Fine loss - Villafáfila

There are only two elements that have such relevance in Villafáfila, saving their peculiarities, the Holy Week Trumpet [1] and the Piedra Fina.

Such a significant stone will ask themselves! Those who do not know it, what is it, the best quality of all stones, a meteorite, its economic value, is it magical, or does it have healing properties, well, it is not a pure and hard stone.

For anyone not from Villafáfila, or simply not born with its presence between (2001-2024), it began as simply as they say a simple stone is a stone, but a stone a black Marquina marble stone weighing 7 arrobas (80Kg), fine dark grey, almost black, with white veins of fine texture, placed in what was the house-palace of the Marquis of Távara, lords of Villafáfila from 1542-1836 on its east façade, which served as a windowsill for one of the doors of the main façade facing east of the building, which was raised about 30 centimetres from the ground, which was used as a public seat, its privileged location from which the entire Plaza Mayor and part of the Plaza de San Martín could be seen with a certain perspective. With a history that has made it particular over the course of the last two centuries of this Villa de Villafáfila.

Its location over time made it a preferred place to settle in it, with their butts, the neighbors of the Villa gave it great importance, as to baptize it with the name of "Piedra Fina" (Fine Stone) , a symbol of our childhood . They turned it into a great point of reference in the Plaza Mayor, many of the young fifths spent hours in it and by its side, playing games, confessions, courtship, etc. which turned it not into a simple stone, but into the Fine Stone, which earned their affection and myth.

Among the conjectures about where it might or might not have been, there was one of greater depth, almost by which one can say that it was so, without ruling out another, that it would have been brought at the time from the Monastery of Santa María de Moreruela when the monks were disenclosed, who were disenclosed three times between the first and third decade of the 19th century [2] , until finally in 1836.

The residents of Villafáfila, moved by the parish priests of the town at the time of the churches of Santa María del Moral, San Martín, El Salvador, and San Pedro, brought some of the belongings of the monastery of Santa María de Moreruela, which are still preserved, the two choir stalls [3] , some saints, San Benito and San Bernardo, some fabrics that were placed in the main altarpiece of the church of Santa María del Moral de Villafáfila [4] .

As reflected in the Accounts Book of Santa María del Moral de Villafáfila in 1812:

“…twelve reales are allocated for the feeding of the parishioners, who on holidays went with ox carts to bring the remains of the Monastery of Moreruela to this church ” [5] .

Place, ownership and location of the palace-house of the Marquis of Távara, where the Piedra Fina was located

History of the place and ownership of the palace-house of the Marquis of Távara

The place where the fine stone was located is the so-called house-palace of the Marquis of Távara, which was located in the middle of the urban area, with part of the Plaza Mayor to the north, the main façade with the shield to the east, the Plaza Mayor to the south, the Plaza del Reloj or Pequeña where the Town Hall is located, and Rejadorada Street to the west.

During the Middle Ages, the building that symbolised power in Villafáfila was the Castle or fortress, located in the north-west corner of the walled enclosure, now included in the hamlet. The governors appointed by the commanders of the Order of Santiago resided there. They also had a house in the square, but in 1494 it was an abandoned plot of land.

The oldest reference that has reached us of it was produced by the following fact, where the intentions of dominion of D. Rodrigo Alonso de Pimentel Quiñones ^{^[6]} IV Count, I Duke of Benavente over Villafáfila, were maintained throughout the 15th century, until, in time of the civil wars of the reign of Enrique IV around 1467, and coinciding with the confrontation of D. Rodrigo Pimentel Quiñones with his father-in-law, the Marquis of Villena Juan Fernández Pacheco and Téllez Girón [7] Master of the Order of Santiago ^{^[8]} , he seized Villafáfila for a purely economic interest.

The delivery of Villafáfila to his brother D. Pedro Pimentel y Quiñones ^{^[9]} Lord of Távara by his brother Count, was the result of an agreement between both, by which the Count received from Don Pedro the town of Almança and the place of Pobladura, which he had possessed since the death of his first wife, Doña Francisca de Almança.

This agreement was established by means of a deed signed by both brothers on 30-XI-1470 ^{^[10]} . For this reason, Don Pedro gave the Count his town of Almança with its fortress, land and jurisdiction, taxes and rights, in exchange for receiving from the Count, within a period of two years, another equal amount, both in rents, as well as jurisdiction and vassals in another part, upon receiving the town of Villafáfila, he established his temporary residence there, for which he bought some houses in 1475, which would be the future popularly called house-palace of the Marquis of Távara, which lasted until the end of the 20th century.

“some houses of Pedro de Porras and Maria Gonzalez, his wife, with their corral and patio in the district of San Martin, in the Plaza, within the town, bordering the house of Juan de Villagomez and the wine press of Alvaro de Leon, the wine cellar of Juan de Vaderas and public streets and the town square. In Villafáfila on the fifteenth day of January, year of the birth of our Savior, one thousand four hundred and seventy-five years old. Witness: Yván de Collantes, warden, Pedro Martinez, boy, Juan de Muélledes and Juan Zapatero. Alfonso Sanchez, scribe and public notary” ^{^[11]} .

Don Pedro lived in Villafáfila with his family, as different people at the beginning of the 16th century, remember his second wife, Doña Inés Enríquez de Guzmán [12] , daughter of the Count of Alba de Liste, living in the town, in the first fortress:

"He remembered that Don Pedro Pimentel, father of the aforementioned Don Bernardino, had been lord of the said town and that he had lived and resided there with his wife Doña Ynes, who lived in the fortress that was then in Villafáfila" ,

“He knew Doña Ynes for more than fifty years (before 1478) , and lived with her and with the said Don Pedro for about fifty years and was her carter for two years . ”

Bernardino Pimentel y Enríquez, his son, was probably born there. He bought the town in 1542, since the old residents of Villafáfila remember in 1546 that they had known him since he was a child when he went to school in Villafáfila:

"He knew Don Bernaldino since he was a small child, raised in this town in the house of Don Pedro," or "He has known Don Bernaldino since both of them, he and this witness, were small and went to school ,"

Possibly in the home of the notary Antº de Villegas, who taught children to read [13] .

In August 1497, by means of a deed made in Villafáfila, Don Pedro and Doña. Inés founded an entail over the towns of Távara and Alija and their lands and other patrimonial assets, in favor of their son Don Bernaldino [14] .

With the restitution of the town to the Order of Santiago by the Catholic Monarchs in 1497, Don Pedro no longer needed the house and it was purchased by his brother, the Count of Benavente, D. Rodrigo Alonso de Pimentel Quiñones, in 1499 for 50,000 mrs.

Later, Juan Alonso Pimentel y Pacheco ^{^[15]}II Duke, V Count of Benavente, on July 4, 1507, a decree was issued in his favor, providing him with the encomienda of Castrotorafe. One of the obligations as a commander was to reside in the encomienda for four months. Count D. Alonso, to avoid the obligation of residence for four months a year, which the commanders had, acquired a house in Villafáfila, the same one that had previously belonged to his uncle D. Pedro Pimentel y Quiñones, lord of Távara, located in the Plaza, although the few times he stayed in Villafáfila, it was on the way, and he did not always stay in this house-palace, but rather stayed at the house of the archpriest D. Diego de Robles ^{^[16]} , belonging to the families of noblemen who were always under the patronage of the Pimentel, since the middle of the 15th century. He founded the Chaplaincy of the Conception, in the church of San Juan in 1546.

