into passable tracks

until the rains come later in the year.

One description we have of this area

comes from the 16th
century novel Don Quixote,

by Miguel des Cervantes.

The story follows the
adventures of a minor nobleman

who reads so many chivalric romances

that he loses his sanity and
decides to set out on horseback

across this landscape to
bring justice to the world.

Today, careful drivers can
also set out on an adventure

from dramatic mountain
roads to miles and miles

of dirt tracks, for off-road enthusiasts.

Ahead of us is the highest
village in mainland Spain,

Valdelinares, at just under 2,000 meters.

It has survived into the modern age

because in the winter, the
area offers great skiing.

And unlike many of the larger ski resorts,

this village offers small,
friendly hotels and restaurants.

It's also just as popular in the summer

with walkers and mountaineers.

Valdelinares' secret lies
in a perfect combination

of the natural magnificence
of the surrounding landscape

and the ancient beauty
of its historic past,

which has survived relatively unchanged

for hundreds of years.

Dropping down from the mountains,

we find the small town
of Mora de Rubielos,

which is dominated by its imposing castle,

a product of Mediterranean
Gothic architecture,

and one of the best preserved
in the kingdom of Aragon.

It was built in the 14th
century, with walls that

are 25 meters high and, in
places, five meters thick.

From the outside, it looks
like a military fortress.

But look inside and it
becomes a grand palace.

Over the centuries, it
has been used as a church

and a convent, been a
victim of a damaging fire,

and was finally restored in the 1970s.

Perhaps the saddest event in the history

of Mora de Rubielos was during
the civil war of the 1930s,

when betrayed by informers and captured,

well over 50 republican
volunteers were executed

by the nationalist army of
the dictator General Franco.

(somber music)

Spain is the second largest producer

of wind power in the world after China.

In 2009, it overtook coal, producing 20%

of the country's overall
energy production.

And this has resulted in a large drop

in greenhouse gas emissions.

Today, around 10 million homes
are powered by wind farms,

such as this one, on the
mountainous Sierra de Albarracin.

And nestling in the mountains
is the town of Albarracin,

and considered to be one of
the most beautiful in Spain.

It's been proposed as a world
heritage site by UNESCO.

This is a place that
can transport a visitor

back into the Middle Ages,
at the time of the reconquest

of Spain, when Christian forces

drove the Moors from the country.

It's named after the Albarrazin family,

who ruled the area during the
period of Muslim domination.

It was they who built the Alcazar fortress

and the nearby tower in the 10th century.

After the reconquest, the kings of Aragon

completed the castle walls
that surround the town.

And inside them is a
place rich in history,

displaying its many cultural influences.

(soothing music)

We now enter the region
of Castillo La Mancha,

and the town of Belmonte,
with its historic castle.

This magnificent fortress
was built in the 15th century

in a mix of Gothic and Moorish styles.

The castle is an unusual pentagonal shape

with six round towers.

Inside is a triangular courtyard.

It was practically abandoned between

the 17th and 18th centuries,
and was more or less

in ruins by the early 19th century.

It was inherited by Empress Eugenia,

the wife of Napoleon III,

who began a major renovation project.

Until the Second French
Empire collapsed in 1870,

it was then largely neglected again.

But all was not lost,

as the descendants of the
empress, who own the castle,

began a major restoration program in 2010,

and opened it to the public.

One of the most iconic
sights in all of Spain

are the white windmills of La Mancha.

They were introduced in the 15th century

by a returning knight from the Crusades,

who realized that these machines,

which used the wind to grind the corn,

could help the local
millers be more efficient.

Windmills, like this one,
were still being used,

until the beginning of the 1980s.

The best examples of
restored Spanish windmills

can be found here in
Consuegra, where several stand

in a line along the hill
close to the old castle.

(cheerful guitar music)

They became famous in the 16th century

when "Don Quixote" was first published.

In his madness, the knight thought

the windmills were giants,

and he charged them with his lance.

(cheerful guitar music)

Today, 12 still exist of the original 13.

And each one has been given a name

of one of the characters
from Cervantes' book.

Operating the mill was hard
work, as the millers had

to carry sacks of grain, which could weigh

60 or 70 kilos, to the top floor.

They then rotated the
sails to face the wind,

and poured the grain down
into the revolving grinders.

(cheerful guitar music)

Also in Consuegra is its bullring.

Spain has always been
famous for its bullfights.

And there are few places in the country

where a bullring cannot be found.

It's considered a national sport.

Its origins date back to 711 AD,

when the first bullfight, or corrida,

took place in honor of the
crowning of King Alfonso VIII.

