TREASURE HUNT

TENDILLAS SQUARE- THE HEART OF CÓRDOBA

Instructions

The goal of the activity is to find the hidden word, which is a name strongly related to TENDILLAS

square.

HIDDEN WORD

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

How do you *fill in the squares? Answer the questions that we are going to present to you. In the

answers to some of these questions there will be a number that has a corresponding place in the boxes

above. Transfer all of the marked letters with their corresponding number and you will have the

solution. The group will win that first delivers the correct solution to the accompanying teachers and

presents all the tasks completed. There are 25 questions and 5 tasks.

*All underlined words with an asterisk appear in the Glossary at the end of the booklet.

Note: You have to behave correctly during the completion of the activity. Don’t run. You have to be cautious with the traffic and always know where you are. The group must remain together at all times. If it is the case that you get lost (which is very improbable), return to the square and begin the route. You shouldn’t depart from the itinerary. If you have to ask someone, do it properly. You have a map of the area below.

Material: - a pen or a pencil + your camera

Good luck and may the best team win!

MAP OF THE AREA

NAMES: GROUP:

INTRODUCTION

Tendillas square is considered the centre of Córdoba. It is the place where the most important events

(demonstrations, sport celebrations, Easter processions, concerts,…) take place.

Originally (17th

century) this area was occupied by some houses which had small shops on the ground

floor; that’s why it eventually got to be known as Tendillas (tiendas pequeñas).

However, in Roman times, the “Forum” (the most important place in a city) was found near here,

which demonstrates the importance of the place.

The current look of the square dates back to the first quarter of the 20th

century, when most of the

houses were built. Stylistically, the square shows great uniformity.

Several important streets have their starting point here. Let’s see what they have to offer.

TENDILLAS SQUARE

There are many interesting things to mention in the square. What attracts our attention most is the

monument in the middle of the square. It is called “Monumento al Gran Capitán”. It is an equestrian

statue in bronze, except for the head, which is sculpted in white marble. The monument was created by

the famous artist from Córdoba Mateo Inurria, and it was inaugurated in 1925. However, originally it

was erected in another place in the city, and it was moved here much later.

Who was “The Great Captain”? He was a Spanish general who fought in the Conquest of Granada and

the Italian wars at the service of the “Reyes Católicos”. He reorganized the emerging Spanish army

and its tactics, and was considered the father of “*trench warfare”. He was such a good general that he

was known as the “Great Captain”. He was born in Montilla (Córdoba) and died in Granada.

He took part in many important battles. You can see the names of some of these battles in the

monument around the statue.

Question 1

Which battle appears next to the one that took place in Nápoles? __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

5

The monument is erected in the middle of a fountain. Besides, there are two more fountains whose

*spouts are inserted in the floor. In summer, children and adults like to walk across them to cool off.

Question 2

How many spouts are there in each fountain in front of and behind the monument? __ __

What geometric shape do they form? A __ __ __ __ __ __

9

Since Tendillas square is visited by many tourists, there is a Tourist Information Office where they can

find information about museums, places to eat, hotels, etc.

Task 1

Visitors to Córdoba usually know about the Mosque-Cathedral. However, few of them know about

Madinat-al-Zahra. When they hear about this amazing archaeological site, they want to visit it. You

know that Madinat-al-Zahra is about 7 km from Córdoba, so you must use some means of transport to

go there.

Go into the Tourist Information Office and ask for a *leaflet/brochure with information about how to

go to Madinat-al-Zahra and the opening/closing times. (Note: You must present the leaflet when you

finish the hunt, so keep it in your bag)

Since many tourists are foreigners, the assistants at the Information Office must know other languages.

Ask one of them which languages they can speak. Write the answer in the box:

Question 3

Another relevant *landmark in the Tendillas Square is its famous clock. It is situated in the corner with

Gondomar Street. It is unique in the world because the sound of the chimes (at quarters and hours) is

produced by a musical instrument which plays a peculiar melody.

Which instrument can you hear? A __ __ __ __ __ __

1

(Note: If you can’t stop for the next chimes, ask a *passer-by. They are likely to know the answer)

Question 4

As you know, Córdoba is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This recognition started in 1984 with the

Mosque, and 10 years later, it was extended to the historical centre. As UNESCO said, “the city, by virtue of

its extent and plan, its historical significance as a living expression of the different cultures that have existed there, and its relationship

with the river, is a historical ensemble of extraordinary value.” In Tendillas Square there is a plaque on a monolith

that remembers the moment when Córdoba was declared a World Heritage Site. Locate the plaque and

find in which month (year 1994) the meeting to declare Córdoba a World Heritage Site took place.

