Spain Trip #46: Welcome to Seville/The Black Cat Petition

The Black Cat Petition

In today's blog, we've arrived in the city of Seville, Spain! You'll learn about the city and it's history and a strange theory called "the Black Cat Petition," that led to a serious outcome!!

WHAT IS SEVILLE? Seville is the capital of southern Spain’s Andalusia region.

WHAT IS IT MOST FAMOUS FOR? Flamenco dancing, particularly in its Triana neighborhood, and Christopher Columbus.

WHAT ARE THE MOST FAMOUS LANDMARKS? Major landmarks include the ornate Alcázar castle complex, built during the Moorish Almohad dynasty, and the 18th-century Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza bullring. The Gothic Seville Cathedral is the site of Christopher Columbus’s tomb and a minaret turned bell tower, the Giralda. Over the next couple of blogs we'll explore all of these places in detail!

Tom and Rob in the town of Niguelas (olive oil tour blog!)

SEVILLE'S HISTORY This is a short timeline to provide highlights of the city's development
1) 7th Century - The first inhabitants of the city
2) 8th Century - The city became a Muslim capital
3) In 1248 San Fernando conquered the city for Christianity

FAST FACTS
1) The city residents are 99 percent Catholic
2) It is 4th largest city in Spain (the others are Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia)
3) One Million people live in Seville
4) After America was discovered in 1492, much of the gold and silver came to Seville, making the city very wealthy.

WHAT IS THE BLACK CAT PETITION - During the Middle Ages, some people decided upon the "Black Cat Petition." The petition stated that black cats were actually witches, so to "protect" the public and Christians, the cats were killed.
WHAT WAS THE OUTCOME? The stupidity of this Black Cat Petition had serious consequences. Once all of the cats (black or otherwise) were killed, the rat population exploded. Of course, since it was the Middle Ages and the Bubonic Plague spread throughout Europe. Seville, Spain experienced a huge swell in plague deaths. During the "Great Plague of Seville," which went from 1647 to 1652. During that time, Seville and its rural areas estimated 150,000 deaths.

NEXT: The Bull Ring, Golden Tower and Santelmo Palace