Meco, Spain

Last updated
Meco
Municipality
Bandera de Meco.svg
Flag
Coat of Arms of Meco.svg
Coat of arms
Spain location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Meco
Location in Spain
Coordinates: 40°33′14″N3°19′34″W / 40.55389°N 3.32611°W / 40.55389; -3.32611 Coordinates: 40°33′14″N3°19′34″W / 40.55389°N 3.32611°W / 40.55389; -3.32611
CountryFlag of Spain.svg  Spain
Autonomous community Flag of the Community of Madrid.svg  Madrid
Province Madrid
Comarca Comarca de Alcalá
Government
 •  Alcalde Pedro Luis Sanz Carlavilla (PP)
Area
 • Total35.07 km2 (13.54 sq mi)
Elevation
673 m (2,208 ft)
Population
 (2018) [1]
 • Total13,959
 • Density400/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Mequero
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
28880
Website Official website

Meco is a municipality in the eastern part of the Autonomous Community of Madrid, (Spain). In 2006, Meco had a population of 11,094 (Spanish National Statistics Institute).

Contents

The town is located to the north of the River Henares, in the comarca of La Campiña del Henares, and also in one of the two natural sub-comarcas that make up the Comarca de Alcalá, La Campiña del Henares, characterized by vast grain fields and gentle hills. It is 8 km to the north of the metropolitan area of Alcalá de Henares and 4 km from the University of Alcalá. It provides residences for the university and also is part of the Henares Industrial Corridor.

On the east, Meco borders the municipalities of Azuqueca de Henares and Villanueva de la Torre, of Guadalajara, and also the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. It can be reached by the Royal Cattle Track of Galiana or Riojana, and by the last section of the Henares Canal.

Geography

Located at the edge of one of the terraces of the River Henares, 35 km from the capital, Madrid. The rivers Las Monjas, Villanueva, and its tributary, Valdegatos.

Meco also has the distinction of being Spain's most distant populated area from the sea.

Economy

A town with a dry-soil agricultural tradition, Meco has long been an exporter of wheat, flour and bread to Alcalá, Guadalajara, and Madrid. Also, its economy is based on salt mining.

History

There are archaeological remains from the Iron Age, as well as a Roman necropolis. The municipality may have originated as a Roman agricultural estate, and may have been a wheat staple in Muslim times. After the re-conquest of the Media Marca (Middle March) by Alfonso VI, it came to form part of the Commune of Villa and Land of Guadalajara. In the 15th century, King Juan II gave it to the Marquis of Santillana, Iñigo López de Mendoza, who passed it ti his second son, Iñigo López de Mendoza, Count of Tendilla. The son of Iñigo López de Mendoza, also of the same name, added the title of Marquis of Móndejar by buying this villa from the Catholic Monarchs. In 1801, Alcalá de Henares was separated from the administration of Toledo and became capital of the administrative region. It also separated from Guadalajara, coming to form part of the region of Alcalá de Henares.

Art

Among the buildings of the town, a magnificent parish Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción (Meco) stands out. It is dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption, and is located on Plaza de la Constitución. Construction started in the middle of the 16th century in the Gothic Transitional style, and was completed in the 17th in Baroque style. The presbytery was therefore built of limestone masonry, while the sacristy and tower were brick.

A hall church with columns, its design has been attributed to Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón by some historians. It has three naves, the middle one with barrel vaults flattened at the top, and the lateral ones with pointed arches. Its Baroque dome is constructed on pendentives. It is surrounded by an atrium.

It was listed as an Artistic Historical Monument in 1982, and has been part of the Cultural Heritage of the Community of Madrid since 1992.

The town's main street also has fine examples of spacious historic houses.

There are two hermitages: that of Christ of Succour (Christo del Socorro, late 16th century?) and that of the Virgin (Virgen de la Cabeza, 17th century).

Demographic development

demographic variation of the municipality between 1991 and 2005
20112009200520042001199619911980
12,55412,41910,7749,9868,2674,1422,9281,117

Public transport

Meco has a train station which connects the village with Guadalajara, Alcalá de Henares and Madrid, along with many other cities and villages. It is connected with A-2 highway. It also has two line buses, which are the following:

Related Research Articles

Community of Madrid Autonomous community of Spain

The Community of Madrid is one of the seventeen autonomous communities of Spain. It is located in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula, and of the Central Plateau . Its capital is the city of Madrid, which is also the capital of the country. The Community of Madrid is bounded to the south and east by Castilla–La Mancha and to the north and west by Castile and León. It was formally created in 1983, based on the limits of the province of Madrid, which was until then conventionally included in the historical region of New Castile.

Guadalajara, Spain Municipality in Castilla–La Mancha, Spain

Guadalajara is a city and municipality in Spain, located in the autonomous community of Castilla–La Mancha. It is the capital of the Province of Guadalajara.

