Be warned about bilious and inflammatory gastric ailments

 We are in downtown Fuente el Fresno.  They haven’t even bypassed the town so let's have a mooch.

Fuente el Fresno has the usual array of Roman roads, Bronze Age bits and Neolithic knickknacks.  The Medieval village was set up by the Order of Calatrava as a dependent out settlement of Malagon.  Ferdinand III granted it town status in the early 13th century and in the 18th Ferdinand VI granted them independence from their southern neighbour.  Our friend the GSH Dictionary has a thing to say.

FUENTE DEL FRESNO  situated at the foot of a mountain range that runs from SE to N and from NW to S, surrounded by hills, it has a temperate climate ; the winds are from the WSW and NNE, and people suffer from bilious and inflammatory gastric ailments: it has 300 houses , which form paved and very laborious streets, a hillside square, and at the entrances to the town there are roads to facilitate the passage of horses and carriages: there is a town hall, a jail, a primary school endowed with 2200 reales. of public funds, which is attended by 120 boys and 50 girls; 1 parish church dedicated to St. Quiteria, a first-class curacy under the patronage of the Duke of Medinaceli, which has several annexes within the district that will be discussed later; on the outskirts to the south, there is a beautiful meadow and in it a freshwater well from which the neighborhood and passersby are supplied, as it is located on the road that leads to Toledo and Madrid. 

……In this area, around 1829 or 1830, the Council of Castile commissioned the corregidor of Ciudad Real at that time, Don Francisco García y Ortiz, to conduct a survey and prepare a report. He observed that the mayor of Fuente del Fresno, even within his own house, was within his own jurisdiction, but as soon as he stepped outside, he was in the jurisdiction of Villarubia. Consequently, he could not properly carry out his duties, nor even address crimes committed in his presence. 

Three-quarters of a league to the north are several mineral springs, among which the one known as El Regajo stands out., which was analyzed in ancient times and proved to be very useful for urinary tract infections, venereal diseases, and tertian fevers

…..The land is arid, stony, and unproductive. The local roads are poor, except for the one that descends to the capital from Madrid and Toledo, which is almost impassable in winter. Mail is received from the post office in Villarta de San Juan by a mail carrier twice a week . Wheat, barley, rye, oil, wine, legumes, and fruit are grown; sheep, goats, and pigs are kept, along with about 100 head of cattle for work; and much big and small game is raised. Industry and commerce include charcoal production, employing at least 200 men who transport the charcoal to Madrid and other locations; a mill and an oil press are also used. Population : 463 households, 2,315 inhabitants.

Today the town is an olive, grape, goat and sheep sort of a place. The population rose to about 5000 in the 1920s and began to slump in the 1960s to its present 3000. Politically it has swapped around a bit between the PP and PSOE. The current Socialist Mayor is Abel Gonzalo Prado - who got the gig in 2025. The PP hold most councillors [5] and held the mayoral job between the 2023 elections and 2025. The PSOE have four sears and Castilian Unity hold the other two.   The CU are were formed in Ciudad Real in 2001 and want Castile y Leon, Castile - La Mancha, Madrid, Cantabria and La Rioja to form a single unit.  They have managed to get 3 out of 1000 town councillors in the provenance of Ciudad Real so this may be regarded as a strong hold of these conservative regionalists.

We’ve missed all the festivals or are too early.  December looks fun. On 22th & 13th December, the Thyme Festival is celebrated with bonfires of thyme where people smoke their eyes to preserve their sight. The 13th is the pilgrimage of Saint Lucy, held at the hermitage of Our Lady of Faith. The two thyme gatherers chosen each year collect thyme, build the large bonfires, and offer lemonade and pastries to everyone. 

Heading out of town  we will pass the Restaurante EL Toro. 121 reviewers give it a mere 3.7 stars.  It is closed Mondays but open from 7am on all other days and closes between 8pm and 10pm.  Sinforianao was unimpressed. ‘I'll never stop here again. The service was terrible, the coffee was awful, and the Starbucks prices were outrageous. I'm a truck driver, and I speak from experience. ‘    Daniel was delighted.  ‘100% recommended. I'm a truck driver and I went for breakfast this morning. The muffins were delicious and the woman was very friendly. Since it was Tuesday and I had stopped overnight on Monday and it was closed, she told me I could call and she would at least make me a sandwich for dinner. I really appreciate it, and I will definitely stop again. Good parking and a quiet night. 

So we walk across the bleached landscape and think of things of an improving nature.