"that if he ever went or came to the said town of Villafáfila it was on the way, and that if he ever stayed or stayed in the said town it was very seldom and he stayed in the house called the palace and in the archpriest's house . "

He was succeeded in the encomienda by his son, named D. Pedro Pimentel Pedro Pimentel y Velasco (1517-1583), I Marquis of Viana del Bollo, thirteen, Commander of Castrotorafe (1520) in the Order of Santiago [17] , who came to the town rarely, except on one occasion:

" because they were dying in the town of Benavente, where he resided" "he stayed there for a few days, which would be three or four months, more or less... this witness saw that he and his servants were staying in some houses that the old count, his father, had in the said town ."

This house was sold by Antonio Alonso Pimentel and Herrera de Velasco [18] , VI Count and III Duke of Benavente in 1542 to D. Bernardino Pimentel and Enríquez I Marquis of Távara ^{^[19]} , in 1559 (he was the son of D. Pedro Pimentel and Quiñones ^{^[20]} lord of Távara who had previously occupied and tyrannized) acquired from the crown when the latter bought the lordship (alfoz) of the Villa Villafáfila that belonged to the Order of Santiago since 1229.

Indeed, on January 31, 1542, before having taken possession of the town, and knowing that his neighbors were against giving him lodgings for himself and his servants, the deed of sale was signed in Barcial del Barco between the Count of Benavente and Don Bernardino Pimentel, of some houses in Villafáfila, buying several wine cellars which were towards the Plaza del Reloj, and the beginning of Rejadorada Street on the right, and wine presses which were next to the palace that faced the Plaza del Ayuntamiento or Reloj, and against Rejadorada Street, in the square, bordering the houses of Gómez de Castro, the corral and wine press of Diego de Villagómez, the house, corral, patio and wine cellar of Villalobos, a cleric, and with the square on two sides, which would be almost all of what is today the new part of the square that he owned, for a value of 38,000 mrs. That is, on the corner between the two squares. Which were the same ones he had previously lived in as a child.

except for a winery “ Juan de Vaderas winery” later called the Costilla winery [21] , the San Martín winery that borders the Marquis's palace and is on the P and N side of the street, measured 17.7m long by 5m high.

“…and a cellar with a wine press and a cave, with two vats, located in the San Martín district, bordering the marquis's palace to the east and council street to the north.”

It corresponds to the winery known until a few years ago as D. Ramón Costilla, currently included in the park next to the Plaza Mayor.

As his new vassals began to sue him for the abuses he wanted to subject them to, Don Bernardino became angry with his former countrymen and barely returned:

“Three or four years ago he spent a little time in the town, and then he left angry, saying that they had not wanted to give him lodging...; When Don Bernaldino comes, which has been very few times, he goes to stay at the house of Juan de Castro and the archpriest, because after he brings a lawsuit, he rarely comes to Villafáfila, passing through Otero so as not to enter Villafáfila...; he has not lived or lives in the said town, except when he comes on the road and passes through Tábara or from Tábara to Valladolid, he stays and comes to stay at the house of Juan de Castro or the archpriest . ”

The houses must have been in a poor state already, and the bulls that were run on Saint John's Day were kept in them. They began to be renovated in the winter of 1545-1546, to turn them into palace houses as they would later be called in 1560:

“some large houses, called the Palace, which are in this town, in the middle of both squares with some rear corrals that border on one side with houses that also belong to his lordship, where at present I, the present notary, live… which border on houses belonging to Gaspar de Villalpando, barber, and in front with the small square of said town… and on the other side of said corrals they border on the wine press and the cellar that belonged to Francisco Arias, deceased, you of this town that now belongs to his heirs . ”

From 1551 to 1566, Don Bernardino, and later his son, bought almost all the houses in the block, some located in the San Martín district, and others, those behind, in the San Pedro district. Only the winery on the northeast corner remained in the possession of the Costilla family until the 20th century.

1566 a winery with a wine press in the San Martín district and another winery and wine press next to it, but in the San Pedro district.

As we can see in the delimitation of the photograph of what was all that comprised the house-palace, it was where the main house was located, which gave its most important façade to the square. 2 is the one bought by the marquis, once the houses were reformed and enlarged, the representatives of the marquis lived in them: the town's mayor, and the clerk with his servants, becoming a symbol of the manorial power in the town, sometimes despotic, like that exercised by the mayor Soto at the end of the 16th century. In addition to the set of houses, it was made up of corrals, by larger granaries to store grain, utensils, etc., and huts for stables or other animals.

And the Marquis of Távara died there on July 18, 1559, making his will the day before.

The houses would deteriorate over the centuries, although even in 1779 in a survey of the properties of the Duke of Infantado, to whom the lordship had fallen, it was still called:

“Palace House in the Plaza, San Martín neighborhood, borders and faces south with the Small Plaza and the Town Hall houses, to the east the main doors lead to the large plaza, it forms a corner with the doors of the prison of this town, to the west with Don Francisco Costilla's wine cellar, to the north with the barley granary that said palace has, to which it is connected, it forms a corner with a distance of three steps . ”

The structure was more durable than the Town Hall, which had also been built in the 16th century, so in 1794 municipal elections were held:

"in his lordship's palace house because the town hall's house is exposed to ruin . "

At the time of the War of Independence (1808-1814) the palace-house was occupied by the French, suffering considerable damage and may well have formed part of the old building that was in ruins.

The lord of the town, D. Pedro de Alcántara Álvarez de Toledo y Salm-Salm, XIII Duke of Infantado, XII Marquis of Távara (1790-184 . ), and his administrators, who proceed to claim [23] from the residents of Villafáfila various rents that they had stopped paying him corresponding to the years of French occupation [24] .

In August 1815, the courts requested a delay in the collection of the debt from His Excellency the Duke for:

"the extreme decadence in which the destructive war left it, as the enemy maintained a detachment in this town throughout its series of years, and their continuous passage through the town to carry troops from León, Astorga and Benavente to Toro and Zamora, ensuring the communication of the armies . "

Administrator García Patón from Zamora informs the Duke of the bad disposition of those from Villafáfila and makes three accusations:

The first refers to the destruction of the palace-house through its use as a barracks by Napoleonic troops, and the dismantling of belongings and wood by the neighbours taking advantage of this period of crisis:

"These who call themselves humble vassals have been the most ungrateful, without respect for the benefits they have received since last year 1543 until January 5, 1809, with which they have looked with the greatest contempt on the rights and royalties of SE, making their palace their headquarters without respect for having it furnished with beds and other uses that most of them use, the breadbaskets bringing out their grains, serving these for the horses during the War. “Lastly, there are only two and a half doors left, having burned all the others, and the windows, having torn out the iron bars and balconies, as well as demolishing the kitchen down to its foundations, taking away the wood from it, and the entire two-story building and the same for the three-division ceilings, even taking out the load-bearing walls of the interior divisions. Said palace served, in times when there were no Frenchmen, as a corral to lock up all kinds of cattle that the council guards imprisoned until they paid the penalty, and said palace as a ball game, which I could not contain despite the services I gave them, jumping over corrals and demolishing the roofs to climb up the balls and catch nests of all kinds of birds, and forced me to wall up doors and windows at other costs...”