Alcalá de Henares Municipality in Community of Madrid, Spain

Alcalá de Henares is a Spanish city in the Community of Madrid. Straddling the Henares River, it is located 35 kilometres to the northeast of the centre of Madrid. As of 2018, it has a population of 193,751, making it the region's third-most populated municipality.

Province of Guadalajara Province of Spain

Guadalajara is a province of Spain, belonging to the autonomous community of Castilla–La Mancha. As of 2013 it had a population of 257,723 people. The population of the province has grown in the last 10 years. It is located in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula.

In Spain traditionally and historically, some autonomous communities are also divided into comarcas.

Alcalá, Alcalà or Alcala may refer to:

University of Alcalá Public university in Spain

The University of Alcalá is a public university located in Alcalá de Henares, a city 35 km northeast of Madrid in Spain and also the third-largest city of the region. It was founded in 1293 as a Studium Generale for the public, and was refounded in 1977. The University of Alcalá is especially renowned in the Spanish-speaking world for its annual presentation of the highly prestigious Cervantes Prize. The University currently enrolls 28,336 students, 17,252 of whom are studying undergraduate degrees which are taught by a teaching staff of 2,608 professors, lecturers and researchers belonging to 24 departments. The University is also proud of its modern and efficient administration, which is carried out by the Administration and Services, comprising approximately 800 people.

Camarma de Esteruelas Municipality in Community of Madrid, Spain

Camarma de Esteruelas is a Spanish village and municipality in the autonomous community of Madrid in central Spain, 35 km northeast of the city of Madrid and 5 km north of Alcalá de Henares. It belongs to the comarca of Alcalá.

Lorenzo Suárez de Mendoza, 5th Count of Coruña

Lorenzo Suárez de Mendoza, 5th Count of Coruña was the fifth viceroy of New Spain, who governed from October 4, 1580 to June 29, 1583. He was born into the old nobility of Spain, being a direct descendant of Íñigo López de Mendoza, 1st Marquess of Santillana, and a second cousin of Antonio de Mendoza, the first viceroy of New Spain.

Spain has many coats of arms: the nation has one, the reigning monarch and other leading members of the royal family each have one, and there are others for the institutions of state and for Spanish regions and towns.

Comarca de Alcalá historical comarca in Community of Madrid, Spain

Comarca de Alcalá is an historical comarca of Castile, located in what is now the east of the Community of Madrid, in Spain.

Azuqueca de Henares Place in Castile-La Mancha, Spain

Azuqueca de Henares is a municipality located in the province of Guadalajara, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. According to the 2013 census (INE), the municipality had a population of 34.685 inhabitants. The mayor of Azuqueca is José Luis Blanco.

Jadraque Municipality in Castilla–La Mancha, Spain

Jadraque is a municipality of Spain located in the province of Guadalajara, Castilla–La Mancha. The municipality spans across a total area of 38.91 km2. As of 1 January 2020, it has a population of 1,370.

Ajalvir Municipality in Madrid, Spain

Ajalvir is a town and municipality in the Autonomous Community of Madrid in central Spain, located 26 kilometres (16 mi) north-east of Madrid and 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) from Alcalá de Henares. It is located in the comarca of Alcalá.

Ambite Place in Madrid, Spain

Ambite is a municipality in the province of Madrid in central Spain. It belongs to the comarca of Alcalá. It has 382 inhabitants in an area of 26 square kilometres (10 sq mi), with a population density of 14.69 hab/km2. It lies 770 metres (2,530 ft) above sea level.

Daganzo de Arriba Municipality in Madrid, Spain

Daganzo de Arriba is a Spanish municipality in the Comarca de Alcalá, located in the east of Autonomous Community of Madrid. It has a population of about 9,000, of which are mostly young families, in more recent times people have been purchasing homes in the new housing subdivisions that are being built and residing within those new neighborhoods.

Algete Municipality in Madrid, Spain

Algete is a town and municipality in central Spain. It lies in the comarca de Alcalá in the autonomous community of the Community of Madrid. It had a population of 19,345 in 2008. Algete is 30 kilometres (19 mi) northeast of the capital.

Fuente el Saz de Jarama Municipality in Community of Madrid, Spain

Fuente el Saz de Jarama is a municipality of the autonomous community of Madrid in central Spain. It belongs to the comarca of Cuenca del Medio Jarama.

Pezuela de las Torres Municipality in Community of Madrid, Spain

Pezuela de las Torres is a municipality located in the Community of Madrid, Spain. Closely related to Guadalajara, this Alcarrian village maintains a unique spirit of country labour and tradition.

New Castle of Manzanares el Real

The New Castle of Manzanares el Real, also known as Castle of los Mendoza, is a palace-fortress erected in the 15th century in the town of Manzanares el Real, next to the Santillana reservoir at the foot of Sierra de Guadarrama mountain range.

References

  1. ↑ Municipal Register of Spain 2018. National Statistics Institute.

Statistics

Street guide, maps and aerial photos

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.