Grañón (Spanish pronunciation: [gɾa.ˈɲon]) is a village in the province and autonomous community of La Rioja, Spain. The municipality covers an area of 31.01 square kilometres (11.97 sq mi) and as of 2011 had a population of 307 people.^[2] It belongs to the comarca of Santo Domingo de la Calzada and the judicial district of Haro. Its residents, known as Grañoneros or Grañoneras, work primarily in agriculture and the cattle industry, with many young people being forced to leave the village to look for other forms of work in Logroño, the capital of La Rioja.^{[citation needed]}

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Quick Facts Country, Autonomous community ...

Grañón
Municipality
Church of San Juan Bautista
Seal
Grañón Location within La Rioja. Show map of La Rioja, Spain Grañón Grañón (Spain) Show map of Spain
Coordinates: 42°27′01″N 3°01′35″W
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	La Rioja
Comarca	Santo Domingo de la Calzada
Government
• Mayor	José Ignacio Castro Miguel (PP)
Area
• Total	31.01 km2 (11.97 sq mi)
Elevation	725 m (2,379 ft)
Population  (2018)[1]
• Total	255
Demonym(s)	grañonero, ra
Postal code	26259
Website	www.granon.org

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The village is located at the furthest west point of La Rioja, within the region known as Rioja Alta, on the border with the Province of Burgos.The landscape ranges from wooded areas, to mountainous areas, to rolling hills.^[3] Water is scarce enough for its usage to be restricted during summers with hotter temperatures. Land in the municipality is primarily used for agriculture, with only 10-20% of the land being wooded.^[3] The ground is not irrigated, meaning that agriculture is almost entirely dedicated to cereals, although there are also large potato fields and (to a lesser extent) other irrigated crops such as peas and beans.^{[citation needed]}

Documents from the time period suggest that the existence of Grañón dates back to the 9th century, when the king of León, Alfonso III, ordered a castle to be constructed on top of a hill located next to the village, which was known as Mirabel or Mirabelia. According to the Chronica Naierensis, there was a castle in Grañón by the year 885. Other studies suggest it was built in the year 889. This fortress, as well as others in the vicinity, would have been used to defend attacks from Muslims in Christian territory. Under the protection of Grañón's castle, small hamlets and neighbourhoods began to develop, which gradually saw a population being established in the area. Various hospitals were known to be present in the town. One of these was the Hospital of Carrasquedo, where a chapel of the same name stands today.^[4]

Grañón was involved in the territorial battles between Sancho VI of Navarre and Alfonso VIII of Castile in the second half of the 11th century. In 1176, the Navarrese and the Castilians were reunited under the arbitration of the English king, Henry II, to put an end to the war. The Navarrese king claimed Mirabel Castle belonged to him through hereditary right, but Grañón's castle remained with the Castilians. In 1187, Alfonso VIII granted a fuero (a local jurisdiction) to the village, with which the urban planning of the new settlement was determined.^[4]

When Domingo de la Calzada re-routed the Camino de Santiago in medieval times from the old Roman road, directing it towards Burgos and causing it to pass through Grañón and Redecilla del Camino, the town was revitalised.^[4]

Grañón used to be surrounded by walls, although no trace of these remains today. As the new village centre became established, the castle's importance to the village reduced as it evolved, with its populating growing. The fertile soils of Grañón have seen many disputes over the years.^[4] The most famous of these is the Leyenda de los Valientes (Legend of the Brave), where the towns of Grañón and Santo Domingo de la Calzada fought over the ownership of a 1000 ha parcel of land known as La Dehesa, which is located between the two towns.^[5]