"...not wanting there to be any memory of the fact that he had once been their lord, they therefore decided, and it can be said that at an accelerated pace, to ensure the defeat and ruin of the Palace, whose fragments they took advantage of..."

The neighbours defend themselves against the accusations and claim that the War of Independence and the French occupation caused great destruction to the buildings, as confirmed by the notary Vitacarros:

“The house of SE was not used for the kind of barracks but rather as the main one for the guard of the French by order of their commanders, both when they were garrisoned here, as when their divisions marched and countermarched along this crossing and general route that they took when they came down from Leon, Astorga and Benavente to Toro, Salamanca and Zamora, if only that in two or more remissions of prisoners that they made in Asturias and El Bierzo they had them in the same house for their safety and comfort, in which time due to the retreat and escape of different prisoners the ceilings and partitions of the said house suffered damage and other times they occupied with the reins and justice of this town as well as those of its canton, and that in the breadbaskets, after being cleared of grain, they made a quadra and in the Royal Pósito of this town at the passage of the division of Dragoons and other cavalry and that permanence of their detachment because one and the other were in the Public Square, ... and if the Xª and the neighbours would have forgotten their respect and zeal, they would have burned themselves several times, as they would get dark and not wake up in them, leaving the bonfires set in the courtyard and other occupied parts, and at the moment that their absence was known and other times that they were on observation, they would go, as this witness did, to inspect the house and put out the fire that they found in it .

The palace-house of the Marquis of Távara, its last decade until its sale, belonged to the House of Osuna, where the title of Marquis of Távara had been integrated into said house through D. Mariano Téllez-Girón and Beaufort Spontin, 12th Duke of Osuna, 15th Duke of Infantado, 13th Marquis of Távara, 1845-1882.

D. Marcelino Trabadillo Fernández de Villafáfila “El Relator” [25] , a bachelor of law from the University of Valladolid, a lawyer of the Royal Councils, is a Criminal Rapporteur [26] in the Court of Madrid, belonging to the Madrid bourgeoisie , and was previously the administrator of the entire Villafáfila estate owned by the Duke of Infantado and Marquis of Távara.

In 1857, Don Marcelino bought the entire Villafáfila estate owned by the Duke of Osuna from Don Mariano Téllez-Girón, 12th Duke of Osuna, including the palace-house.

The state they were in was lamentable after being purchased from the Duke of Osuna in 1857, along with his properties in the town.

From oral tradition we know of Marcelino's intention to rebuild the palace, for which he would reuse the remains of the old one and acquire other construction elements possibly from the monastery of Moreruela. The idea was to rebuild it and equip it as a palace, but he had bought a large amount of land and places, both in Villafáfila, la Tabla, Bretó, Revellinos, etc., and he did not materialize this idea, but rather to rebuild it after the state it had been left in after the war of independence, and then reuse it.

The house became the property of his son, D. Luis Trabadillo Ganado [27] (son of Marcelino), in 1881, after the death of his father, who must not have paid much attention to him, as he was prodigal and went bankrupt.

D. Luis Trabadillo Ganado, burdened by debts from his failed businesses, sold this house-palace around 1922.

Purchased by D. Pedro Miranda Gutiérrez, “Mirandín” , who rebuilt a large two-storey house for housing, commerce, dance hall and theatre and breadbasket, who would buy the winery that was next door that we have already described “ Juan de Vaderas winery” later called the Costilla winery, to the north what is today the new part of the entire Plaza Mayor, halfway against Rejadorada street, which was the border of the house-palace, is the oldest referenced winery in Villafáfila dating from 1475, corresponds to the winery known until years ago as D. Ramón Costilla, and would join it to the entire plot, which would form a wall to its line.

D. Pedro Miranda Gutiérrez, “Mirandín” passed on the mansion to his daughters, Mrs. Fidela Miranda and her son-in-law Mr. Gabino Gutiérrez, who maintained the business until his death. and Publia Miranda, who was single, the house in recent decades also took on the nickname of “Gabino's house or the Fidelas” .

Around 1990, the Villafáfila Town Council bought the house-palace of the Marquis of Távara and the entire site, with Mr. Luis Fernando Fidalgo Montero as mayor.

In 1993 it housed the Las Salinas workshop school and then in 1995, the Otero de Sariegos school.

In 2001, the palace-house of the Marquis of Távara and its entire site were demolished, while Mr. Antonio Jesús Rodríguez Valverde was mayor.

The place became a public space adjacent to and enlarged the existing Plaza Mayor.

Exact location of the Pierda Fina inside the palace-house of the Marquis of Távara

The location of the fine stone in the house-palace of the Marquis of Távara, to the east on the main façade that was in front of the Plaza Mayor, was in the second door, it was the highest, counting from the corner of the Plaza del Reloj, corresponding to a warehouse and the staircase to the upper floor, it was painted a light brown color, and it was part of the main house, it was a passage room and from there the staircase came out, then came the door to the ballroom, followed by one to a snack bar that was later closed. to end with the bread basket, almost at the corner of the pediment, in which there were two stones. All had whitish slabs, which are still preserved, some had two as steps,

Its location, slightly elevated, with a panoramic view over the entire square, up to the church of San Martín. Raised about 30-40 cm from the ground and with its polished texture, made it a privileged and coveted place for children and adults to sit.

From its privileged location in the palace-house of the Marquis of Távara, the Piedra Fina could be seen sitting on it at hand.

The overall view with a view of the entire Plaza Mayor, the middle and southern parts of Plaza de San Martín, with the houses that surrounded each square.

The north with a global view of the Plaza Mayor, trinquete, northern part of the dance floor with the surrounding houses.

To the northeast of the Plaza Mayor are the entrances to (left) Dr. Fuertes Street (previously named Costanilla Street) and (right) Lavapiés Street, separated from each other only by the house that belonged to Dr. Daniel Fuertes.

Globally the south of the main square, the middle and south part of the Plaza de San Martín which is adjacent, with the houses that surrounded each square.

To the southeast of the Plaza Mayor is the Plaza San Martín, from which you can see the middle and southern area, where the now-disappeared church of San Martín was located (now an apartment building).

To the southwest is the library and bar Los Jubilados, a place that was a girls' school and prison, the south central area and part of the south of the dance floor.

The Piedra Fina is a 7 arrobas (80Kg) black Marquina marble stone, fine, dark grey in colour, almost black, with white veins, measuring in length… by… width between approximately 80 cm long and approximately 50 cm wide, just enough for two people to sit on (putting two butts on it, rubbing it and tuning it).

It was part of a group of carved stones with moldings that were placed on the entrance doors to the palace-house in the square; there was no other of its color in the town.

The northernmost doors against the pediment, corresponding to a breadbasket, had the other stones to the hall that also served as a dance hall.