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

17 10

(Clue: You can have a tea or take out money from a bank opposite the place where the plaque/monolith

is)

CLAUDIO MARCELO STREET (look at the map to find the street or ask a *passer-by)

This street, one of the most important in the city, was named after Claudius Marcellus, Roman consul

and founder of the Roman Corduba. However, the street was created much more recently, in late 19th

century. That’s why people still call it differently.

Question 1

Ask a passer-by about the other name Claudio Marcelo street has.

CALLE __ __ __ __ __

3

Question 2

At the end of the street, we find the remains of a Roman temple. Corduba was a very important place

in Roman times and the capital city of one of the three provinces into which the Iberian peninsula was

divided, the Baetica. One of the main buildings of the Imperial cult that existed in Roman Cordoba

whose remains can be seen today between the streets of Claudio Marcelo and Capitulares, was built in

the middle of the first century AD. It consisted of a white marble, hexastyle (meaning with 6 columns),

and pseudo peripteral (meaning with free standing columns in the front but the columns along the sides

are engaged in the peripheral walls of the temple) building that was designed according to the model of

a temple in Rome.

Read the information about the temple that you can find on an information post on the pavement next

to the site and find out the name of the temple on which this temple in Córdoba was based.

TEMPLE OF __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

2

Question 3

What we can see now, the remains, gives us a very faint idea of what the temple looked like in the 2nd

century AD. However, if you have read the description above carefully you won’t have any problems

to tick the correct picture with a reconstruction of the building.

1 2 3

Task 2

Ask somebody in the street to take a photo of all of you in which the 6 columns at the front can be

clearly seen.

Go back to Tendillas Square. On the corner there is a huge building which is a school. Its name is IES

Góngora. It is one of the oldest educational institutions in the city. It was founded in 1577, and

originally its purpose was to *foster poor students who wanted to become priests.

Question 4

You study in a bilingual school. Find out if IES Góngora is a bilingual school too. Yes □ No □

Question 5

Go inside the school. There is a magnificent *courtyard with a bust of the founder in the middle. What

was his name?

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

22 16

The current name of the school refers to the poet Luis de Góngora, born in Córdoba in 1561. He is

considered, alongside his lifelong rival, Francisco de Quevedo, the most prominent Spanish poet of all

times. His style is characterized by what was called culteranismo, also known as Gongorism

(Gongorismo). The movement *aimed to use as many words as possible to convey little meaning or to

hide meaning. He liked to use Latin and Greek neologisms, which his opponents laughed at. That

makes his poetry sometimes a bit difficult to understand. Here is an example:

Los rayos le cuenta al Sol

con un peine de marfil

la bella Margarita, un día

que por mi dicha la vi

en la verde orilla

del Genil.

Question 6

The poem has two mistakes. Find out the correct words in the poem. How? There is a *bas-relief, done

by the students of Art Bachillerato in 2002-03, on the opposite wall in the courtyard. Go there and

write the correct words here:

Word 1: __ __ __ __ __ __ __

11

Word 2: __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

14

GONDOMAR STREET (look at the map to find the street or ask a *passer-by)

This pedestrian street is one of the busiest commercial areas in the city. It’s full of all types of shops,

most of them branches of world-known clothes shops, like Zara Home or Pull & Bear. Many of the

shops in the street have English names.

Question 1

Write at least 3 examples of shops in this street which have English names:

1.

2.

3.

Question 2

One of these shops has a peculiar use of the saxon genitive (or possessive ‘s). Women can buy lingerie

(underwear clothes) there. Find the shop and write the name here

__ __ __ __ __ ‘ __ __ __ __ __ __

18 19

Question 3

But you can also find shops with words in French! And it’s not Alain Afflelou’s shop, but it’s close to

it. Find it and write the name here:

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

24 21

Question 4

What can you buy there? Tick the correct answer:

□ Clothes

□ Shoes

□ Jewellery and accessories

More or less halfway in the street, there is an office of Junta de Andalucía, Consejería de Economía y

Hacienda. There is something interesting in there. In the small patio before the office there is a

“thoracata”, a marble sculpture which symbolizes the power of the Roman Emperor. This is a replica

of the one that is kept in the Archaelogical museum. The original piece was sculpted in the 1st century

AD, and it was erected in the “Forum Colonial”.

