BURGOS

city, capital of Burgos province, in the Castile-Len comunidad autnoma (autonomous community), northern Spain. It is located on the lower slopes of a castle-crowned hill overlooking the Arlanzn River, about 2,600 feet (800 m) above sea level. Founded in 884 as an eastern outpost of the Asturian kingdom by the Castilian count Diego Rodrguez Porcelos, it became the capital of the county and, later, of the kingdom of Castile. In 1494 all foreign trade of Castile, particularly in fine wool, was put under the jurisdiction of the Burgos Guild, the shipping department of which became the model for the famous Casa de Contratacin (House of Trade) at Seville. Burgos enjoyed the prestige of a capital city until the reign of Philip II (155698); then it sank to political insignificance after 1560, when Madrid (150 miles south) was declared the nica corte (only court). With the decline of Castilian trade, Burgos languished until its revival in the 18th century under Charles III. In the Peninsular War the French, in 1808, defeated the Spaniards at Burgos. The French, in turn, were besieged in the city in 1812 by the British, who eventually captured it in 1813. In July 1936 conservative Burgos became the official seat of General Francisco Franco's Nationalist government during the Spanish Civil War and was a base for campaigns toward Madrid and the Basque states. The city is the see of an archbishopric that comprises the dioceses of Len, Santo Domingo, and Santander. The city's cathedral, founded in 1221 by Ferdinand III of Castile and the English bishop Maurice of Burgos, is a fine example of florid Gothic (completed 1567) and has 15 chapels. The bones of the 11th-century hero Rodrigo Daz de Vivar, known as El Cid (who was born c. 1043 at nearby Vivar del Cid), and of his wife, Jimena, have rested there since 1919, and there are numerous relics of El Cid and other treasures. In the aisleless Gothic church of Santa Agueda, or Santa Gadea, tradition relates that El Cid compelled Alfonso VI of Len, before his accession to the throne of Castile in 1072, to swear that he was innocent of the murder of Sancho, his brother and predecessor on the throne. Other historic landmarks include the Gothic churches of San Nicols (1505) and San Esteban (12801350); the monastery of Santa Mara la Real de las Huelgas, which was originally a summer palace of the kings of Castile and was transformed into a Cistercian convent in 1187 by Alfonso VIII; and numerous convents and monasteries in the environs of the city. Burgos is an agricultural centre; its manufactures include liquor, flour, woolen and leather goods, chemical fertilizers, chocolate, and paper. It has a large tourist trade, as well as one of the first public camping grounds to be established in Spain and an extensive sports centre. Pop. (1986 est.) 160,116. province, in the Castile-Len comunidad autnoma (autonomous community), north-central Spain. Created in 1833, it has an area of 5,525 square miles (14,309 square km) and includes the enclave of Trevio, which is administratively part of lava province. Burgos is crossed by the Ebro (north) and the Duero (south) rivers, neither of which is navigable. Burgos is one of the great forested provinces of Spain, with more than 300,000 acres (120,000 hectares) of pine, oak, and beech under state management. The province's wide ranges of almost uninhabited upland serve as pasture for flocks of sheep. Lambs are exported to Bilbao and Madrid, and goats, cattle, horses, mules, and swine are also raised. The cultivation of wheat and other cereals, however, is the main agricultural activity, and the central and southern portions of the province form part of Spain's best granary. The Duero and Arlanza valleys produce wine, have good communications, and are agriculturally important because of their relatively equable climate and irrigation works. Soft coal (used for briquettes), mica, china clay, and salt are obtained in small quantities, and there are oil fields at Ayoluengo, northwest of Burgos (q.v.) city, the provincial capital. A major nuclear power plant was opened at Caroa in 1971. The industries of the province are on a small scale, the ancient woolen, linen, and hemp manufactures surviving in small factories and as cottage industries. The most important urban centre is Burgos city, but modern developments have expanded Miranda de Ebro and Aranda de Duero. Pop. (1986 est.) 366,148.