Villaconejos


Villaconejos is a municipality of the Community of Madrid, Spain. Historically, Villaconejos' economy has always been based on agriculture. Examples of the region's common crops include olive vines,cereals and fruits such as melons, which are popular throughout Spain. Villaconejos prides itself in being the home of the famous Melon Museum, a place where fruits are celebrated.

Etymology

The town's name is coined from which literally means 'rabbits' in Spanish. The general belief is the idea of the name stems from the abundance of rabbits in the region; in addition to the local flare for hunting.

History

The history of Villaconjos may be traced to the place known as 'El Vedado' and a small hill known as 'Cerro Barbero,' formerly called 'Cerro Galguera'. These names are closely related to 'hunting' 'the closed area' and 'hunting dogs', which are used for their agility and speed. Hunting took place until recently. Earlier, there used to be an association of hunters in the locality.
The abundance of rabbits and the reputation of melons in the area have long been recorded in historical writings.
In 1561 significant deforestation happened in the area known as El Montecillo. There were numerous oak, pine, and gall trees and the area were so dense in vegetation that it was inhabited by large numbers of wolves. The deforestation was undertaken by local residents.
Residents had to carry out raids, occasionally carrying firearms due to the risk from animals in the vicinity of local villages. There were wolves around the area who preyed on rabbits.