Castilla y León is an autonomous community of Spain.
Castile is a term that can refer to different zones, areas and localities. Regardless of its use as a proper noun, the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) recognizes a meaning as a common noun.
The fabric also known as bayetón is called castile. This wool fabric is characterized by having abundant hair.
Castilla, a historical region
The name of Castile refers to a historical Spanish region whose limits are difficult to establish, since as a concept it emerged from the development of different territorial entities such as the Crown of Castile and the Kingdom of Castile .
When we talk about Castile in general, we usually refer to a sector in the center of the Iberian Peninsula. Geographically, the region is linked to the Central Plateau , which has an area of about 400,000 square kilometers.
From County to Crown
The idea of Castile as a specific place began to be consolidated in 932 , when the County of Castile was formed. Until then, the area in question was divided between the Kingdom of León and the Kingdom of Asturias .
Until 1065 , the county existed. Thereafter, it became known as the Kingdom of Castile . The Kingdom of Castile joined the Kingdom of León in various periods and separated from it at other times; In 1230 , these kingdoms were definitively united and also incorporated other entities for the emergence of the Crown of Castile .
It was during the time of the Crown of Castile when the European landing on the American continent took place ( 1492 ). Various confrontations, treaties and agreements led to the Crown of Castile and other entities forming, over time , the Kingdom of Spain .
In Madrid, Castilla is a neighborhood.
Castile in modern-day Spain
Before the promulgation of the current autonomous communities, the regions of Castilla La Vieja and Castilla La Nueva existed. With the Constitution of 1978 , the autonomous communities were established in Spain and thus two entities were born that preserved the name of Castile : Castilla y León and Castilla-La Mancha .
Castilla y León is the autonomous community with the largest territorial area. It is made up of nine provinces ( León , Valladolid and Segovia , among others) and is home to cities such as Valladolid , Burgos and Salamanca .
Castilla-La Mancha , meanwhile, is the third autonomous community in terms of territory. It has five provinces and has three cities with characteristics that have been recognized as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO : Almadén , Cuenca and Toledo .
It is important to mention that Castilla is also the name of a neighborhood in Madrid . It is part of the Chamartín district and has among its most important spaces the Plaza de Castilla , which houses an obelisk designed by Santiago Calatrava and two skyscrapers that make up the complex known as Puerta de Europa .
Beyond Spanish territory
We not only find places called Castilla in Spain . In Peru , for example, Castilla is a province that belongs to the department of Arequipa .
In the Colombian city of Medellín , Castilla is a commune. The province of Buenos Aires ( Argentina ), finally, has a town named Castilla in the district of Chacabuco .