Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: Plaza del Mercado Chico

Under the Visigoths, Ávila was one of the most important cities in the kingdom due to its proximity to the capital Toledo. From the 8th to the 11th centuries, Ávila was Moorish. The situation in the contested borderland between the Muslim and Christian worlds prevented prosperity, which only began in the 15th century when the fighting moved further south. The city experienced its heyday in the 16th century. The plague, the expulsion of the Moriscos (baptized Moors), and the emigration of many people to America caused Ávila's gradual decline, from which the city has only slowly recovered since the 19th century. Today the population is around 60,000. The Plaza del Mercado Chico, the main square of Ávila, is a rectangular square with arcades on three sides. Some scholars believe that it may have been the intersection between two streets of the Roman city. The square has been known since the Middle Ages and various guilds gathered around it.