After hunting rabbit it is time for a little Sobremesa

October 31, 2026

For most of today we will be walking along the road, gazing at the fields, and so let us have some more untranslatable Spanish terms.

Resol - the reflection of the sun off a surface or the glare of the sun.

Recogerse. To go indoors in the evening once the day is over.

Estrenar - to wear something for the first time or to break it in.

Merendar - going out for a snack, coffee or a small meal.

Sobremesa. The conversation at the dinner table after the meal is over.

Mezquita de Jarque has much the same History as many places around here. Around 300 souls till the 1960s. Today it has 83.

The GSH says ‘MEZQUITA DE JARQUE: Village with town hall in the province and diocese of Teruel (9 leagues),. It is situated on the left bank of the Mezquita or Jarque stream; with a somewhat cold climate , pleurisy and pneumonia being the most common illnesses. It consists of about 50 houses , including the town hall, distributed along narrow streets and a square; it has a jail, a boys' school attended by a very small number of students; a first-class parish church under the patronage of Our Lady of the Assumption, served by a priest appointed by competition and ordinary appointment, and a cemetery that poses no threat to public health. The municipality borders to the north with Son del Puerto and Adovas; to the east, Cuevas de Almaden; S. Galve, and O. Cañada de Vellida; a stream crosses it, descending from Val de Jarque, which later joins others to form the Guadalope River. The land is uneven and dry, with hills covered in pasture for livestock and some trees; to the right of the town there is a pasture belonging to the municipality. The roads lead to Teruel and Aliaga and are in fair condition. Mail is received from the district capital by courier. Products : wheat, barley, and oats; there is sheep and some goats, and rabbit hunting. Population : 63 households, 253 inhabitants. Taxable wealth : 29,729 reales. The municipal budget amounts to 2,000 reales, which is covered by the proceeds from the lease of a flour mill, and the deficit by a levy on the residents.

On the outside of the village is the church of San Lorenzo the Martyr. Jose is fulsome in his review.

The Church of San Lorenzo Mártir is quite beautiful. Located on Calle Iglesia in the town of Mezquita de Jarque, it sits on the western edge of the town center, on one of its higher points, making it stand out from the rest of the village.

This parish church, whose construction dates back to 1594, is in the late Gothic style, with a Renaissance portal.

It is a single-nave church with three bays, side chapels between buttresses, and a polygonal apse. The nave is covered with a groin vault; the chapels, accessed through semicircular arches, are covered with archaic ribbed vaults. The exterior presents a three-tiered structure, where the rhythm of the buttresses and the windows of the central nave are particularly striking. The portal, located under an atrium, is on the epistle side. Finally, the tower that rises above the apse has three tiers and a square base, topped with a small octagonal finial.

A visit to the Church of San Lorenzo Mártir is highly recommended, as well as a visit to the beautiful and peaceful village of Mezquita de Jarque, not forgetting its natural surroundings.

Into the town and the Bar El Horno. It opens from 8.45am till midnight every day of the week. Jose said ‘Good place to have lunches of preserved eggs and local ham, village atmosphere.’

On to the town hall. They have three councillors, all PSOE and the weblink doesn’t work. It is open 8am to 3pm weekdays. Jose - again - is very fulsome ‘The Mezquita de Jarque Town Hall is a beautiful building, located on Calle la Virgen in the eastern part of the town.

It is a detached, two-story building with its main entrance on Calle la Virgen, where the Town Hall balcony, adorned with flags, is located. A lovely wooden overhanging eave crowns the building. A visit to this beautiful and peaceful town of Mezquita de Jarque is highly recommended, as is a stroll through its streets and its surrounding natural landscape.’