Alcaicería: setbacks and falls

The Alcaicería de Granada was the old luxury market, where silk and spices were mainly sold, founded around the 15th century, remaining after the Christian conquest and throughout history. Of course, over the centuries, the Alcaicería changed its physiognomy to adapt to new times and needs. Today we want to tell you about some rather curious events that took place in the 16th century: falls and setbacks.

And it seems that in one of the streets that made up the Alcaicería, it was decided to put stone steps at the doors to improve their security. And while this measure was taken with the best of intentions, it appears to have had the opposite effect. It is reported that since all the people that pass by are not used to having a similar stumbling block in the middle of a street, they immediately start and fall almost daily and from the day it set until today there are innumerable people who have fallen, of all classes and even of the most Decorated in Dignities and Employment and Visible Circumstances. On the first day, among the eighteen people who fell, the first was the Dean of this Holy Cathedral Church, the Reverend Father Eusevio, Carmelita Calzado, and he has already died, suspecting that it was as a result of the fall.

Mention is also made of a certain D. Antonio Rafael de la Vega who fell, felt unwell, and died, and countless other people, being among the ladies women even more sensitive due to the modesty of his resulting from the falls the dishonesty of seeing their neckties and even other more indecent places, all with scandal in such a public place, which serves their individuals with great disgust for continually witnessing such misfortunes and indecencies.

The controversy of the steps was rising in tone and had to be resolved by means of a Royal Order, signed in August 1792, which determined to remove the step.

As you can see, Granada is a city full of history and curiosities, sign up for our Wander Granada tour to discover them!