There was another group with the same characteristics, with molding, although somewhat longer, in the curtain of the factory, currently the Las Lagunas Inn and those buildings.

It was so fine that the people of the town , for so many generations, made it a custom to sit in it , where only two people could fit, if there were more people they would sit on the ground around it, which became something symbolic. When we went out to play in the nursery school that was the girls' school (now the library), or when we arrived at the square from any corner, the first thing we did was to see if it was free and run to take a seat in it:

Time and the repetition of resting one's buttocks on it gave it a very privileged place in the square, coveted, charismatic, magical, popular among the residents of the town, reaching the point of having a great sentimental value for the Piedra Fina, which had been enthroned to the stone, no one yielded, since so many good people had participated in its hard work polishing its surface even more, with their asses to its port side. With patience polished in a prime place.

In a theoretical way it could be, or not so theoretical, the fact of breaking your ass to sit on it is like a trophy or an enhancement to be on it, and the rest on the floor as if it were a sentence, very fine and so smooth! That's how the hobby began, it became an addiction, by sitting on it, between all of us we had polished it, due to the tremendous friction that each day received a battalion of asses to which they thus contributed dedicated to such a mission.

This made the Piedra Fina very well tuned and worn with diligence, it became so internalized that the quintadas, one after the other, sat on it, making it so popular and sentimental that it was baptized and everyone called it "The Fine Stone" , this noble circumstance undoubtedly increased its value, it was no longer a stone but, our Fine Stone, so it can be said that it was in existence for a century and a half, from the end of the first third of the 19th century to the end of the 20th century.

Such was his power over all the residents of the town that there was no one who did not succumb to his charm of settling down with his ass, enthroning himself there, serving as a watchtower for us, observing everything as if a kestrel were in high flight.

But at its mercy not only did this happen, but it also arose in its sphere where there were circles of games to play with , to play with children, to play with taba, to play with pictures by little girls, in it there were hundreds of confessions and conversations of young people, of friendships, anger, young men, of the charms of youth, declarations of first loves, with conquests, first kisses, some intimate caresses of adolescents and broken dreams, the Piedra Fina had no rest in the year, at any hour of the day or night.

This is how the Novillero told us in 2011 in the old forum of Villafáfila, longing for his adolescence:

“I lean my back against the wall, it's stifling hot and the north-facing wall still retains the coolness of the night. I calmly finish the Marlboro before going to have a beer at the Pensioners' bar . ”

“ That ring, the track… The world revolved around that track and the track revolved around that stone, the bench of that first kiss, that of the clumsy touch of your first bra… ”

The inclement weather, whatever the season of the year, was no impediment, it gave off its radiant attraction; in the winters, those youths, the power of Pierda Fina was stronger than the cold of the frost, fog, even being there, neither rain nor wind diminished it; in the summers, with its torrid heat, there are so many sunset lights with total surrender to its charms! If we had given it a simple tip for sitting there, the town would have been the richest.

All of this, from farm to farm, even from generation to generation, grandparents, parents, children, spoke to you about having been settled there, as time went by they appreciated it more, whoever does not know about it and hears it will say that if it was not a stone or a boulder it would be a diamond, but no, we would answer that it was our Fine Stone.

Another comment from the old Villafáfila forum, yearning for the childhood memories that it brought back to Sidi:

“ What memories you bring back from my childhood, we considered you like a jewel, with your smooth face, your grey skin with those fine white veins, you were an attraction to us, we all wanted to sit our butts on you, what moments around you, of games like taba, trading cards, eating ice cream bought at the red one, what long talks, oh if only you could talk! How many secrets you keep, as the bullfighter says, some touch of hands, an exchange of sweet glances and confidences. ”

But chance, without any malice involved, made her go silent. Did she disappear, for those of us who already knew how she felt? In the last two decades, the first of the 21st century, the new generations of the Villa were left without her finesse, enjoyment and polish with her ass in it, and from that, the saying that everyone says remained:

La Piedra Fina that goes to literature, by the hand of the writer D. Javier Martín Lorenzo in his novel book “Nana and the onions”, from 2022.

“Sitting on it, Nana understood one morning the meaning of her past life and the hope that the future would bring her, together with her granddaughter Lola Piedra Fina.

I saw the whole square and when I looked I saw that there were still a few embers of

When they return to their original location, next to the revived fig tree in Miguel Hernández's orchard, they will become pure magical symbolism of Villafáfila. A central place in the town, where the souls of Ramón and Miguel will spend their time birdwatching, where Nana will sit with her granddaughter Lola to review their lives, where our childhood will come out to meet us to remember the experiences with our neighbours and continue to form a shared memory of the town.

Transfers of the Piedra Fina when leaving its original location, custody, and return to its place

A series of events meant that the Piedra Fina was not in its place for the last two decades, and with it the enjoyment as we have told you. Do not look for any bad faith, because there is none on the part of anything or anyone.

With the demolition around 2001 of what was the palace-house of the Marquis of Távara with all its land, with Mr. Antonio Jesús Rodríguez Valverde as mayor [29] , it became a public space as a square, adding to the existing adjacent Plaza Mayor.

But there were no people paying attention to the Fine Stone, the sad, worn, wavering stone that disappears or supposedly disappears in the process.

Without knowing exactly how it disappeared, or how it was not so, or how it was forgotten, or how it was hypothetically forgotten, or who knows or says, it has generated a lot of speculation, cabals, rumors, conspiracies, well, gallant! that every neighbor seemed to be presumed guilty about the Piedra Fina, about who the possible kidnapper was, it was said that he had captured it forever through oblivion with devotion, that even today, he would sit for long periods, trying to make the stone talk to him, everything was the most disparate speculations. If one of them, which they had commented on as the saying goes, which says of a third party, had a certain degree of being possible, but like the rest of the neighbors time was passing.

For two decades, she has not been seen with her finesse, the generations that knew her missed her:

"The fine stone will walk, as pretty as she wants, well arranged, in the middle of the Plaza Mayor, to the house of the big marquis, she controlling, from her high health, everything that happens, from each corner of the plaza, not a single one escapes her, not small, not big, not young lady, not grandmother, not even if she were going to a dance, or to play in the ring, or with the procession of the imposing Jesus of Nazareth" [30] .

During the course of this work started at the beginning of the pandemic, and looking for data and clues, Mr. José Luis Fernández Alonso "Caña" [31] a resident of the Villa who at the time of the alleged disappearance had been a worker for the City Council for years, with his testimony about the Pierda Fina, that this story from a third party that agreed puts me on the track, where he claims it could have allegedly ended up after removing it from its place, commenting that:

“After its demolition (2001), La Pierda Fina was moved to a granary owned by the mayor at the time, Mr. Antonio Jesús Rodríguez Valverde, which for a time served as a warehouse for the City Council, where all kinds of material was stored . ”

The location of this bread shop is halfway down Jesús Street, its south side of the bread shop and where it has the entrance to it, a very central street in the town, and 100 m from the Town Hall down the street from which said street has three exits:

· To the north with La Fragua street (which forms a corner and faces west of the panera).

