Castrojeriz
Castrogeriz
BurgosCastilla y León
From the Latin Castrum Sigerici 'the hillfort of Sigeric', a Gothic personal name applied to a Roman castro repopulated by a Visigothic noble. A toponym characteristic of the Duero Meseta repopulation.
Evolution of the name
- Castrum Sigerici medieval Latin 6th — 9th century
- Castro Xeriz medieval Romance Castilian 10th — 12th century
- Castrojeriz Castilian from the 13th century
Reflections, to the letter
When you climb the hill at Castrojeriz, what you're seeing is exactly a castro: from the Latin castrum, a fortified hilltop settlement. It's the word that named this town and dozens more along the Camino —Castromaior, Castrillo, Castromonte—. They were pre-Roman refuges that Rome adapted and the Middle Ages reused as fortresses. In any bakery in town they'll give you pan candeal: hard Meseta wheat, white, tight-crumbed. Candeal comes from the Latin candidus, “bright white”, the same root as candil (oil lamp), cándido (candid) and candidato (a Roman candidate, who wore a white toga to stand out in the crowd). On the white Meseta, bread is named for its colour.
Glossary
- Anthroponym
- A personal name, often used as the base of toponyms (Lucronius → Logroño, Sigerici → Castrojeriz).
- Castrum
- A Roman military camp, originally permanent or seasonal, frequently reused in the Early Middle Ages as a defensive nucleus. The origin of hundreds of peninsular (Castro, Castrillo, Castrojeriz) and British toponyms (-chester, -caster: Manchester, Lancaster).
- Pre-Roman
- Prior to the Romanisation of the Iberian peninsula (3rd century BC); applied to toponyms, linguistic roots and populations.
- Repopulation
- A medieval process by which the Christian kingdoms of the northern Iberian peninsula resettled territories reconquered from al-Andalus. Generates a whole layer of repopulation toponyms: Bercianos (those from El Bierzo), Navarrete (little Navarre), Castellanos, Gallegos.
Sources
- Ayuntamiento de Castrojeriz — Historia de Castrojeriz
- Piel, J.M. — Antroponímia germânica visigoda (Coímbra, 1976)
- Menéndez Pidal, R. — Orígenes del español (Madrid: Espasa-Calpe, 1926)
- Estepa Díez, C. — El nacimiento de León y Castilla (Valladolid: Ámbito, 1985)
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Camino Francés