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Last modified: 2016-06-03 by ivan sache
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The municipality of Villacarrillo (11,263 inhabitants in 2013; 23,955 ha; municipal website) is located 90 km north-east of Jaén.
The municipality is made of the town of Villacarrillo and of the villages of Mogón, Agrupación de Mogón, La Caleruela, Arroturas, Puente de Cerromolinos, Herrera and La Sierra de las Villas.
Villacarrillo originates in the erection of a defence tower (atalaya), known as Torre de Mingo Pliego or Torre de Domingo Priego; the tower belonged to the Council of Iznatoraf, itself part of the Adelantamiento of Cazorla.
Torre de Domingo Priego was granted the status of villa in 1450 by King John II, upon request by Alonso Carrillo, Archbishop of Toledo. The privilege was confirmed by the Catholic Monarchs in 1498, the town being renamed for the archbishop. Villacarrillo was granted the status of ciudad in 1877 by Alfonso XII.
Ivan Sache, 8 December 2015
Proposed flag of Villacarrillo - Image from the Símbolos de Jaén website, 8 December 2015
Municipal symbols were proposed by the local circle Asociación de Amigos de la Historia (website), upon request of the municipality.
The flag, designed from scratch, is horizontally divided sky blue-wheat yellow-pine green with the municipal coat of arms in the center.
Blue is the colour of the water of rivers Guadalimar and Guadalquivir, which border the district of Villacarrillo in the north and the south and irrigate and fertilize the land, which is the cradle of history and cultures (Iberian, Roman, Arab).
Yellow recalls the "bread-bearing land" of the old Campiña and La Loma, famous for their grain crops (mentioned in the Espasa Encyclopedia, in Madoz' Dictionary and in Riera's Dictionary); accordingly, the inhabitants of Villacarrillo are named Campiñés (as established in the Dictionary of the Royal Academy of the Spanish Language).
Green is the colour of the Sierra de la Cuatro Villas, the natural environment and main source of income of the district for ages. The vessels of the Spanish Navy, the Invincible Armada included, were built with the wood of the beautiful local pines. The Romans and the Arabs exploited mines in the old mounts Tugienses, aka Argentarios.
The municipal coat of arms shall have its geometrical axis fitting the center of the flag and be in height 3/4 of the flag's height.
The colour specifications are given as follows (Pantone scale):
Wheat yellow Y+ 122 C Celestial blue B- 278 C Pine green V+ 356 C
There is no evidence that the proposal was ever adopted.
The proposed coat of arms is a "rehabilitation" of the arms granted in 1449 in Talamanca by Alfonso Carrillo de Acuña, Archbishop of Toledo; together with the status of villa, as follows: "We grant you arms, to be also used on the flag and the seal, made of a golden castle on a red field with blue port and windows, as shown on our arms." Taking into account a subsequent modification, the proposed coat of arms is described as:
Coat of arms: Gules (red) on a base proper a castle or masoned sable (with the masonry outlined in black) port and windows azure (with blue windows and door), ensigned (surmounted) by a key or in fess facing dexter.
According to Andrés Nicas Moreno, expert in local heraldry and genealogy, these arms are typical of the border area of the Kingdom of Jaén, highlighting the castle as a symbol of defence and guard, beside being also the arms of the Carrillo lineage. The key recalls that Villacarrillo was the defence and guard of the Adelantamiento of Cazorla.
Ivan Sache, 8 December 2015
