Tordesillas

Historia

Tordesillas is a town and municipality in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, central Spain. It is located southwest of the provincial capital, Valladolid at an elevation of. The population was c. 9,000.The town is known for its Toro de la Vega festival during which a bull was slaughtered by people on horseback and on foot. Animal rights groups repeatedly tried to stop this from taking place.The bull is at least five years old when he's killed and is allowed to live in a large property to keep him territorial, unlike other animals who are killed for the butcher at one year of age. Finally, in May 2016 the Regional government issued a decree prohibiting the slaughter of the bull in public; animal rights activists regarded it as a victory after years denouncing publicly the cruelty with great national and worldwide coverage. The mayor of the town, backed unanimously by the opposition, made a statement of outrage on the same day of the prohibition. The bull's slaughter had come to be inextricably associated with the name of the town, overshadowing its rich monumental and historical heritage.The town is located on the Douro River although the river is not navigable up to Tordesillas. There are highway connections to Madrid, to the southeast, and with Salamanca, to the southwest. The provincial capital of Valladolid is also linked by four-lane highway.Because of its important highway connections Tordesillas has become a major transit hub. The economy is based on services — especially connected to tourism — and the agricultural production of the surrounding area. Wheat has long been the traditional agricultural product (see Cuisine of the province of Valladolid).