Venta (establishment)
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A venta, ventorro or ventorrillo is an establishment or building of ancient tradition in Spain and some other Hispanic countries located near paths or unpopulated areas, and later near roads or service stations. They can be considered as an equivalent to
inn Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway. Before the advent of motorized transportation, they also provided accomm ...
s, though their main characteristic feature is the fact that they are almost always isolated, contrary to ''mesones'' and ''posadas'' which are located near or inside towns and villages. Throughout their history, ventas have offered food and accommodation to travellers. In Spain, their antiquity is well referenced and documented by literature, like in ''
The Book of Good Love ''The Book of Good Love'' (), considered to be one of the masterpieces of Spanish poetry, is a pseudo-biographical account of romantic adventures by Juan Ruiz, the Archpriest of Hita, the earliest version of which dates from 1330; the author ...
'' (''ca.'' 1330) or ''
Don Quixote , the full title being ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'', is a Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts in 1605 and 1615, the novel is considered a founding work of Western literature and is of ...
'' (1615), or in paintings like ''La riña en la Venta Nueva'' of
Francisco Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 1746 – 16 April 1828) was a Spanish Romanticism, romantic painter and Printmaking, printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Hi ...
. Use of the term has also been registered in some
Hispanic-American Hispanic and Latino Americans are Americans who have a Spanish or Latin American background, culture, or family origin. This demographic group includes all Americans who identify as Hispanic or Latino, regardless of race. According to the ...
countries, like the Venta de Aguilar, the first one established in the
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
-
Veracruz Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...
road, or the popular Venta de Perote, both in Mexico.


Description

Although the architectural structure may vary according to the popular models of each region or country, the ventas (which can be traced back to the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
), have in common their location, almost always isolated, in royal crossroads, paths, etc. Other similarities are: a big wooden door made accessible for carriages, which sometimes was the only access to the building; the stables and
pens PEN may refer to: * (National Ecological Party), former name of the Brazilian political party Patriota (PATRI) *PEN International, a worldwide association of writers **English PEN, the founding centre of PEN International **PEN America, located in ...
to accommodate the transiting livestock;
hay Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticate ...
stacks to accommodate the muleteers and rooms, usually quite primitive, for traders, dealers and travellers. There were also a big kitchen and dining room in the first floor, a walled courtyard (sometimes more than one, and usually paved) with a well, troughs and a staircase to access the gallery and second floor, along with other storage rooms. Taking as a reference the famous Venta de Quesada, that travellers, chroniclers and investigators have often identified as the venta-castle in which
Alonso Quijano Alonso Quijano (; spelled Quixano in English and in the Spanish of Cervantes' day, ), more commonly known by his pseudonym Don Quixote, is a fictional character and the protagonist of the novel '' Don Quixote de la Mancha'' by Miguel de Cervante ...
became knight, we have to consider its location in the ''Camino Real de Madrid a Sevilla'', and as a provisioning point for the ventas of the Cañada Real Soriana Oriental. Although this venta of
La Mancha La Mancha () is a natural region, natural and historical region in the provinces of Spain, Spanish provinces of province of Albacete, Albacete, province of Cuenca, Cuenca, province of Ciudad Real, Ciudad Real and province of Toledo, Toledo. It ...
, in ruins already in the 19th century, disappeared in the middle of the 20th century and there only remain some material remnants and the
toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''wikt:toponym, toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage, and types. ''Toponym'' is the general term for ...
in old maps, many scholars have studied its structure based on documents like the description by the traveller
Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas , was a French novelist and playwright. His works have been translated into many languages and he is one of the mos ...
''circa'' 1846:


In Navarre and the Basque Country

Along the '' cornisa cantábrica'' and with a renewed tradition in
Navarre Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...
and the Basque Country –on both sides of the
Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...
–, ventas ("bentas" in Basque or "ventes" in French) have been conserved as establishments with a varied traditional architecture, almost always located in crossroads. During the 21st century they still function as hostels, restaurants and shops. They are also used as places of celebrations and gastronomical gatherings. Their antiquity, as in the rest of Spain, is made patent by the frequency with which toponyms including the word "venta" (or "benta") are found.


