The Mutiny of Aranjuez
A Goyaesque journey to one of Spain’s most majestic towns for one of its most eventful historic uprisings.
There are fiestas that celebrate national and local achievements, independence, regional customs and religious traditions. There are fiestas that celebrate bountiful harvests and the culinary richness developed over hundreds of years.
And then there are fiestas that commemorate a period or event in history which gives a unique insight into a country’s evolution and character.
And these, by far, are my favourite kind of fiestas in Spain.
Every September the town of Aranjuez, 48km south of Madrid, takes a step back in time to an important event known as the Mutiny (or Tumult) of Aranjuez, demonstrating yet again that disgruntled Spanish campesinos can be very persuasive.
There’s a painting by Francisco de Goya of the family of King Charles IV hanging in the Prado Museum. It was commissioned in 1800 with the intention of presenting a united and powerful Spanish House of Bourbon to visiting royalty and diplomats.
The Neoclassical painting depicts members of the royal family, including the young ambitious 16-year-old Prince Ferdinand on the left, the indulgent but astute Queen Maria Luisa de Parma in the…
