LA MANCHA

barren, elevated plateau (2,000 ft ) of central Spain, stretching between the Montes (mountains) de Toledo and the western spurs of the Cerros (hills) de Cuenca, and bounded on the south by the Sierra Morena and on the north by La Alcarria region. It includes portions of the modern provinces of Cuenca, Toledo, and Albacete, and most of Ciudad Real province. It constitutes the southern portion of the Castile-La Mancha autonomous community (region) and makes up most of the region. 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. Down to the 16th century, the eastern portion was known as La Mancha de Montearagn or La Mancha de Aragon, and the western simply as La Mancha; afterward, the northeastern and southwestern sections, respectively, were distinguished by the epithets Alta and Baja (upper and lower). La Mancha remains almost exactly as Miguel de Cervantes (Saavedra) described it in his 17th-century novel Don Quixote. Many villages, such as El Toboso and Argamasilla de Alba, both near Alczar de San Juan, are connected by tradition with Quixotic episodes. Agriculture (wheat, barley, oats, wine grapes) is the primary economic activity, but it is severely restricted by unfavourable environmental conditions. In the north, hunting and fishing reserves draw increasing numbers of tourists.