Chozas de Canales

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Chozas de Canales is a small farming village and municipality in the province of Toledo, part of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha, Spain. With improving road links from the national capital Madrid to the north, the village has doubled in size in the last few years with a number of new chalets being built. The village now has a supermarket and a resaurant that opens in the evenings. But in the old part of the village it still has a feeling of going back in time with the good community spirit. Its such a shame about the new chalets as they are all identical and modern and do not blend in with the old traditional village houses. The village centre still maintains its charm and tradition, but the new part looks like a giant council estate.

The village is built around the small chapel in the centre opposite the village square and with the church on the hill looking down. People in the village either commute to Madrid for work or are involved in farming.

The village even produces its own wine. Rocanales from the Bodega Cooperativa Santa Maria Magdalena. Around the village is miles upon miles of farm land.

History:

El secretario de estado de Felipe IV, don Pedro Coloma y Escolano, compró para sí y sus sucesores los territorios que comprenden los despoblados de Canales y Regachuelo, con las villas de Chozas y Yunclillos. Ya con el señorío, se le concedió el vizcondado de Canales y Chozas, en el 1680 el marquesado. Con estas y otras tierras instituyó un mayorazgo nombrando herederos, cuando no los tuviese de sangre, al cabildo de racioneros beneficiados y curas de Santa María, de la villa de Navarrete, en la Rioja, obispado de Calahorra y La Calzada. Como al cabo de un siglo se extinguieron los herederos, pasó al referido cabildo. A finales del siglo XVIII se conservaba el palacio marquesal.

[edit] Public Holidays

Name of Holiday: CHRISTMAS - Cabalgata, mass. Date: 5 of Jan, Duration: One day

Name of Holiday: CRISTO DE LA MISERICORDIA - Procession, Arts & Music, Infant Party, Date: last weekend in May, including the Friday, Duration: Four days