"When Pierda Fina stopped serving as a warehouse for the City Council, it moved to a warehouse owned by "Ricar" (Mr. Ricardo del Río Rodríguez [32] ), and that is what I know" [33]

· 2- to the east, to the ancient name of the Villarrín road, today we would say right where it starts, which also leads to Otero de Sariegos, located west of the Salina Grande.

· 3- To the west it borders another property, and close to the stream where water from the Memoria and Pradico areas flows, from the San Juan cave branch, and from Monte, which passes right along the north face against the Santa Marta lagoon and joins the San Juan drain, which takes the water to the Salina Grande.

In response to this testimony that the Pierda Fina was kept in the breadbasket on Calle Jesús, its owner, Mr. Antonio Jesús Rodríguez Valverde, the mayor at that time and owner of the breadbasket, when asked about the possibility that it was kept there, responded:

"I do not remember if the Piedra Fina was stored there and then moved, and since it was a warehouse that was opened by the user who needed something stored there, whoever can know if it was there and took it" [34] .

It is said in the town that the fine stone was kept, so well kept that it was never seen again, or one of two: did it disappear? Did they forget about it? Or did it become such a famous stone, in such a privileged location, which was highly valued and served for more than a century and a half.

"In good faith, if any person from this town of Villafáfila still maintains it, let him leave it again, to put it in its place, which only the fact will be carried out if the need arises, with royal pardon, as was this town of Kings, of the Order of Santiago, and Marquises of Távara, in the square for the enjoyment of any ass that wants to fondle and fine-tune it . "

For quite some time now, I have been searching through the advances of the Internet, through my website villafafila.net, and the associated social networks, to see if at least a photo would appear so that I could remember her, but the attempt was in vain, as it could not even be a portrait after so many times there in her arms, we who knew her first hand seemed destined to no longer, those who did not know her, to imagine the many times in their lives that they would hear her speak.

Up to this point, I remained apparently waiting, without hurry, for that longed-for photo to appear, or for the prodigal daughter to return to the place, which after two decades I had almost given up for lost, but not lost the faith to sleep again.

I had not played my last trick on the track that Mr. Jose Luis Fernandez Alonso "Caña" had set for me, as if in a gilé play [35] , the positions loom over the table, they are already closing towards the discard, having been left with one card to the ace, three without even seeing, that trick would be a bluff or a forty-one in hand.

That moment, without seeming to rush, of marking the play, and going to ask Ricardo, the owner of the store, and clearing up the mystery, at this point, “of the game” from the street comes a breath of fresh air.

Mr. Javier Martín Lorenzo [36] , who has been in a relationship for years with a daughter of the Villa, whose actions, due to socio-cultural concerns and personality, have made him be considered as a native:

“Not as king, but as part of the entourage of King Ferdinand the Catholic, liberator along with his beloved wife and Queen of Castile and Leon, of this land from the tyrannical clutches of the Pimentels, also Grand Lord and Master of this Town, a mercy of the Order of Santiago, who set foot on that day, June twenty-second, year of the lord one thousand five hundred and six, and signed on June twenty-seventh, the blessed Concord of Villafáfila that avoided a confrontation between brothers of the birth nation or state of Spain [37] ” .

Javi, after years in the Villa, writes in the work set in the town "Nana and the onions" [38] , published in 2022, just while he is gathering information for the book, "as I was going to imagine that it would be like a prelude to the outcome of the Pierda Fina", the search for information about the Piedra Fina to set it, with this he comes across me [39] , (webmaster of villafafila.net to whom I give what I have done up to then in this work on the Piedra Fina for the contribution of his book, such as personal testimonies).

Time moves on without stopping, but the play does not, but I detect a movement with my gaze, the air blows with more force, the later call on the Piedra Fina by Javi who joins fully in the game, that eagerness that he carries in his veins of his concerns and doing socio-cultural for the Villa, which also now from his position as councilor, also lets itself be seen, he follows the trail, without realizing it he makes a gesture that his cards are very good of that one that says I have the forty-one, (he asks me for a photo of the house-palace and where the location of the Piedra Fina was, I who came with the eye on the Piedra Fina, made me move my pawns, to guess which cards Javi was marking, always discreet in his movements, it did not take long for me to receive information, the best that one wished to have.

In addition, in one of the many emails that Mr. Elías Rodríguez Rodríguez [40] and I communicated with each other (I had sent Elías a copy of the first model I made of this work) he told me that on June 1, 2024 the Piedra Fina was going to be presented to the town, and then put back in its place. He wants to give it value, recovering the previous symbolism and relaunching it again so that it remains in the future.

The game came to an end, it didn't matter if I was bluffing, or forty-one, we put all the cards together. The Fine Stone was back in our lives, so we could sit our asses on it, rub it and give it more finesse again.

Without hesitation, the next day I contacted Javi, who confirmed that they were restoring it, that they were going to exhibit it, and then it would be put back more or less in its usual place. I offered him the job for that day and I thought I would help him, along with Elías, or whatever he needed, and he would tell me.

A little while later with Ricar, we often see each other around a coffee, as soon as I met him, I told him about the events, which he confirmed:

"I kept it and have had it in custody all this time, even the previous corporation was aware that I had it in said custody, delighted that it returns to its place, and that all the residents of the town enjoy it" [41] .

The Piedra Fina was not in the warehouse exactly during these years, but outside in the open air, in a pile filled with earth, and the weather all these years caused it to lose its tone and shine on its face. In addition, at the time of its demolition and transfer, it suffered some deterioration on one of its sides, as we can see in the photo.

The City Council has ordered its restoration, it has been cleaned, its face has been taken out and all its colour and shine has been restored, adding the missing part, leaving it as we originally knew it.

Finally, almost a few days before the presentation, Javi gave me some photos of how the fine stone looked after two decades and after its restoration, so I could add them to this work. We had already agreed that an editable version of the work would be made, which we gladly gave so that its sale could be used to finance the pedestal that will be placed in the Plaza Mayor, approximately from its original location.

The presentation is already underway, with almost less than a month left, and it began in the town, spreading the open secret, it is no secret, among its residents, that “ LA PIEDRA FINA” has returned.

The Piedra Fina back and restored, among the news published on 04-05-2024 main about the fig tree that inspired D. Miguel Hernández Gilabert [42] sinks its roots in a town in Zamora (A cutting of the centenary tree that is preserved in the poet's House Museum in Orihuela will be planted in the Plaza Mayor of Villafáfila to perpetuate his "literary legacy" [43] . It slipped in without much noise at the end of the article:

“On the other hand, the Councillor for Culture announced that, apart from planting the “child” of the centenary fruit tree that so often sheltered the poet with its intricate branches, an old plinth of a house that the neighbours called the “fine stone” will also be relocated in the Plaza Mayor of Villafáfila. After the reform carried out around three decades ago in the Plaza Mayor, the “fine stone”, which arrived in Villafáfila from the monastery of Granja de Moreruela and which became the “meeting point” for the neighbours, has recently been located. In light of this discovery, the Town Hall plans to relocate the “fine stone” in its original location, with the aim of restoring an “emblem” of Villafáfila.”

