Wednesday, March 20, 2013

La Ribera Quarter

Here are some questions and answers in response to the 3rd field trip that our class took to La Ribera Quarter:


1.  Make a list of five streets dedicated to craftsmanship or trades and describe them.  What were the “Els Gremis” (guilds)?
Corders street - make ropes for stuff like horses, la placa de la llana
Shepards come once a month here, guilds working with fabrics and they would establish price for wool that they would convert into rope. Workers would establish price, shepherds would leave town and workers started work
Carrer de Semolers – Made wheat
Carrer de los Candales – Candles were crafted here
Carrer dels Cotoners – Cotton was made here
Carrer dels Mirallers - Were rich if u had mirror very few people had - mirrors were made for church or rich people
A guild is essentially a group of workers who are all apart of the same profession.  It was very important to be apart of a guild while growing up and the family profession is passed down through the generations.  This was incredibly important during the medieval time period in Barcelona, because it helped give political power and was seen as a way of life.  Once their children were old enough, they would take on the same jobs as their parents.  They would train for three years as an “intern” and then pass an exam to prove that they qualify to become a member of that guild. 

2.     “La Casa-Taller” (The House-workshop) was the typical craftsmanship family house.  The same place to live and work.  Describe how spaces were organized in a “Casa-taller.”
Each guild lived in a building with two to three floors.  The workshop was located on the ground level.  There were big display windows that lead into the workshops.  On the side of the building there was usually a tile that represented the type of work that guild did.  The principal floor was the noble floor where the owner of the building or the richest person in the building lived; also known as the most comfortable floor to live on.  The windows on this floor were usually big, in order to help represent the wealth of that family.  The remaining floors in the building had small windows and incredibly tight and uncomfortable living quarters.  This was usually where the servants, and poorer people lived.  They usually served the people on the principle floor or worked in the workshop. 

3.     Observing the building of this area of Barcelona, mention some of the main architectural aspects that distinguish the craftsman work building to the industrial productions ones For example, materials, spaces or structures of the building and streets.
The obvious aspect of the architectural changes in the craftsmanship buildings to the industrial ones is the material that the architects decided to use to build them.  The older buildings are built with stone, which is thick, heavy, and incredibly difficult to build with.   During, and after, the Industrial Revolution the use of iron to build buildings became more prevalent.   This made these building look more modern, making it apparent of which building still remain intact before the Industrial Revolution.

4.     Find the cultural relation of these five places cited below to Catalan culture.  Take into account the different historical periods in each case.
Santa María del Mar: Santa Maria del Mar is located in the Ribera district of Barcelona built between 1329-1383.  It provides a great example of Catalan Gothic style. It also helps represent Catalan culture because it was built by working Catalan men.  Santa Maria del Mar is a symbol of Bourgeoisie in Barcelona and the middle class of the Middle Ages.  It also displays octagonal towers and simple walls.
El Mercat del Born: El Mercat del Born was made of iron and was Barcelona's principal wholesale market until the mid-1970s when the wholesalers were moved to Mercabarna on the city's outskirts.  Symbol of the 1800s mentality because it was made of iron.
El Fossá de les Moreres: El Fossa de les Moreres is a memorial plaza near Santa Maria del Mar built over a cemetery where defenders of the city were buried following the Siege of Barcelona at the end of the War of the Spanish Succession in 1714.  The eternal flame is always burning in remembrance of the fallen Catalans.  Several people associated with guilds died here defending Catalonia.  
La Ciutadella Park (The Fortress of Philip V by 1714): La Ciutadell Park was a fortress created by Philip V in 1714 after the War of the Spanish Succession.  The Citadel was created in order to maintain control over the city, and to hold the Catalan citizens from rebelling like they did in the previous century. 

5.     After September 11th 1714 Philip V proclaimed the decrees of Nova Planta in Catalonia.  Mention the main changes in Catalan society doing a little research after the field study.
September 11, 1714, Philip V's enacted the Nueva Planta decrees banning all the main traditional Catalan political institutions and rights and merged its administration into that of the Crown of Castile as a province. However, the Bourbon monarchy allowed for Catalonia's civil law code to be maintained. With the exception of the loyal Basque Country, the new Bourbon king, Philip V of Spain, abolished the ancient privileges of all of Spain's medieval kingdoms, including the Crown of Aragon and with it, those of the Principality of Catalonia. Following the model of France, he imposed a unifying legislation and administration across Spain, as well as introducing the French Sallic Law and founding Spain's own Royal Academy in 1714.

6.     What is el Consolat de Mar or Llotja?
El Consolat de Mar was a quasi-judicial body set up in the Crown of Aragon, that later spread throughout the Mediterranean basin to administer maritime and commercial law.  Also refers to a celebrated maritime customs and ordinances in Catalan known in English as the Customs of the Sea.  In the 21st century el Conosolat de Mar is used for commercial arbitration service operated by the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce and for a series of trade-promotion offices operated by the city of Barcelona.

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