It's reported that each
year, roughly 24,000 bulls

are killed in front of an
audience of 30 million people.

But not all Spaniards agree
with the sport or like it.

Bullfighting has now
been banned in Catalonia,

one of the regions of
Spain, and it's likely

that others will follow
suit in the future.

Also, increased objections
from around the world

will only add to the pressure

to eventually ban it altogether.

Fruit growing in the La Mancha
region is a common sight,

with the crisscrossed patterns
of different fruit trees.

However, it is viticulture,
or wine-making,

which is the main agricultural industry.

In fact, it's a large
part of Spain's economy.

And the country has over one
million hectares of vineyards,

making it one of the most
widely planted in the world.

But only third in actual production.

This is due in part to the very low yields

and wide spacing of the old
vines planted on the dry,

infertile soil found in
many Spanish wine regions,

particularly here in Central Spain.

(soothing music)

On a high hill near Aldea del Rey,

lies the crumbling fortress
of Calatrava la Nueva.

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Calatrava was the Arabic
name of the original castle

recovered from the Moors in 1147,

during the period of reconquest,
when Christian forces

battled with the Moors
to regain their homeland.

Military orders such as the
Knights Templar were founded,

where men could fulfill a vow

of perpetual war against the Moors.

And so in the 12th century,
the castle became home

to a group of warrior monks.

(dramatic music)

However, even the Templars
were unable to hold Calatrava.

And so the abbot of a Cistercian monastery

offered himself and an army
of soldier monks to retake it.

And the castle then became the seat

of the Order of Calatrava.

Their church still survives,

lit by an immense rose window.

It was probably built
by Moorish prisoners.

As was much of the castle
during its enlargement.

And as with most castles,
it's importance slowly faded.

And though the order
kept hold of the castle,

it was abandoned after the
religious confiscations in 1835.

Today, visitors can step back
in time to a dramatic period

of religious warfare, and
the founding of modern Spain.

Our journey now heads
northwest, and into the region

of Extremadura, and past
the Cijara Reservoir.

This enormous lake provided
much needed water to the area.

It was created in 1956 by a
dam along the Guardiano River.

The reservoir, which is
45 kilometers in length,

has been slowly filling ever
since, and covers an area

of just over 6,500 hectares.

It's a huge recreational resource,

and in the summer is a
popular place for swimming

and boating, as well as
a magnet for fishermen,

who can try and catch pike,
catfish and black bass.

People come here from across Europe

to get an unique fishing experience.

(soothing music)

The reservoir lies
within the 25,000 hectare

Cijara National Game Reserve,
where hikers my well spot

deer, wild boar, otters,
lynx, black storks and eagles.

Nestling in the mountains
is one of the most

important monasteries in Spain,

and an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Santa Maria de Guadelupe.

(ethereal music)

This outstanding building
displays four centuries

of Spanish religious architecture.

It also symbolizes two significant events

in world history that occurred in 1492,

the reconquest of Spain
by the Catholic kings,

and Christopher Columbus'
arrival in the Americas.

Columbus was particularly
devoted to the figure

of the Virgin of Guadlupe,
which was so revered

in the 16th century,
that she was made patron

of all Spain's New World territories.

And on his return from his first voyage,

he made a pilgrimage of thanks
here for his safe return.

Indeed, the island of Guadalupe
was named after this town.

The monastery is located,
according to legend,

on the spot where the
Black Madonna was found

in the early 14th century by a shepherd.

It had been hidden by
the river years earlier

by Christians fleeing the Muslims.

Made of cedarwood, it had
turned black in the water.

A small chapel was built on the site,

dedicated to our lady of Guadalupe.

King Alfonso XI invoked
Santa Maria de Guadalupe

in a battle against the Moors.

And after gaining victory, he put it down

to the Madonna's intervention,
declared the church

of Guadalupe a royal sanctuary,

and undertook an extensive
rebuilding program.

Today, the monastery is cared
for by nine Franciscan monks,

and it remains one of Spain's

most important pilgrimage sites.

The building is an architectural
marvel of world importance,

and full of historical riches.

(ethereal music)

To the west of Guadalupe,
and over a mountain ridge,

lies the town of Trujillo.

(soothing guitar music)

The old town contains a number of medieval

and renaissance buildings.

Many of these were built or
enriched by the conquistadors,

adventurers, who set off to
conquer the New World for Spain.

One of them, Francisco
Pizarro, who was born here,

claimed Peru for his country in 1532.

And his equestrian statue stands

in the main square, the Plaza Mayor.

The castle is the highest
point in Trujillo.

It was built in the 13th century,

on the site of an old Arab fortress

from the ninth or 10th century.