On June 1st [44] at 12:30 pm in the Town Hall's assembly hall, where the cutting of the centenary tree that is preserved in the House Museum of the poet D. Miguel Hernández Gilabert in Orihuela, source of his inspiration, was handed over and will be planted in the Plaza Mayor of Villafáfila. The Pierda Fina was also presented to all the residents of Villafáfila, where D. Elías Rodríguez Rodríguez made a presentation speech about what we have been collecting and exhibiting.

“When they return to their original location, next to the revived fig tree in Miguel Hernández's orchard, they will become pure magical symbolism of Villafáfila. A central place in the town, where the souls of Ramón and Miguel will birdwatch, where Nana will sit with her granddaughter Lola to review her life, where our childhood will come out to meet us to remember the experiences with our neighbors and continue to form a shared memory of the town” [45] .

Long live our Fine Stone, where we can settle, our buttocks, our asses, to give it a rub, polish it, make it shine, and above all, make it finer, “if the fine stone could speak…” .

The texts of the work were adapted for the printing of a booklet about Pierda, accompanied by photographs, in which the following participated:

Text and historical data: Elias Rodriguez Rodriguez, and Jose Luis Dominguez Martinez

This booklet was published by the Villafáfila Town Hall for €5, and was sold as a donation to help build a monolith where the Piedra Fina would be placed.

On August 16, the feast day of San Roque, patron saint of Villafáfila, after the procession, the Pierda Fina was presented, located on its monolith more or less in the place it once occupied.

Blessed Volusiano Calzada Fidalgo [46] , and was presented by the City Council to the residents, discovered by the Mayor Mr. Antonio Jesús Rodríguez Valverde and the Deputy Mayor Mrs. Yolanda Prieto Figuera .

“I love you to the core, we have to talk about many things, soul mate, companion”

04 May 2024 The fig tree that inspired Miguel Hernández has its roots in a town in Zamora

01 June 2024 Opinion of Zamora: The Fine Stone of Villafáfila, under the fig tree by Miguel Hernández.

June 2, 2024 Villafáfila reunites with its "Piedra Fina", now twinned with Miguel Hernández's fig tree

July 5, 2024 Sale and publication of the Villafáfila Fine Stone. facebook.com/villafafila.nettoro

The Piedra Fina that for two decades (2001-2024) has not remained in its place of location, in which for a century and a half of what was part of the house-palace of the Marquis of Távara, at the dawn of the Plaza Mayor, of being among the neighbors of the Villa de Villafáfila, who generation after generation, grandparents, parents, children, grandchildren ..., were carrying, settling in it, the buttocks, asses, grooming it, day after day, hour after hour polishing it, grooming it, giving splendor to its natural shine, loving it, loving it, we made it ours, we gave it a name like a daughter to Piedra Fina, it gave us its privileged position in full view of the Plaza Mayor and in part of San Martín, we elevated it to myth, only another element like it at such a height has that honor the Holy Week trumpet. There we have laughed, cried, loved, cursed, summer has passed, frozen cold has passed, friendship has been declared or passions have been broken, we have played, we have grown in its warmth, from children to adults.

Let no one look for any bad faith in not having had her among us all this time, no one is to blame, if anything let us all, the residents of Villafáfila, blame ourselves, no one stole her, nor did any of us care that it would not have happened.

Now that you reign again on your new throne, let us learn from it. These last generations have not been able to enjoy it, they already heard about it from our mouths, but, transmit to them our way of life, our tradition in it, what it has been in all our lives, so that they may live it and enjoy it, let it be our legacy to them, and let them continue to pass on the legacy as our ancestors did with us, and if any signs ever arise, do not let yourself be removed from your place.

The Monastery of Moreruela in Santa María del Moral Villafáfila (Zamora). 19th Century Disentailments. Imagery and choir stalls. Offprint of the “Cistercium” Magazine. Year LI. January-March 1999, No. 214.

Monumental Catalogue of the Province of Zamora 1903-1905, page 266, published in 1927.

War of Independence in a town in Zamora: Villafáfila (1808-1814). CEB “Ledo del Pozo” p.200.

https://historiasdevillafafila.blogspot.com/2017/08/la-guerra-de-la-independencia-en-una.html

https://historiasdevillafafila.blogspot.com/2014/09/marcelino-trabadillo-fernandez-el.html

Interventions and interests of the Counts of Benavente in Villafáfila in the 15th and 16th centuries. Yearbook of the Florián de Ocampo Institute of Zamorano Studies, ISSN 0213-8212, No. 14, 1997, pp. 487-512.

Cadastre of Ensenada de Villafáfila in 1752, in the possessions of D. Francisco Costilla Zambranos, nobleman of Villafáfila.

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_de_Alcántara_Álvarez_de_Toledo_y_Silva_Mendoza

https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archivo:Pedro_de_A1cántara_Álvarez_de_Toledo_y_Salm_Salm,_XIII_duque_del_Infantado_Museo_del_Prado.jpg

All text, photographs, lithographs, transcription, layout and assembly rights belong to their authors. Any type of use is prohibited without authorization.

[1] José Luis Domínguez Martínez: The Holy Week trumpet of Villafáfila.

villafafila.net - https://villafafila.net/trompeta/trompeta.htm

[2] Lib. Fáb. San Martín, 1808, p. 18 and 19.

[3] Manuel de la Granja Alonso: The Monastery of Moreruela in Santa María del Moral Villafáfila (Zamora). Disentailments of the 19th Century. Imagery and choir stalls. Offprint of the “Cistercium” Magazine. Year LI. January-March 1999, No. 214.

[4] Manuel Gómez Moreno: Monumental Catalogue of the Province of Zamora 1903-1905, page 266, published in 1927.

[5] Book . Fab. 1805-1853 ,p.22.

[6] Rodrigo Alonso de Pimentel Quiñones (1445 Benavente-04 September 1499 Benavente). IV Count of Benavente, I Duke of Benavente, III Count of Mayorga. Son of Alonso de Pimentel and Enriquez, III Count of Benavente and Maria Vigil de Quiñones Toledo. Husband of Maria Luisa Pacheco Portocarrero, VI Lady of Moguer. Partner of Catalina Rodriguez de Cabrera and Leonor II de Pimentel. Brother of Juan Pimentel, Lord of Allariz and Pedro Pimentel, Lord of Tavara. Half-brother of Juan Alfonso Pimentel Quiñones, or das Grotas Fundas; Leonor Pimentel and Quiñones; Diego Carrillo de Mendoza, III Count of Priego; Francisco de Mendoza and Quiñones; Hurtado de Mendoza Elvira de Mendoza; Catalina de Mendoza; Aldonza de Mendoza; Guiomar de Mendoza and Fernando Carrillo de Mendoza and Quiñones, 5th Count of Priego.

[7] Juan Fernández Pacheco y Téllez Girón (Belmonte, 14191 - Santa Cruz de la Sierra, near Trujillo, October 4, 1474I Marquis of Villena I Duke of Escalona I Count of Xiquena, Master of the Order of Santiago. Son of Alfonso Téllez Girón and Vázquez de Acuña and mother María Pacheco II Lady of Belmonte.

