Plaza de la Cebada

Just west of La Latina metro station, the busy and bar-strewn corner of Madrid marked by the ill-defined ‘Barley Square’ is important to understanding what medieval Madrid was like, although it requires a little imagination. In the wake of the Christian conquest the square was, for a time, the site of a Muslim cemetery, and the nearby Plaza de la Puerta de Moros (Moors’ Gate) underscores that this area was long home to the city’s Muslim population. The square later became a popular spot for public executions – until well into the 19th century, the condemned would be paraded along Calle de Toledo, before turning into the square and mounting the gallows. The Teatro de la Latina, at the Calle de Toledo end of the elongated square, stands where one of Queen Isabel’s closest advisers, Beatriz Galindo, built a hospital in the 15th century. A noted humanist, Galindo was known as ‘La Latina’ for her prodigious knowledge of Latin (which she taught Queen Isabel) and general erudition. Only Galindo’s nickname reminds us of what once stood here. Not far from the theatre, the narrow streets of Calle de la Cava Alta and Calle de la Cava Baja delineate where the second line of medieval Christian city walls ran. They continued up along what is now Calle de los Cuchilleros (Knifemakers St) and along the Cava de San Miguel, and were superseded by the third circuit of walls, which was raised in the 15th century. The cavas were initially ditches dug in front of the walls, later used as refuse dumps and finally given over to housing when the walls no longer served any defensive purpose.