The square towers, typical of
Islamic military architecture,

are incorporated into the later castle.

It's made up of two
parts, the main courtyard,

and the albacara, which
was a fortified enclosure

for the local population to move

into if the town was attacked.

To the north is the small town of Hervas.

The most significant part

is the ancient crowded Jewish Quarter.

These narrow streets
afforded shade in the intense

heat of the summer, and
perhaps a little breeze

as these two ladies try to keep cool.

The houses are made with
adobe, a type of clay,

on chestnut wood frameworks.

The rust-colored roofs,
covered with Arab tiles,

create an almost abstract design

of wonderful patterns
when viewed from above.

We now head south, and
cross the river Tagus,

which is the longest on
the Iberian Peninsula,

with the greater part, 716 kilometers,

running through Spain.

Several dams and reservoirs have been

created along its route to provide

drinking water for much of central Spain.

In 2006, a new bridge was
built across the Tagus.

In an interesting construction technique,

the entire length of
each half span was built

vertically above the foundation piers,

and then carefully
lowered out over the river

and closed at the crown, in
one well-planned maneuver.

(soothing guitar music)

The city of Caceres was
founded by the Romans in 25 BC.

The old town still has its ancient walls,

which contain a medieval town setting,

with no real outward signs of modernity.

Which was why, in 1986,
the town was declared

a World Heritage City by UNESCO.

The reason was the city's
practically unspoiled blend

of Roman, Moorish, Northern Gothic

and Italian Renaissance architecture.

30 towers from the Islamic
period still stand in Caceres.

And they look down on the
narrow cobbled streets

which twist and climb
amongst ancient stone walls,

lined with palaces, mansions,
arches and churches.

Protected by its defensive
walls, the city has survived

almost intact from its 16th
century period of splendor.

30 kilometers to the south
is Montanchez Castle,

with its unrivaled strategic position.

The origins of this important fortress

date back to the Roman period.

It was then rebuilt by the
Moorish invaders around 700 AD.

During the Christian reconquest of Spain

in the 13th century,
the castle was enlarged,

including the construction
of new castle walls.

And like many of the castles
we've seen on this journey,

by the 17th century, it
had fallen into ruins.

Running low on fuel, we land
at the Talavera airport.

Talavera was the name given
to the battle of 1809,

where the Anglo-Spanish army won

a great victory over the
French, under the command

of the Duke of Wellington
and General Cuesta.

Today, the battle is more
likely to be with forest fires

during the summer months,

where these aircraft can
be airborne in minutes.

Our final stop on this journey
is at the town of Merrida,

one that preserves more
important ancient Roman monuments

than any other city in Spain.

Back in 25 BC, when the town was founded,

it was called Emerita Augusta,
which means the veterans

of the army of the Emperor Augustus.

It was designed to protect a pass,

a bridge across the Guadiana River.

It was to become one of the most

important cities in the Roman Empire.

The bridge is one of the longest
in the whole Roman Empire,

with a length today of 721 meters.

It was in regular use until 1991,

when it was pedestrianized.

On the approach to the
bridge is the al cazaba,

a ninth century Muslim fortification.

The temple of Diana
stands in what was once

the central part of the Roman
forum, where the principal

civic buildings of the
city originally stood.

Its preservation is probably
due to its incorporation

into a 16th century palace.

The temple's Corinthian
columns still stand

in their original rectangular formation.

The Roman circus is modeled
on the Circus Maximus in Rome,

and was used for chariot racing.

At its height, spectators
could number up to 30,000.

After the fall of the Roman Empire,

and the eventual rise of
Christianity in Spain,

the circus saw more use
than the other Roman

structures in Merrida,
since racing was considered

less sinful than other Roman spectacles.

The elliptical shaped
amphitheater was built

around eight BC, and intended
for gladiatorial fights

and combats between
beasts or men and beasts.

It could accommodate 15,000 people,

with special seating for the ruling elite.

The sand-covered arena
in the center once had

a fossa bestiaria underneath it,

which was a set of cages
covered with wood and sand

where animals were housed
before they were released

into the arena through trapdoors.

Close by is the theater, which
was constructed around 15 BC,

and then altered over the next 300 years.

Its design follows the rules laid down

by the architect Vitruvius,

and corresponds to the
typical Roman model.

It has similarities with
theaters in Tunisia, France

and in Italy at Pompeii,
and of course, Rome.

After the fall of the
empire, it slowly decayed.

And actually filled with earth.

Until the late 19th century,
when excavations began.

These classical Roman ruins
are of world importance,

and have been designated an
UNESCO World Heritage Site.

It's a perfect place to end this journey.

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(inspiring music)

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