December 13th 2021

They delve into the historical-ethnographic aspects of saffron cultivation in Castilla-La Mancha

The second edition of the seminar 'Saffron, history, culture and society. XV-XXI Centuries' approached, from new perspectives, the history of this crop in Castilla-La Mancha. An activity organized by the Seminar on Social History of the Population (SEHISP) of the Faculty of Humanities of Albacete and the Regulatory Council Foundation of the Denomination of Origin (DO) Azafrán de La Mancha, within the annual agreements between both entities to continue delving into the historical-ethnographic aspects of this crop in our region.

The rector of the University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM), Julián Garde, virtually inaugurated this second seminar, thanking the organizers of the activity for this new research line of work and emphasizing that "in projects of this nature we accompany the Denomination of Origin. We are talking about a product with a clear social and regional tradition, and advancing in its cultural and historical part as a university is something very strategic”.

The presentation ceremony was also attended by the manager of the DO Saffron of La Mancha Regulatory Council Foundation, Pedro Manuel Pérez Juan; the dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Fernando González; and the director of the event, Francisco García.

For the manager of the Regulatory Council, this seminar means taking another step in the construction of the history of cultivation in the towns of La Mancha, which will allow the connotations associated with origin and tradition to be strengthened, so important in the differentiation of La Mancha saffron. Stain. "For us it is essential that the crop advances towards the future, but also safeguard the past because it is precisely in that history that we are trying to reconstruct that all the peculiarities that have made Saffron from La Mancha what it is, unique in the world, are born. world," he said.

Finally, the director of the seminar pointed out that on this occasion the presentations will delve into little-known aspects of saffron in the past, especially related to the cultural perspective. Contributions that will be made by experts and scholars on the subject and that "are fundamental to advance in the knowledge of a history like that of the saffron from La Mancha that is still to be done," he pointed out.

Throughout the morning, the session addressed issues such as: "Saffron in al-Andalus: cultivation and dietary uses", by Expiración García Sánchez, from the School of Arab Studies-CSIC; "The commercial routes of saffron: from La Mancha to Levante and to the World", which will be explained by Verónica Quiles López and David Beltrá Torregrosa, from the Commercial Museum of Alicante or "The saffron of La Mancha at the National Exhibition of 1857 and at the Universal Exhibition of Paris of 1867”, an issue defended by Plácida Vicenta Ballesteros Campos and Plácida Molina Ballesteros, from the National University of Distance Education.

The gender perspective and the role of women also had their space in this seminar in the conference "An anthropological look: saffron, gender and kinship in La Mancha", by Soledad Muñoz Oliver, UCLM-SEHISP, as well as their role in art, central theme of the paper “Saffron in Spanish culture. Artistic and visual functions from Modernity to the Contemporary World”, given by Alejandro Jaquero Esparcia, from the regional University.

Finally, and before ending the debate on lines of research and future projects, in which Francisco García González took part; Miguel Lucas Picazo, from the Institute of Albacete Studies; and Pedro M. Pérez Juan, Ramón Cózar Gutiérrez (UCLM-SEHISP) presented the paper "The saffron of La Mancha at school", a presence that is undoubtedly more than necessary to promote knowledge of it.

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