Cehegín Introduction
Cehegín is a municipality of something more than 16,000 inhabitants (according to the 2008 census) and is located in the centre of the District of the Northwest, limited to the east by Mula and Bullas, to the south with that of Lorca, to the west with Caravaca de la Cruz and to the north with Calasparra and Moratalla. It sits in a mountainous area, with big pine woods. They are in the main Coto Real de la Marina, the Sierra de la Lavia, the Sierra de Burete, the Sierra de la Puerta and the Sierra de Gilico y Cambrones.
From Neolithic times there has been man’s footprint, here in the caves of the Peña Rubia, but the origins of Cehegín begin in the old Begastri, inhabited from Iberian times.
After the taking of Cartagena by the taking by the Vandals and Alans (fierce peoples from north-east Germany) in 425AD, this was considered to conclude the Roman dominance of the Peninsula. Because the Visigoths were recalled to Gaul, another Germanic group, the Sueves ruled the Peninsula until in 456 the Visigoths returned to defeat them, and remained in control for just over 250 years.
In the 713 the arrival of the Muslims to the current lands of the Region of Murcia took place. In that year the Treaty of Tudmir was signed, in which the invaders respected the traditions and possessions of the Visigoths in exchange for obedience, tribute and the surrender of seven cities. One of them was the mythical Begastri. When the Muslims arrived at Begastri they didn't settle there, but decided to build very close to it. The Islamic tribe called the Zenehegíes, established themselves on the hill of Puntarrón, with the objective of controlling the valley of the Argos river and the white Begastri fortress. This was the seed of the current Cehegín. The population growth enhanced by the break-up of the pact of Teodomiro in 789, made Begastri a Mozarabic community which lasted until the 13th century.
Then the Christian advance toward the South peninsular became unstoppable, and the result was the submission of the Kingdom of Murcia to the Crown from Castile under the regime of protectorate, after the agreement of Alcaraz in 1243. The establishments of the first Christians in Cehegín began, in Canara, under the rule of Pedro Meléndez Fan. In 1264 the Mudéjar rebellion exploded as a consequence of the progressive noncompliance of the clauses of the Treaty of Alcaraz by Alfonso X. Two years later the uprising was crushed and as a recompense for their help, he donated Cehegín, to the Templars.
After the disappearance of the Templars in 1312, Cehegín ended up in the hands of the Military Orden de Santiago in 1344. That year Alfonso XI decided to separate Cehegín from Caravaca. Following the Muslim evacuation it was not until the second half of the 14th century that Cehegín began to repopulate. It increased to almost 3,000 inhabitants at the end of the 15th century to 5,000 individuals in the 16th.
The 18th century saw the economic and social recovery, after the War of Spanish Succession. The population further increased, despite of the loss of Bullas, passing 7,000. The new century could not begin more lamentably with the War of Independence. Cehegín experience looting by the Napoleonic troops in their escape from Andalucía, but after the war Cehegín enjoyed a time of prosperity. In first place, the village was liberated from the Orden de Santiago in 1847. The State confiscated all the goods after five centuries of administration by the Order.
In the 20th century Cehegín was a leader in the production of iron ore, however, with the economic crisis of 1929, production suffered as a consequence of competition from, especially Germany. It didn't stop here as synthetic fibres almost ruined the esparto and hemp industries.
The town has overcome the crisis with resurgence of their economy through the cultivation of apricot and peaches and the associated canning industry. Also, latterly, the marble quarries have proved beneficial to the economy.
Tourism has increased after declaring the old town a Conjunto Histórico by the Ministry for Culture in 1982, in spite of losing its castle in 1957.
Industry in Cehegín
The customs that during so much time have occupied so many generations have slowly disappeared in the face of technological innovation.
From the oldest documented sources of the 16th century, Cehegín has produced canvas shoes from hemp. The increase in the cultivation of hemp and the number of people dedicated to their applications was mainly to satisfy the urgent necessities of the Spanish navy.
Cehegín began its boom with the manufacture of footwear. The manufacture of the old espadrille (rope-soled shoe), of which there is evidence, was founded in 1880.
The peak of production took place in the 20th century. Foreign competition and the periodic crisis of sales promoted the creation of important societies to defend the common interests of the workers of this sector. In Cehegín cooperatives like La Redentora was formed. The Spanish post-war time marked the last period of splendour of this industry for Cehegín.
The use of the synthetic fibre and the application of rubber and subsequent vulcanisation in footwear, signalled the decline in the industry and, consequently, caused the total disappearance of the cultivation of hemp.
The importance of this plant is in its shaft which provides an excellent textile fibre and had many applications. It diversified at the end of the 19th century to the production of navigational rigging, cord and sails, but from that moment it concentrated on the shoe industry. Other minor uses were the beard was used to light fire, and the chaff as bird food and others affirm that the unripe plant was used as an insecticide.
Lastly, the seed of this plant, hempseed, besides being marketed for its cultivation in other places, was also used for bird food and, even, for the obtaining of oil for the production of soap.
There is an endless list of applications, but the most important and main derivation was the production of espadrilles, and the industrial activity involving the adult population in Cehegín.
Until the 1950’s the spinning was a manual operation with the equipment manufactured by local carpenters.
From the great amount of industries dedicated to the making of threads, of the spinners that survive, gave employment to more than 600 people. At the present time only two subsist, that of Angel Caparrós Hita, who still operates at 85 years of age and Ramón Carrasco Rioja.
The whole process can be divided into 5 sections, identifying the specialists within the manufacturing cycle:-
1. The “Soguera” - ropemaker
This activity could be considered to be the first link of the cycle. It consists basically in transforming the hemp fibre into a thick flat rope. Typically this work was done by women who gathered in a circle to make it more bearable.
2. The “Urdidor” - warper of the soles.
This defines the exact amount of necessary rope for each item, by tracing the contour or hoop of the sole. The shaped hoop is then filled with the braid to form the sole.
3. The “Alpargatero/a” - sewer of the soles.
He or she receives the expounded soles and the necessary thread from the Urdidor to sew them. Traditionally they were paid piece work rather than a wage.
4. The “Cortadora” - cutter.
It is a kind of strong and dense cloth, also called canvases. They are clipped using a mould or pattern, for later addition to the soles. The combination of both elements gives rise to the name of the hemp canvas shoe.
5. The “Peganta” - the union of the cuts to the soles.
The last process in the cycle and this work is secret to the “Peganta” sometimes called “Alpargatera”. The main instruments are the basket, the awl, the needles, lasts, nails, rises, punch, scissors and mittens.
The finishing and presentation is completed by ironing, starching and lining.
Everybody remembers the hemp industry with nostalgia.
Indications of that past are still dotted around the town – the Plazuela de los Alpargateros, as it was known in the 18th century, now called the Plaza Vieja, and the Calle de Alpargaters.
Also in the attractions around town is the Escultura del Alpargatero (number 31).
