Daroca

Municipality

Flag

Coat of arms

Daroca

Coordinates: 41°6′55″N 1°24′50″W / 41.11528°N 1.41389°W

Spain

Government

• Mayor

Álvaro Blasco Martín

Area

• Total

52.05 km² (20.10 sq mi)

Elevation

797 m (2,615 ft)

Population (2009)

• Total

2,331

• Density

45/km² (120/sq mi)

Demonym(s)

Darocenses

Time zone

CET (UTC+1)

• Summer (DST)

CEST (UTC+2)

Postal code

50360

Website

Official website

Daroca is a city and municipality in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, situated to the south of the city of Zaragoza. It is the center of a judicial district.

It is located in the basin of Calatayud, in the valley of the rio Jiloca. N-234 highway passes through Daroca.

According to certain writers, the primitive Celtiberian village in this location was named Darek. The Romans named it Agiria, building a strong castle to defend the Laminium road, which passed through the village and connected Zaragoza with Valencia.

The Arabs gave it the name Calat-Darawca (862), and possessed it for 400 years, until Alfonso the Battler conquered it in 1120, and in 1141 issued a primitive legal code, which is unknown today. In the 12th century, Ramon Berenguer IV gave it the laws and privileges which made it the capital of the Community of Daroca, which had a great social and military influence in the Middle Ages. It had a vote in courts and was the site of several famous assemblies: 1196 (Peter II), 1222-1243 (James I), 1311 (James II), and 1338 (Peter IV), in which peace was arranged with Castile. In a war against Peter of Castile, Daroca resisted a siege, which led to the awarding of the status of city on April 26, 1366.

City life was ruled by the council, whose principal members were the justice, judge, jurors, almutazaf, scribes, major-domos, and other minor officials. The terms for municipal offices lasted one year, and they were elected by the council. The justice was appointed by the king from a set of three candidates chosen by the council, and the judge and jurors were chosen by the king directly. All of this occurred on January 1. Economically, agriculture and livestock were the principal occupations of the inhabitants. There were three social groups, Christians, Jews, and Muslims, which enjoyed the same laws and privileges, although they were organized separately.

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Wikipedia