• Count García Ordóñez (c. 1060–1108): Tenant-in-chief of Grañón and Count of Nájera, among other titles, known as “García of Grañón” and “the Crespo (curly-haired man) of Grañón” (which is how he is known in the Chronica Naierensis and in the third part of the Cantar de Mío Cid, as the enemy of Rodrígo Díaz de Vivar, el Cid Campeador). He was one of the most significant members of Castilian nobility during the reign of Alfonso VI. He became tutor of the infant heir Sancho Alfónsez as well as being armiger regis, and played a significant role in the repopulation of La Rioja (known as the Charter of Logroño). He was killed in the Battle of Uclés defending the infant Sancho Alfónsez.
• Don Sancho de Grañón (11th-12th century): Benedictine monk who was a personal friend of Saint Dominic of Silos, and was Bishop of Calahorra from 1109 to 1117. His pontificate was marked both by the dedication of the church of Cañas to Saint Mary, honouring the wishes of Saint Dominic,^[13] and by the reinforcement of episcopal power over parochial power. In 1109 he obtained a papal bull from Pope Paschal II through which the diocese of Calahorra was formed around the provinces of Álava, Vizcaya, Nájera and Los Cameros. This act put an end to the confusion that had arisen since the Muslim invasion and definitively sanctioned the titles of bishop and pastor of the Calahorra prelate.^[14] Today the street that joins Plaza del Hórreo with Plaza de Ávila is named after him.
• Martín García (mid-14th century): Grañón resident who, according to the Leyenda de los Valientes (Legend of the Brave), defeated his opponent from Santo Domingo in a fight to the death for the dehesa that both towns disputed. He would go on to die days later, presumably as a result of the after-effects the fight. Having become a local hero, he is honoured every August with a caparronada (a dish of seasoned caparrones) next to the Cruz de los Valientes, in the location where the fight took place. In the past people would recite the Lord's prayer and the Hail Mary for the resting of his soul during the Eucharist on Sundays in the parish church of Grañón. The street that connects the north entrance to the town (by the Barbackana bar) with the Plaza de Ávila (to the south) takes his name.
• Don Agustín Morquecho Alonso del Valle (31 August 1788 - c. 1850): A member of one of the most important families in Grañón, he became incumbent priest of the parish church of San Juan Bautista. An educated man who was committed to his home town, at the start of the 19th century he was vice-president of the Royal Economic Society of Friends of Castilian La Rioja, in which he had a major role, leading many initiatives within the society such as in road construction, finance sourcing and the wine trade. In 1810 he was one of the Riojans proposed by Bishop Francisco Mateo Aguiriano y Gómez to represent the diocese of Calahorra in the Cortes of Cádiz (1810-1814), although in the end he did not participate in this important parliament due to a change in election system. A priest with liberal and reformist tendencies, in 1820 and in the context of the Trienio Liberal, (1820-1823), he was selected as member of the provincial government of Burgos (which the territory of La Rioja Alta belonged to at the time, with La Rioja Baja being located within the province of Soria). He actively worked towards achieving administrative independence for La Rioja and in 1822 the culmination of his life's work would come to fruition, as he became one of the members of the new government formed when the province of Logroño was established. Nothing is known of his career trajectory after the restoration of absolutism by Fernando VII in 1823.^[15]
• Juancho Ruiz, el Charro: (8 September 1958) A Spanish singer, author, promoter, arranger and music producer, whose work spans genres such as mariachi, country, Latin pop, bolero, jazz, merengue, latin ballad, and who was born in Grañón.

In Grañón, various festivals are celebrated throughout the year. The most important are:

• Fiesta de la Virgen de Carrasquedo (25 March): Mass is celebrated in the chapel of the Virgin of Carrasquedo and open-air dancing is performed.
• 1 May: The Virgin of Carrasquedo is processed from the chapel to the church of San Juan Bautista, where it will spend the entire summer. The pilgrimage to the town is considerable in size and the dancers perform throughout the entire journey to the rhythm of traditional instruments such as the gaita and the tamboril. Before entering the town, a small procession heads out with Saint John the Baptist to meet with the virgin to welcome her. When the two saints meet, quatrains are usually recited. The following Sunday, the Virgin is taken out again to be paraded through the town and to bless the fields.
• Saint John and Saint Juanito (24 and 25 June): On the day of St John, bonfires are lit and people dance outside. At dawn, carriages are decorated on the hill and are then processed through the streets, waking the locals, who usually bring gifts of pastries and drinks (recently water has also been requested) from house to house.
• Fiesta de Gracias (Festival of Thanksgiving) (Last week in August): Thanks is given for the harvest and the Virgin is returned to the chapel, where she will spend the winter. On the last day of the festival, patatas a la riojana are prepared in the area surrounding the chapel.

Other events, that began to be celebrated at later dates, include:

• Caparrones at the Cruz de los Valientes (mid-August). Martín García's victory over his opponent from Santo Domingo is commemorated. Citizens of both towns meet halfway, where the cross stands, to make an offering of flowers and enjoy the famous caparrones.

A street market takes place in Grañón every Wednesday, where a variety of products can be purchased.

There are three associations of great importance to the lives of the town's citizens: the Association of Friends of the Chapel of Carrasquedo, the Martín García Association of the Elderly and the Women's Association of Grañón. The Friends of the Chapel of Carrasquedo Association carries out various activities, particularly in the month of August, during Cultural Week. Created in 1989, it publishes a magazine entitled Mirabel (previously La Voz Cultural), which is produced three times a year, containing articles that recount interesting stories about life in Grañón. Among the young, an important group is the Cuatro Cantones club, which carries out various activities during the month of August, such as games for children and the sharing out of choricillo, a smaller form of chorizo.