Meco, Spain

Meco

Flag	Coat of arms

Meco

Location in Spain

Coordinates: 40°33′14″N 3°19′34″W / 40.55389°N 3.32611°WCoordinates: 40°33′14″N 3°19′34″W / 40.55389°N 3.32611°W

Country

Spain

Madrid

Government

• Alcalde

Pedro Luis Sanz Carlavilla (PP)

Area

• Total

35.07 km² (13.54 sq mi)

Elevation

673 m (2,208 ft)

Population (2011)

• Total

12,554

• Density

360/km² (930/sq mi)

Demonym(s)

Mequero

Time zone

CET (UTC+1)

• Summer (DST)

CEST (UTC+2)

Postal code

28880

Website

Official website

Meco is a municipality in the eastern part of the Autonomous Community of Madrid, (Spain). In 2006, Meco had a population of 11,094 (Spanish National Statistics Institute).

The town is located to the north of the River Henares, in the comarca of La Campiña del Henares, and also in one of the two natural sub-comarcas that make up the Comarca de Alcalá, La Campiña del Henares, characterized by vast grain fields and gentle hills. It is 8 km to the north of the metropolitan area of Alcalá de Henares and 4 km from the University of Alcalá. It provides residences for the university and also is part of the Henares Industrial Corridor.

On the east, Meco borders the municipalities of Azuqueca de Henares and Villanueva de la Torre, of Guadalajara, and also the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. It can be reached by the Royal Cattle Track of Galiana or Riojana, and by the last section of the Henares Canal.

Meco is on the C-2 line of the Cercanías Madrid railway. It is also served by an exit from Radial Motorway 2 and two exits from the A2 (Nos. M-116 and M-112).

Geography

Altitude: 673 m
Latitude: 40° 33′ 00″ N
Longitude: 003° 19′ 59″ E

Located at the edge of one of the terraces of the River Henares, 35 km from the capital, Madrid. The rivers Las Monjas, Villanueva, and its tributary, Valdegatos.

Meco also has the distinction of being Spain's most distant populated area from the sea.

Economy

A town with a dry-soil agricultural tradition, Meco has long been an exporter of wheat, flour and bread to Alcalá, Guadalajara, and Madrid.

History

There are archaeological remains from the Iron Age, as well as a Roman necropolis. The municipality may have originated as a Roman agricultural estate, and may have been a wheat staple in Muslim times. After the re-conquest of the Media Marca (Middle March) by Alfonso VI, it came to form part of the Commune of Villa and Land of Guadalajara. In the 15th century, King Juan II gave it to the Marquis of Santillana, Iñigo López de Mendoza, who passed it ti his second son, Iñigo López de Mendoza, Count of Tendilla. The son of Iñigo López de Mendoza, also of the same name, added the title of Marquis of Móndejar by buying this villa from the Catholic Monarchs. In 1801, Alcalá de Henares was separated from the administration of Toledo and became capital of the administrative region. It also separated from Guadalajara, coming to form part of the region of Alcalá de Henares.

Art

Among the buildings of the town, a magnificent parish Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción (Meco) stands out. It is dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption, and is located on Plaza de la Constitución. Construction started in the middle of the 16th century in the Gothic Transitional style, and was completed in the 17th in Baroque style. The presbytery was therefore built of limestone masonry, while the sacristy and tower were brick.

A hall church with columns, its design has been attributed to Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón by some historians. It has three naves, the middle one with barrel vaults flattened at the top, and the lateral ones with pointed arches. Its Baroque dome is constructed on pendentives. It is surrounded by an atrium.

It was listed as an Artistic Historical Monument in 1982, and has been part of the Cultural Heritage of the Community of Madrid since 1992.

The town's main street also has fine examples of spacious historic houses.

There are two hermitages: that of Christ of Succour (Christo del Socorro, late 16th century?) and that of the Virgin (Virgen de la Cabeza, 17th century).

