The sign by the Cruz de los Valientes says: "Esta cruz recuerda una disputa medieval entre Santo Domingo de la Calzada y Grañón por la propriedad de una dehesa. Hoy, olvidadas esas antiguas demandas, hermana a ambas localidades."
However, a noticeboard in Grañón says (in English): "It is a well known fact that the quality of Grañón's fertile land caused disputes between its town council and that of Santo Domingo de la Calzada. One of the most famous incidents took place at the beginning of the 19th century, when a local from Grañón and another from Santo Domingo fought to the death for the right to retain ownership of an area covering some thousand fanegas (43,000 square metres) which was situated on a hillside leading down to Santo Domingo. ... " The French version of this story on the same noticeboard refers to the beginning of the 17th century ("au début du XVIIè siècle") and an area of "environ 450 hectares". [i.e. 4,500,000 square metres] According to Wiktionary, a fanega is about 6440 m². So 1,000 fanegas would be 6,440,000 m² which is at least in the same ball-park as 450 hectares. 43,000 m² could be a square with a side of 207.4 m – a fairly small field, hardly worth dying for. 450 hectares, on the other hand, could be a square with a side of 2.12 kilometres – worth arguing about, at least.
I brought this up partly to indicate that you can't believe everything you read, and partly to ask if there is any evidence that the story of the fight is true, and, if there is, when did the fight take place? Even the 17th century is not in the Middle Ages.
However, a noticeboard in Grañón says (in English): "It is a well known fact that the quality of Grañón's fertile land caused disputes between its town council and that of Santo Domingo de la Calzada. One of the most famous incidents took place at the beginning of the 19th century, when a local from Grañón and another from Santo Domingo fought to the death for the right to retain ownership of an area covering some thousand fanegas (43,000 square metres) which was situated on a hillside leading down to Santo Domingo. ... " The French version of this story on the same noticeboard refers to the beginning of the 17th century ("au début du XVIIè siècle") and an area of "environ 450 hectares". [i.e. 4,500,000 square metres] According to Wiktionary, a fanega is about 6440 m². So 1,000 fanegas would be 6,440,000 m² which is at least in the same ball-park as 450 hectares. 43,000 m² could be a square with a side of 207.4 m – a fairly small field, hardly worth dying for. 450 hectares, on the other hand, could be a square with a side of 2.12 kilometres – worth arguing about, at least.
I brought this up partly to indicate that you can't believe everything you read, and partly to ask if there is any evidence that the story of the fight is true, and, if there is, when did the fight take place? Even the 17th century is not in the Middle Ages.