[8] AZCONA T. 1986.

[9] Pedro Pimentel y Quiñones (between 1430 and 1440 – February 6, 1504), Lord of Tavara . Son of Alonso de Pimentel y Enriquez, 3rd Count of Benavente and Maria Vigil de Quiñones Toledo Husband of Francisca de Almansa, Lady of Tavara and Ines Enriquez de Guzman Father of Bernardino Pimentel y Enriquez, 1st Marquis of Tavara; Ana Pimentel y Enriquez and Leonor Pimentel Brother of Rodrigo Alonso de Pimentel Quiñones, 1st Duke of Benavente and Juan Pimentel, Lord of Allariz Half-brother of Juan Alfonso Pimentel Quiñones, or das Grotas Fundas; Leonor Pimentel y Quiñones; Diego Carrillo de Mendoza, 3rd Count of Priego; Francisco de Mendoza y Quiñones; Hurtado de Mendoza; Elvira de Mendoza; Catalina de Mendoza; Aldonza de Mendoza; Guiomar de Mendoza and Fernando Carrillo de Mendoza and Quiñones, 5th Count of Priego.

[10] AHN Nobility. Osuna Leg. 3921-6.

[11] Original deed in possession of the Trabadillo sisters.

[12] Inés Enriquez de Guzmán: daughter of Enrique Enriquez de Mendoza, Count of Alba de Liste and Maria de Guzmán Suárez de Figueroa, Lady of Alba de Liste.

[13] ARCh.V. Civil Lawsuits Pérez Alonso f. 127-4 and Ceballos Leg. 1321.

[14] AHPZa. Marquisate of Távara.

[15] Juan Alonso Pimentel y Pacheco, (around 1470 Villa de Benavente-1530) 2nd Duke of Benavente, 5th Count of Benavente, 5th Count of Mayorga. Son of Rodrigo Alonso de Pimentel Quiñones, 1st Duke of Benavente and Maria Luisa Pacheco Portocarrero, 6th Lady of Moguer. Husband of Ana Herrera de Velasco, Countess and Ines de Mendoza and Zuniga. Father of Blanca Pimentel, Countess of Castaneda; Juan Alfonso Rodriguez Pimentel, Lord of Ribera; Pedro Pimentel, Marquis of Viana; Maria Ana Pimentel and Velasco; Countess Catalina Pimentel; Antonio Alonso Pimentel and Herrera de Velasco, 3rd Duke of Benavente; Rodrigo Alonso de Pimentel and Maria Pimentel de Mendoza. Brother of Beatriz Pimentel Pacheco; Maria de Pimentel and Pacheco; Luis Alfonso Pimentel y Pacheco, 1st Marquis of Villafranca del Bierzo and Leonor II of Pimentel.

[16] Diego de Robles: noblemen of Villafáfila, belonging to the families of noblemen, a family in the orbit of the Pimentel, was formed in the monastery of Santa María de Moreruela, "that he grew up there, for eight or nine years" he would receive the ecclesiastical education that would allow him to be ordained, that he was archpriest of Villafáfila since 1523. He founded the Chaplaincy of the Conception, in the church of San Juan 1546, being the first chaplain Hernando de Robles, He was the patronage of the Robles family. His founding assets consisted of 26 lands (69 fanegas in total), and a threshing floor of a quarter. And he had as a charge to say a weekly mass (52 a year) and a sung mass on the day of the feast, all of them having to be celebrated at his altar.

[17] Pedro Pimentel y Velasco (1517-1583), I Marquis of Viana del Bollo, Lord of Allariz, Alpaciz, Trece, Commander of Castrotorafe (1520) in the Order of Santiago . and Aguiar. Son of Alonso Pimentel Pacheco, V Count and II Duke of Benavente, mother Ana de Herrera y Velasco wife María Manrique de Lara and Córdoba, daughter of Pedro Fernández Manrique y Luna, IV Count of Osorno

[18] Alonso Pimentel y Herrera de Velasco Benavente, 1514 - Valladolid, 1575: in Benavente (Zamora), son of Alonso Pimentel y Pacheco, 5th Count and 3rd Duke of Benavente, 5th Count of Mayorga and of Ana de Herrera y Velasco, daughter of Bernardino Fernández de Velasco y Mendoza, 1st Duke of Frías, 3rd Count of Haro and 7th Constable of Castile, and of his first wife Blanca de Herrera, 5th Lady of Pedraza, wife of María Luisa Enriquez y Tellez-Girón, 1st Duchess of Huescar María Luisa Tellez Girón y Enriquez, daughters of Fernando Enriquez De Velasco Admiral and María Girón de la Vega la Mayor.

[19] Bernardino Pimentel y Enríquez, (15th century-1559 Villafáfila) 1st Marquis of Távara. Son of Pedro Pimentel y Quiñones, lord of Távara and Inés Enríquez de Guzmán. Grandson of the Count of Benavente Rodrigo Alonso de Pimentel Quiñones, 4th Count of Benavente and 1st Duke of Benavente. Husband of Mrs. Constanza de Bazán Osório, Marchioness of Távara. Father of Pedro Pimentel y Osorio, 2nd Marquis of Távara; Brother of Ana Pimentel y Enríquez and Leonor Pimentel. The Marquisate of Távara was created in 1541 by Charles I for Bernardino Pimentel y Enríquez, lord of Villafáfila.

[20] Pedro Pimentel y Quiñones (between 1430 and 1440 – February 6, 1504), Lord of Tavara. Son of Alonso de Pimentel y Enriquez, 3rd Count of Benavente and Maria Vigil de Quiñones Toledo Husband of Francisca de Almansa, Lady of Tavara and Ines Enriquez de Guzman Father of Bernardino Pimentel y Enriquez, 1st Marquis of Tavara; Ana Pimentel y Enriquez and Leonor Pimentel Brother of Rodrigo Alonso de Pimentel Quiñones, 1st Duke of Benavente and Juan Pimentel, Lord of Allariz Half-brother of Juan Alfonso Pimentel Quiñones, or das Grotas Fundas; Leonor Pimentel y Quiñones; Diego Carrillo de Mendoza, 3rd Count of Priego; Francisco de Mendoza y Quiñones; Hurtado de Mendoza; Elvira de Mendoza; Catalina de Mendoza; Aldonza de Mendoza; Guiomar de Mendoza and Fernando Carrillo de Mendoza and Quiñones, 5th Count of Priego.

[21] Reference made to the Cadastre of Ensenada de Villafáfila in 1752, in the possessions of D. Francisco Costilla Zambranos, nobleman of Villafáfila.

[22] Pedro de Alcántara Álvarez de Toledo y Silva Mendoza (27 November 1729 - Heusenstamm, Germany, 2 June 1790), son of Miguel Álvarez de Toledo y Pimentel, X Marquis of Távara, Grandee of Spain and VIII Count of Villada, and María Francisca de Silva Hurtado de Mendoza, XI Duchess of Infantado, Grandee of Spain. He married Francisca Javiera de Velasco Pacheco, daughter of the XI Duke of Frías,3 and later, in 1758, Princess María Ana de Salm-Salm. He had as a son Pedro de Alcántara Álvarez de Toledo y Salm-Salm.

