Fuente-Álamo


Fuente-Álamo is a municipality in Albacete, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It lies 61 km from the provincial capital and had a population of 2,639 as of 2011.

Etymology

According to tradition, the name Fuente-Álamo comes from a nearby spring located near a poplar that no longer stands.

Geography

Fuente-Álamo lies in the southeastern part of Albacete province at 800 m above sea level.

History

The first settlers of the area lived in caves in nearby mountains or small, fragile dwellings. Neolithic ruins have been found in Las Colleras, El Mainetico, and El Mainetón neighborhoods. Celtiberian and Roman ruins, in addition to their Neolithic counterparts, have been found on nearby Mount Fortaleza.
The first written records of Fuente-Álamo date to 1265, when the site was part of the fiefdom of Alpera and was named for its renowned springs. In 1269, the area became the village of Chinchilla de Monte-Aragón within the Seigneury of Villena, owned by the family of :es:Manueles de Villena|Manueles de Villena. At that time, Fuente-Álamo became pastureland and saw the first influx of shepherds. The creation of the Marquessate of Villena united Chinchilla and Fuente-Álamo, and they stayed united when the Spanish crown assumed control in 1480, in the wake of a peasant revolt against the marquess Diego López Pacheco y Portocarrero.
By the 16th century, there was already a small village with a hermitage and cemetery, none of which remain. In the mid-18th century, the site of present-day Fuente-Álamo passed to the Region of Murcia, only to become part of the short-lived Province of Chinchilla in 1823, which lasted only a year. In 1833, the current Province of Albacete was established, and that same year Fuente-Álamo was chartered a town. 19th-century mayor Miguel López del Castillo Tejada favored agriculture and therefore gave up significant portions of the town, shifting the city's center toward the neighborhood of Cerrón. The :es:Diccionario de Madoz|Diccionario de Madoz includes the following entry on Fuente-Álamo in the mid-19th century:
Since the 1960s, the town has experienced the fastest population growth in its history.

Economy

The town's economy is predominantly agricultural. The hot, arid climate lends itself to viticulture and olive growing, and to a lesser extent to the cultivation of barley, oats, and almonds. Although the area isn't recognizably pastoral, livestock are raised alongside crops. Sheep and goats are dwindling in number as the wool market shrinks and pasture lands become scarcer. Pork, however, is a growth industry here.
Industry is growing at an impressive rate, and the community is reaping the benefits. The local vintners almost all belong to the Cooperativa Vitivinícola San Dionisio. Founded in 1957, the co-op has grown rapidly and releases its wines on the national market through the Jumilla Denomination of Origin. The local dairy industry, initiated in 1987 for local consumption, has grown enough to market nationally as well. The furniture and shoe industries are recent arrivals, courtesy of plants in nearby Yecla and Almansa.
Since the 1960s, students from the Earth Science faculty from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam have been visiting the town for its well-expressed geological outcrops.

Public services

The town has a clinic and an indoor recreational center with a pool.

Historic sites

Festivals

The characteristic cuisine of Fuente-Álamo is rooted in the town's agrarian roots, brimming with strong, high-calorie dishes. The local specialty is the torta de Gazpacho, not to be confused with the Andalusian gazpacho. Though recipes vary, they all use flatbread. The torta de Gazpacho often includes game and snail. Gazpacho viudo is made with potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers instead of meat. Another type of gazpacho viudo is made with bacon. Gazpacho con orugas is made with fresh arugula from the local fields and mountains. Another distinctive local dish is ajiharina, a porridge of flour, potatoes, and pieces of guarra, a regional sausage. Mataero porridge is common on pig slaughter days. This is made with flour or crackers and the pig's bacon and liver, often seasoned with a variety of spices. Mataero is often served on a bed of pine nuts. The ajibolo or mortared garlic shares the salt cod, potatoes, olive oil, and garlic of the standard atascaburras of La Mancha, but eschews the usual nuts. :es:Gachasmigas|Gachasmigas, made with flour, potatoes, garlic, olive oil, water, and salt, is typical winter fare. In addition to these dishes, Fuente-Álamo produces its own goat cheese, now on a much larger scale than the home production of the past. Typical desserts include hornazo, arrope, butter cakes, :es:flor frita|flor frita, and sweetbreads.