Demographic development

demographic variation of the municipality between 1991 and 2005
2011	2009	2005	2004	2001	1996	1991	1980
12,554	12,419	10,774	9,986	8,267	4,142	2,928	1,117

External links

Ayuntamiento de Meco (Spanish)

Statistics

Statistics Institute of the Community of Madrid (Spanish)

Street guide, maps and aerial photos

Statistics Institute of the Community of Madrid - Official nomenclature and street guide - Municipal statistics (Spanish)

Municipalities of the Madrid Metropolitan Area
3,000,000+	Madrid
200,000+	Alcalá de Henares Móstoles
150,000+	Alcorcón Fuenlabrada Getafe Leganés
100,000+	Alcobendas Coslada Parla Torrejón de Ardoz
50,000+	Boadilla del Monte Las Rozas de Madrid Majadahonda Pozuelo de Alarcón Rivas-Vaciamadrid San Sebastián de los Reyes Valdemoro
25,000+	Pinto San Fernando de Henares Tres Cantos Villaviciosa de Odón

Municipalities of the Community of Madrid
3,000,000+	Madrid
200,000+	Alcalá de Henares Móstoles
150,000+	Alcorcón Fuenlabrada Getafe Leganés Parla
100,000+	Alcobendas Coslada Torrejón de Ardoz
50,000+	Aranjuez Arganda del Rey Boadilla del Monte Collado Villalba Las Rozas de Madrid Majadahonda Pozuelo de Alarcón Rivas-Vaciamadrid San Sebastián de los Reyes Valdemoro
25,000+	Colmenar Viejo Galapagar Navalcarnero Pinto San Fernando de Henares Tres Cantos Villaviciosa de Odón
under 25,000	La Acebeda Ajalvir Alameda del Valle El Álamo Aldea del Fresno Algete Alpedrete Ambite Anchuelo Arroyomolinos El Atazar Batres Becerril de la Sierra Belmonte de Tajo El Berrueco Berzosa del Lozoya El Boalo Braojos Brea de Tajo Brunete Buitrago del Lozoya Bustarviejo Cabanillas de la Sierra La Cabrera Cadalso de los Vidrios Camarma de Esteruelas Campo Real Canencia Carabaña Casarrubuelos Cenicientos Cercedilla Cervera de Buitrago Chapinería Chinchón Ciempozuelos Cobeña Collado Mediano Colmenar de Oreja Colmenar del Arroyo Colmenarejo Corpa Cubas de la Sagra El Escorial Estremera Fresnedillas de la Oliva Fresno de Torote Fuente el Saz de Jarama Fuentidueña de Tajo Garganta de los Montes Gargantilla del Lozoya y Pinilla de Buitrago Gascones Griñón Guadalix de la Sierra Guadarrama La Hiruela Horcajo de la Sierra Horcajuelo de la Sierra Hoyo de Manzanares Loeches Lozoya Lozoyuela-Navas-Sieteiglesias Madarcos Manzanares el Real Meco Miraflores de la Sierra El Molar Los Molinos Mejorada del Campo Montejo de la Sierra Moraleja de Enmedio Moralzarzal Morata de Tajuña Navacerrada Navalafuente Navalagamella Navarredonda y San Mamés Navas del Rey Nuevo Baztán Olmeda de las Fuentes Orusco de Tajuña Paracuellos de Jarama Pedrezuela Pelayos de la Presa Perales de Tajuña Pezuela de las Torres Pinilla del Valle Piñuécar-Gandullas Pozuelo del Rey Prádena del Rincón Puebla de la Sierra Puentes Viejas Quijorna Rascafría Redueña Ribatejada Robledillo de la Jara Robledo de Chavela Robregordo Rozas de Puerto Real San Agustín del Guadalix San Lorenzo de El Escorial San Martín de la Vega San Martín de Valdeiglesias Santa María de la Alameda Santorcaz Los Santos de la Humosa La Serna del Monte Serranillos del Valle Sevilla la Nueva Somosierra Soto del Real Talamanca de Jarama Tielmes Titulcia Torrejón de la Calzada Torrejón de Velasco Torrelaguna Torrelodones Torremocha de Jarama Torres de la Alameda Valdaracete Valdeavero Valdelaguna Valdemanco Valdemaqueda Valdemorillo Valdeolmos-Alalpardo Valdepiélagos Valdetorres de Jarama Valdilecha Valverde de Alcalá El Vellón Venturada Villa del Prado Villaconejos Villalbilla Villamanrique de Tajo Villamanta Villamantilla Villanueva de la Cañada Villanueva del Pardillo Villanueva de Perales Villar del Olmo Villarejo de Salvanés Villavieja del Lozoya Zarzalejo

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