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_de_Alcántara_Álvarez_de_Toledo_y_Silva_Mendoza

[23] ARCH.V. Civil Lawsuits Lapuerta forget. 2006-3.

[24] Elias Rodriguez Rodriguez: War of Independence in a town in Zamora: Villafáfila (1808-1814), CEB "Ledo del Pozo" page 200. https://historiasdevillafafila.blogspot.com/2017/08/la-guerra-de-la-independencia-en-una.html, http://villafafila.net/independencia/independencia.htm

[25] Marcelino Trabadillo Fernández “El Relator” (Villafáfila 1805– 1881 Madrid), son of Mr. Segundo Trabadillo Cuadrado (Villafáfila 1783-1830) and Mrs. Petra Fernández Velasco, (Villagarcía de Campos 1783-1867 Villafáfila).

Elias Rodriguez Rodriguez: Marcelino Trabadillo Fernandez “The Narrator”.

https://historiasdevillafafila.blogspot.com/2014/09/marcelino-trabadillo-fernandez-el.html

[26] The relators were liberal professionals who intervened in the courts presenting lawsuits and cases, something similar to current judicial secretaries.

[27] Luis Trabadillo Ganado (Madrid 1853-1939 Villafáfila) son of Mr. Marcelino Trabadillo Fernández (Villafáfila 1805-1881 Madrid) and Mrs. Ceferina Ganado de Trabadillo (?-1856 Madrid).

Elias Rodriguez Rodriguez: Don Luis the young gentleman.

https://historiasdevillafafila.blogspot.com/2019/08/don-luis-el-senorito.html.

[28] Javier Martín Lorenzo: Nana and the Onions. Círculo Rojo Publishing House, 2022.

[29] Antonio Jesús Rodríguez Valverde (Villafáfila-1970) mayor of Villafáfila between 1995-2003 and since 2023.

[30] Story that captures the feelings of the residents of the town about the disappearance of the Fina stone.

[31] José Luis Fernández Alonso “Caña” (Villafáfila 1944) testimony about the Fine Stone from when it was removed.

[32] Ricardo del Río Rodríguez “Ricar” (Villafáfila-1957), a resident who collected the Piedra Fina when it was moved from the breadbasket of the mayor D. Antonio Jesús Rodríguez, in early 2001, and who has kept it since then, in his own warehouse at the beginning of Camino de Otero.

[33] José Luis Fernández Alonso “Caña” (Villafáfila 1944) testimony about the Fine Stone from when it was removed.

[34] Word given in 2021 by Mr. Antonio Jesús Rodríguez Valverde, mayor at that time and owner of the breadbasket that was supposedly kept when the Pierda Fina was removed from its place.

[35] Gilé, giley or forty-one is a discard card game from the Envite family in which the Spanish deck is used.

Rules: Giley is played by four players, but can be increased to five. A Spanish deck of 28 cards is used, consisting of the Ace, King, Knight, Jack, Seven, Three and Two of each suit. The Ace is worth 11 points; King, Knight, Jack, Three and Two are worth 10 points; Seven is worth 7 points. The aim of the game is to score as many points as possible with cards of the same suit.

How a game is played: The dealer, who has been chosen by drawing lots, deals two cards to each player in an anti-clockwise direction. After looking at the cards, a first round of betting takes place. If all players pass, the cards are shuffled and dealt, leaving the first cards dealt aside. After the first round, two more cards are dealt to all players still in the game, followed by a second round of betting. If after the second round there are two or more players still in play, the discard phase begins. Each player may discard as many cards as he or she wishes and receives as many more to complete a final hand of four cards. After the discard phase, the final round takes place. All players still in play reveal their hands to determine the winner. The highest score for four cards of the same suit (giley) is 41 points; followed by 40 (four cards of value 10); then 38 (Ace, two cards of value 10 and seven); and 37 (three cards of value 10 plus the seven). The remaining hands combine cards of two or more different suits, with 31 points being the best hand (Ace and two cards of value 10). In the event of a tie in points, the dealer or the player immediately seated to his right wins. A variant of the game establishes that, for equal scores, the rank of the suits determines the winner; the winner being, from highest to lowest: gold, cups, swords and clubs. With this system, the dealer loses all privileges. Before the game, it must be determined which variant is to be played.

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilé

[36] Javier Martín Lorenzo “Javi” (Valladolid, 1966) in Villafáfila known as Javi to distinguish others (Tere's). A gardener by training and profession, he works for the Valladolid City Council as area foreman of public parks and gardens. He has written and published literary works, Tras El descendimiento (2009) and El peregrino (2021).

villafafila.net - https://villafafila.net/libronana/libronana.htm

[37] Elias Rodriguez Rodriguez: The Concord of Villafafila. June 27, 1506. Institute of Zamorano Studies, Florian de Campo. 2006.

villafafila.net https://villafafila.net/concordia/concordia.htm

[38] Javier Martín Lorenzo: Nana y las cebollas (Nanny and the Onions), Círculo Rojo publishing house, 2022, is a beautiful and attractive novel, full of human misery, tragic experiences and reflections, being at the same time a hymn to life and a song of hope for social and personal justice. All in a real setting, Villafáfila, with its people and its history, customs and traditions, while the beautiful poems of the poet play in the background for the delight of whoever wants to know Nana and the slices of her onion.

villafafila.net https://villafafila.net/libronana/libronana.htm

[39] José Luis Domínguez Martínez (Villafáfila-1976), webmaster of villafafila.net, and author of this work.

[40] Elias Rodriguez Rodriguez (Villafáfila-1958) historian of the Villa.

[41] Ricardo del Río Rodríguez “Ricar” (Villafáfila-1957), a neighbor who collected the Piedra Fina when it was moved from the mayor's warehouse.

[42] Miguel Hernández Gilabert (Orihuela, October 30, 1910 - Alicante, March 28, 1942) was a poet and playwright of special relevance in Spanish literature of the 20th century. Although he has traditionally been classified as part of the Generation of '36, Miguel Hernández maintained a closer relationship with the previous generation to the point of being considered by Dámaso Alonso as a "brilliant epigone" of the Generation of '27.3 4 Currently, and after the interesting contributions of A. Sánchez Vidal, he is associated with the Vallecas School.

[43] https://www.laopiniondezamora.es/comarcas/2024/05/04/higuera-inspiro-miguel-hernandez-hunde-101895843.html

[44] Opinion of Zamora: The Fine Stone of Villafáfila, under the fig tree of Miguel Hernández.

https://www.laopinionndezamora.es/comarcas/2024/06/01/piedra-fina-villafafila-higuera-miguel-103224944.html

[45] Elias Rodriguez Rodriguez: The Fine Stone. Symbolism of the town, (Presentation of the Fine Stone on July 1, 2024).

[46] Son of Villafáfila, missionary and current parish vicar of San Juan and San Vicente in Zamora. Parents. Leonides Calzada Gómez (Villafáfila 1908-Villafáfila) and Florencia Fidalgo del Teso (Villafáfila-Villafáfila).