Question 5

Archaelogists are not sure who the statue represents. Read the plaque and find out the two possible

legendary characters the statue may represent:

1. __ __ __ __ __

12

2. __ __ __ __ __ __

6 23

By the way, there is another famous “thoracata” in the Archaeological Museum in Montoro. Here are

the two pictures.

Question 6

Can you tick the one that is in Córdoba?

JESÚS Y MARÍA STREET (look at the map to find the street or ask a *passer-by)

This commercial street leads you directly to the Jewish quarter and the Mosque. In Roman times it was

one of the most important streets in the city. Nowadays, we can find lots of shops and some cultural

facilities.

Question 1

Go down the street. What is the name of the theatre on the right? TEATRO __ __ __ __ __ __ __

13

Question 2

At the end of the street, on the right, we find a beautiful building with a magnificent façade. It’s the

Advanced School of Music. The school is named after a very famous pianist born in Córdoba. He

played with the best orchestra conductors in the world, like von Karajan or Barenboim. What is his

name?

Rafael __ __ __ __ __ __

20 4

Question 3

The school is situated in a Renaissance-style palace, whose name you can find on the plaque to the left

of the façade.

Palacio del Marqués de la __ __ __ __ __ __ del __ __ __ __ __

8 15

Originally, this was the house of Don Rodrigo Méndez de Sotomayor, built in 1551. The *coat of arms

that you can see above the entrance shows the arms of the Sotomayor House. Curiously, much later, in

the 19th

century the house was the property of Feliciano Ramírez de Arellano, marqués de la Fuensanta

del Valle, who also had another house (now in ruins) in the so-called “Huerta de la Fuensanta del

Valle” , guess where? In Montoro!! He was connected to Montoro because he was married to a woman

from Montoro.

Task 3

When you go back to Tendillas square, go into the bookshop on the left, called Librería Luque, probably

the most prestigious bookshop in the city. Ask for a *bookmark of the bookshop. (Keep it in your bag

because you will have to show it when you finish the hunt)

CRUZ CONDE STREET / SAN ALVARO STREET (look at the map to find the street or ask a *passer-by)

Since the street was turned into a pedestrian one, it has become the most fashionable shopping area in

Córdoba. However, we are not going shopping. Take the first turning on the left and go into San Alvaro

street. You will get to a square with a beautiful church in the middle. It is the parish church of San

Miguel. It is one of the twelve churches built by order of King Ferdinand III of Castile in the city after

its conquest in the early 13th century. It is an example of transition from the Romanesque to Gothic

architecture, although the interior was largely renewed in 1749.

Question 1

Go inside the church. How many naves are there? 3 □ 4 □ 5 □

One of the side doors has a *horseshoe arch, perhaps dating to the Caliphate age.

Task 4

Find this arch and take a photo of it and some of your mates in the group.

Next to the church, there is a famous tavern, called “Casa el Pisto”. The house where it is dates back to

the 18th century, although it has been renovated extensively since then. It is one of the best places

where you can try the delicious “tapas” in a lively atmosphere.

Question 2

When was the tavern founded?

The tavern is a meeting place for *bullfighting fans. In fact, there are many photographs, posters and

memorabilia of “matadors” on the walls of the different rooms. Before you enter, you can see on the

façade some plaques which remember some famous bullfighters from Córdoba. One of them is

“Guerrita”. Who is the other “torero”?

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

25 7

Task 5

Go inside the tavern and ask the waiter or the barman why the tavern is called “Casa el Pisto”. Write

the explanation in two or three lines here.

GLOSSARY

A

Aimed: se proponía

B

Bas-relief: bajorrelieve

Bookmark: marcapáginas

Bullfighting: tauromaquia, corridas de toros

C

Coat of arms: escudo

Courtyard: patio

F

Fill in: rellenar

Foster: acoger

H

Horseshoe arch: arco de herradura

L

Landmark: punto de referencia

Leaflet/brochure: folleto

P

Passer-by: transeúnte

Priest: sacerdote

S

Spout: caño, surtidor

T

Trench warfare: guerra de trincheras

Bilingual School Bilingual School

IES MIGUEL CRESPO IES SANTOS ISASA

Fernán Núñez Montoro