Heritage protection

The ventas of Castilla-La Mancha are a part of the
cultural heritage Cultural heritage is the heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets of a group or society that is inherited from past generations. Not all heritages of past generations are "heritage"; rather, heritage is a product of selection by socie ...
of the region, and they are accordingly protected by law. The ventas of Borondo (
Daimiel Daimiel is a municipality in Ciudad Real, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It has a population of 17,342, and a mechanical industry. The football club is Daimiel CF. The Tablas de Daimiel National Park, a well-known but endangered wetland natural res ...
,
Ciudad Real Ciudad Real (, ) is a municipality of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile–La Mancha, capital of the province of Ciudad Real. It is the 5th most populated municipality in the region. It was founded as Villa Real in 1255 as a ro ...
) and de la Inés (
Almodóvar del Campo Almodóvar del Campo is a municipality of Spain, located in the province of Ciudad Real, autonomous community of Castilla–La Mancha. Featuring a total area of 1.208,25 km2, it is the largest municipality in the region and one of the largest m ...
, Ciudad Real) have also been declared as goods of cultural interest. In paintings, drawings, prints and engravings, the iconography of the ventas is usually associated with costumbrist themes or historical events. Calle del Ventorrillo (Madrid) 01.jpg, Plaque of the calle del Ventorrillo of
Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
(Spain). La riña en la Venta Nueva.jpg, The '' Venta Nueva'' in a painting of Francisco de Goya. Soldados De Reforma En Una Venta.jpg, A Mexican venta in 1858, painted by Primitivo Miranda, Museo Nacional de las Intervenciones (INAH). 1901-09-21, Blanco y Negro, Camino de Sanlúcar, García y Rodríguez (cropped).jpg, Venta in Andalusia; ''
Blanco y Negro Blanco y Negro Records (Spanish: "White and Black"), a subsidiary of WEA Records Ltd., was established in 1983 by Geoff Travis of Rough Trade Records and Mike Alway of él Records. Michel Duval of Les Disques du Crépuscule was also involve ...
'' (1901).


Literary references


The ventas of Don Quixote

The ventas, as typical constructions of the
vernacular architecture Vernacular architecture (also folk architecture) is building done outside any academic tradition, and without professional guidance. It is not a particular architectural movement or style but rather a broad category, encompassing a wide range a ...
of
La Mancha La Mancha () is a natural region, natural and historical region in the provinces of Spain, Spanish provinces of province of Albacete, Albacete, province of Cuenca, Cuenca, province of Ciudad Real, Ciudad Real and province of Toledo, Toledo. It ...
, are described in various chapters by
Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra ( ; ; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 NS) was a Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelists. He is best known for his no ...
as the scenery of various adventures and misadventures of the ingenious gentleman Don Quixote de la Mancha; among them, one of the most descriptive episodes may be the one in the second and following chapters of the first part of the novel.


The venta of the Archpriest of Hita

Various excerpts of ''
The Book of Good Love ''The Book of Good Love'' (), considered to be one of the masterpieces of Spanish poetry, is a pseudo-biographical account of romantic adventures by Juan Ruiz, the Archpriest of Hita, the earliest version of which dates from 1330; the author ...
'' (1330 and 1343), recount the vicissitudes of Juan Ruiz, Archpriest of Hita in the medieval Venta de Cornejo, establishment in which –according to the author– he slept on various occasions in 1329.


The Andalusian venta of Bécquer

Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer Gustavo Adolfo Claudio Domínguez Bastida (17 February 1836 – 22 December 1870), better known as Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer (), was a Spanish Spanish Romance literature, Romantic poet and writer (mostly short stories), also a playwright, columni ...
extensively describes an Andalusian venta in his account titled ''La Venta de los Gatos'', published in November 1862, in the newsapaper '' El Contemporáneo''.


The venta de Cidones

In the second edition of '' Campos de Castilla'',
Antonio Machado Antonio Cipriano José María y Francisco de Santa Ana Machado y Ruiz (26 July 1875 – 22 February 1939), known as Antonio Machado, was a Spanish poet and one of the leading figures of the Spanish literary movement known as the Generation ...
published in 1917 a poem that takes place in the primitive
Soriana Organización Soriana is a Mexican public company and a major retailer in Mexico with more than 824 stores. Soriana is a grocery and department store retail chain headquartered in Monterrey, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. The company is 100% cap ...
Venta de Cidones, titled "Al maestro «Azorín» por su libro Castilla". It is considered as one of the defining texts of the most national aspect of the ''noventayochismo''.


Non-exhaustive list of ventas


Andalusia

* Venta de la Mascareta


Aragon

* Venta de la Jaquesa


Castilla-La Mancha

* Venta de Borondo (BIC) * Venta de la Inés (BIC) * Venta de Puerto Lápice * Venta de Aragoncillo


Castile and León

* Venta Cornejo


Basque Country and Navarre


See also

*
Inn Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway. Before the advent of motorized transportation, they also provided accomm ...


Notes


References


External links

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