Coy is a town within the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

of Lorca, in the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

province of

Murcia Murcia ( , , ) is a city in south-eastern Spain, the Capital (political), capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, and the Ranked lists of Spanish municipalities#By population, seventh largest city i ...

. It has a population of 511 and is located 22 miles north of Lorca. Previously known for their supply of metals, they are now known for their wine and traditional crafts.

Location

The town is located in the slope of the Peak of Coy, mainly in the south of the "Saw of the Lavia", along the mouth of a south-west water spring. At its basin begins a plateau (Plateau of Coy) with boulevards that remain dry the whole year. From this forms the mouth of the Turrilla River (tributary of the Guadalentin).

Climate

The plateau of Coy has similar climates to those found in the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

with cold winters, some years developing snow. The summers are warm during the day with soft temperatures in the evenings. There is little rainfall, most occurring either in spring or autumn with very soft climate remaining.

Population

The population is concentrated in the center of Coy, with a whole of 512 persons as of the year 2005 with an occupation of 17.7 inhabitants per square kilometer. There is even distribution of male to female in the town of Coy.

History

The word " Coy " derives from the Latin "collis", meaning a hill or hills. The English translation of the town name is ''

Hammock A hammock, from Spanish , borrowed from Taíno language, Taíno and Arawak language, Arawak , is a sling made of fabric, rope, or netting, suspended between two or more points, used for swing (seat), swinging, sleeping, or Human relaxation, res ...

''. Coy is also most likely where the

surname In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

''De Los Santos'' originated

Coy has antiquitarial history. The town possesses a large quantity of Archaeology, archaeological

remains Remains or The Remains may refer to: Music *The Remains (band), a 1960s American rock band *The Ramainz, originally The Remains, a Ramones tribute band Albums * ''Remains'' (Alkaline Trio album), 2007 * ''Remains'' (Annihilator album), 1997 * ' ...

, such as Cerro de Las Viñas (translated means ''The Hill of the Vineyards''), a town from the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

of international interest. There is also the Fuentecica, an

Iberian Iberian refers to Iberia. Most commonly Iberian refers to: *Someone or something originating in the Iberian Peninsula, namely from Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar and Andorra. The term ''Iberian'' is also used to refer to anything pertaining to the fo ...

necropolis A necropolis (: necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'' (). The term usually implies a separate burial site at a distan ...

where a famous steel pillar was located called the León of Coy which now resides in the Archaeological Museum of Murcia. The

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

, a Roman town where a sculpture of the Roman god Mercury was held, was also part of Coy with the statue now residing in th
Archaeological Museum of Lorca
With the Muslem faith so dominate in the region for a period, a

Moor Moor or Moors may refer to: Nature and ecology * Moorland, a habitat characterized by low-growing vegetation and acidic soils. People * Moor (surname) * Moors, Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, Iberian Peninsula, Sicily, and Malta during the ...

enclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is so ...

from the Kingdom of Murcia devoted themselves to agriculture. Their castle controlled an extensive territory. After the

Reconquista The ''Reconquista'' (Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese for ) or the fall of al-Andalus was a series of military and cultural campaigns that European Christian Reconquista#Northern Christian realms, kingdoms waged ag ...

, it turned into a frontier territory with the Kingdom of

Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...

Alfonso X of Castile Alfonso X (also known as the Wise, ; 23 November 1221 – 4 April 1284) was King of Castile, Kingdom of León, León and Kingdom of Galicia, Galicia from 1 June 1252 until his death in 1284. During the April 1257 Imperial election, election of 1 ...

made it a sister site to the city of Lorca. His castle and step was destroyed by the dominion of Sancho Manuel, son of

Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena Don Juan Manuel (5 May 128213 June 1348) was a Spanish medieval writer, nephew of Alfonso X of Castile, son of Manuel of Castile and Beatrice of Savoy. He inherited from his father the great Lordship of Villena, receiving the titles of Lord, D ...

in the 14th century, similar to the dominion of the Riquelme. Coy was the third most important center of the municipality after Lorca and Port Louvres, going so far as building their own convent. Over time the

lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

and

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

mines became exhausted and due to the lack of communication the town's once rich resource has since been forgotten. Some homes are built on the hillside with narrow streets, slopes and alleys between. The Hill of The Vineyards (Town argárico) and the Church of San Jose of Coy (Baroque) play an important role to the town people.

Economy

The economy is based on textile crafts with the manufacture of jarapas and carpets. In agriculture Coy has emphasis in vine farming, of which a handmade wine is produced. Almond trees, green coffee beans and other green products are also produced. There are several pig and chicken farms, as well as sheep cattle. Lately the flourishing rural tourism outlines the town's most prosperous future. The hostel Casa Grande (built in the 18th century) is a large draw, as is the artificial beach and the charm of many rural houses.

External links

Maps

Coy Satellite Map] {{Coord, 37, 57, N, 1, 48, W, region:ES_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki, display=title Lorca, Spain Towns in Spain Populated places in the Region of Murcia