Tordesillas

Tordesillas es un municipio y localidad de la provincia de Valladolid, situado 28 km al suroeste de la capital provincial en la comunidad autónoma de Castilla y León (España). La localidad está situada a 704 m de altura sobre el nivel del mar. La población del municipio asciende a 8973 habitantes (INE 2014). Ostenta los títulos de «Muy ilustre, antigua, coronada, leal y nobilísima villa».

Tordesillas is a town and municipality in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, central Spain. It is located 25 kilometres (16 mi) southwest of the provincial capital, Valladolid at an elevation of 704 metres (2,310 ft). The population was c. 9,000 as of 2009. The town is known for its Toro de la Vega festival during which a bull was slaughtered by people on horseback and on foot. Animal rights groups repeatedly tried to stop this from taking place. The bull is at least five years old when he's killed and is allow to live in a large property to keep him territorial, unlike other animals who are killed for the butcher at one year of age. Finally, in May 2016 the Regional government issued a decree prohibiting the slaughter of the bull in public; animal rights activists regarded it as a victory after years denouncing publicly the cruelty with great national and worldwide coverage. The mayor of the town, backed unanimously by the opposition, made a statement of outrage on the same day of the prohibition. The bull's slaughter had came to be inextricably associated with the name of the town, overshadowing its rich monumental and historical heritage. The town is located on the Douro River although the river is not navigable up to Tordesillas. There are railway services to Salamanca, Ourense, Madrid, and Valladolid. There are highway connections to Madrid, 182 kilometres (113 mi) to the southeast, and with Salamanca, 96 kilometres (60 mi) to the southwest. The provincial capital is also linked by four-lane highway. Because of its important highway connections Tordesillas has become a major transit hub. The economy is based on services especially connected to tourism and the agricultural production of the surrounding area. Wheat has long been the traditional agricultural product (see Cuisine of the province of Valladolid). The town is well served by hotels with a parador, four three-star hotels, one two-star hotel, and ten hostels and pensions. There is also a camping site. There is also an abundance of restaurants 27 in total with the Parador restaurant having a three star classification. North of the town there is a fertile valley formed by the Douro, with extensive use of irrigation by central pivots.