Villaconejos

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Villaconejos
Bandera de Villaconejos.svg
Escudo de Villaconejos.svg
Villaconejos (Madrid) mapa.svg
Municipal location within the Community of Madrid.
CountryFlag of Spain.svg  Spain
Autonomous community Community of Madrid
Area
  Total14.15 sq mi (36.65 km2)
Elevation
2,230 ft (680 m)
Population
 (2018) [1]
  Total3,363
  Density240/sq mi (92/km2)
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
  Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)

Villaconejos is a municipality of the Community of Madrid, Spain. Historically, Villaconejos's economy has been based on agriculture. Examples of the region's common crops include olives, cereals, and fruits, including melons. The melons of Villaconejos are popular throughout Spain. [2] Villaconejos is home to a Melon Museum. [3] [4]

Contents

Etymology

The Ayuntamiento Ayuntamiento de Villaconejos.jpg
The Ayuntamiento

The town's name comes from Conejos which literally means 'rabbits' in Spanish. [5] The general belief is that the name stemmed from the historical abundance of rabbits in the region, and the hunters attracted to the region by said rabbits.

History

The history of Villaconejos may be traced to the place known as 'El Vedado' ("The Reserve"), 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.' Hunting took place near Villaconejos until the late 16th Century, when deforestation reduced the rabbit population.

The historical abundance of rabbits and the reputation of melons in the area have long been recorded in historical writings. There were so many rabbits in the area that wolves began frequenting the area, occasionally attacking persons in the local village.

In 1561, significant deforestation occurred within the area known as El Montecillo. There were numerous oak, pine, and gall trees that made the area dense in vegetation until the wolf problem arose. The local residents took it upon themselves to deforest the area.

Before the deforestation, the rabbits tended to forage on the local farms to survive. The rabbits lived in the vicinity of villages and towns, making their homes in the nearby forests. As a result of the large rabbit populations, wolves were able to thrive, and their numbers rose exponentially. It was in response to the wolf problem that the people of the municipality heavily deforested nearby areas. The result was a reduction in the wolf population, but the rabbit population also decreased dramatically.

Over time, the hunters who had come to the area, attracted by the local rabbit population, became less enamored of the area, leading to the collapse of the hunting association and reducing economic growth in the community.

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References

  1. Municipal Register of Spain 2018. National Statistics Institute.
  2. ""Somos la única organización agraria que apuesta por el agricultor y ganadero profesional", José Carlos Velasco, AGIM-COAG".
  3. "Museo del Melón de Villaconejos: único en el mundo | On the road". www.conmuchagula.com (in Spanish). 2011-07-12. Retrieved 2020-08-04.
  4. Melon Museum Archived 2015-02-24 at the Wayback Machine
  5. "Home | Conejos County". conejoscounty.colorado.gov. Retrieved 2023-10-10.

40°11′00″N3°48′00″W / 40.1833333433°N 3.80000001°W / 40.1833333433; -3.80000001