Widespread festive cosplaying and the gridded sister settlements

September 29, 2026

Welcome to Valdeolmos, evil twin of Alalpardo - or vice versa. The Historical Dictionary says this of the place in 1845:

VALDEOLMOS: village with town hall in the province and territorial court of Madrid (6 leagues).... Situated on the slope of a small hill; it is most frequently exposed to north and south winds, and its climate is prone to intermittent fevers. It has 38 houses of inferior construction, including the town hall; a jail in poor condition, and a parish church (La Concepción).... Two small streams cross it, whose waters are used by the residents. The land is of medium quality. Roads: those leading to the neighboring towns are in fair condition. Mail is received in the district capital. Production : wheat and barley; it maintains coarse sheep and raises game such as hares and partridges. Population : 26 households, 155 inhabitant

Spanish wiki is quite fulsome on the wildlife. ‘In Valdeolmos-Alalpardo, you can spot different species of mammals, for example, roe deer (in the pastures), foxes, mice, voles, rabbits, hares, wild boar, etc. You can also observe a wide variety of birds such as quail, partridges, bustards, blackbirds, wood pigeons, and different types of birds of prey .In the meadows and ditches we find the red poppy , the thyme, the yellow jumarago, the bramble, the broom and the hawthorn.’

As a PS English wiki adds to our municipal knowledge with this. ‘Alalpardo is famous for a live Nativity scene in which more than 200 people create images of the birth of Christ. Shepherds, Roman soldiers, craftspeople, fishermen, merchants, and live mules, donkeys, horses, hens, geese, sheep, pigs, ducks, and falcons are gathered together every year for two days over Christmas to create more than 20 Nativity scenes.

The church, of La Concepion, got this review, so I need to share it. ‘I don't know the inside of the church, but I do know its bells: from 8 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, they're unbearable. But, clearly, the fault doesn't lie with the church, but with the person who takes care of it, that is, Mr. Salido, whose first name is Jaime. The mayor doesn't seem to be aware of this very annoying situation either. To have a complete consensus on this mess, all that's missing is the pharmacist and the Civil Guard sergeant. Time will tell.’ Mauricio was clearly unimpressed.

Across country we go and on to the gridded community of Jardín de Serracines. I can find little about it, other than apparently 2000 people live here and it seems jolly nice and gardenee.

A semidettached breath away is Paraje del Arzobispo. Apparently 220 people live here. In 2024 29 of them were under 15 and 22 over 65. 25 were foreign citizens, 53.6% were male and the population grew at 3.1%.