La Mancha

La Mancha, arid but largely fertile elevated plateau (2,000 feet [610 metres]) formed over limestone in central Spain, stretching between the Toledo Mountains and the western spurs of the Cuenca hills and bounded by the La Alcarria region to the north and the Sierra Morena to the south. It includes portions of the provinces of Cuenca, Toledo, and Albacete and most of Ciudad Real. It constitutes the southern portion of the Castile–La Mancha autonomous community and makes up most of the region. La Mancha is described by Miguel de Cervantes in his 17th-century novel Don Quixote, and visitors to the region today still can encounter the 16th-century windmills at which Cervantes’s fictional would-be knight-errant “tilted,” believing them to be gigantic rivals. In addition to its association with Cervantes, La Mancha is well known for its wines.

Known to the Arabs as Al-Manshah (“Dry Land” or “Wilderness”), the region was an intermediate zone between Christian and Moorish forces during the Middle Ages. Until the 16th century, the eastern portion was known as La Mancha de Montearagón or La Mancha de Aragón and the western simply as La Mancha; afterward, the northeastern and southwestern sections were distinguished by the epithets Alta and Baja (upper and lower), respectively.

Home to hundreds of wineries, which thrive despite challenging growing conditions, La Mancha is not only Spain’s most prominent wine region but also one of the largest wine-producing regions in the world. Although La Mancha’s viticultural reputation once rested on the quantity of its productivity, increasingly its wines are known for their quality. Dry farming of wheat, barley, and oats is important to the local economy. Farming has been severely restricted by unfavourable environmental conditions, however. Underground aquifers have been used for irrigation, but their quantity decreased in the late 20th century. Sheep farming is important in the province, as is the production of Manchego cheese, one of Spain’s most famous cheeses. The region is also renowned for its production of the herb saffron, derived from the purple-flowered saffron crocus plant (Crocus sativus), which is thought to have been taken to Spain by the Moors in the 10th century.

Located between the provinces of Ciudad Real and Albacete are the bevy of scenic lagoons that comprise the Ruidera Lakes, which are ensconced in La Mancha Húmeda Biosphere Reserve. Inscribed by UNESCO in 1980, the biosphere reserve also includes the Tablas de Daimiel National Park (a wetlands) and Alcázar Lake. In addition to functioning as a wildlife sanctuary and to offering opportunities for outdoor recreation, the Ruidera Lakes are featured in Don Quixote. Cervantes’s La Mancha is also preserved in a number of medieval castles and especially comes to life around the town of Consuegra, where there are 11 windmills. Many villages, such as El Toboso and Argamasilla de Alba, both near Alcázar de San Juan, also are connected by tradition with quixotic episodes.