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Maracena (Municipality, Andalusia, Spain)

Flag of Maracena - Image from the Símbolos de Granada website, 20 May 2014

Presentation of Maracena
Symbols of Maracena

See also:

Presentation of Maracena

The municipality of Maracena (20,297 inhabitants in 2008; 500 ha; municipal website) is located in the northern suburbs of Granada.

Maracena probably emerged as a Roman villa (estate) owned by Maratius (according to Ramón Menéndez Pidal) or Martianus (according to Emilio Morales). In 711, the area was settled by the Muharib, a clan affiliated to the Qaysitas tribe. Renamed Al Qaryat Marasana, the village was fortified by Sawar ibn Handum Al Muharibí, the commander of the army that suppressed Ibn Hafsun's rebellion in 899. Muhammad ibn Malik Al Tignarí, born in the 11th century in a Maracena estate not identified yet, wrote a treatise of agronomy that contributed to the development of the agriculture in the Granada Plain. Like the neighbouring villages, Maracena lived in relative wealth and peace, in spite of being threatened by the Catholic Monarchs. For instance, King of Aragón Alfonso I seized the village on 26 January 1126.
In 1431, King of Castile John II and his general, Álvaro de Luna, decided to get rid of the last Muslim state in Andalusia, the Kingdom of Granada. The Battle of Higueruela took place near Maracena. The Christian camp was set up in Maracena; the valient knight Martín Vázquez de Arce (aka El Doncel de Sigüenza) was killed between Maracena and Atarfe but the Christian armies won the battle and marched to Granada. However, the Catholic Monarchs did not seize Granada, maybe because of the earthquake of 1431, and waited until 1492 to suppress the Nasrid kingdom.

Ivan Sache, 29 June 2009

Symbols of Maracena

The flag of Maracena, adopted on 22 December 2008 by the Municipal Council and submitted on 1 December 2008 to the Directorate General of the Local Administration, is prescribed by a Decree adopted on 26 January 2009 by the Directorate General of the Local Administration and published on 9 February 2009 in the official gazette of Andalusia, No. 26, p. 32 (text).
The flag is described as follows:

Flag: Blue panel, in proportions 2:3, with a carbuncle made of four yellow arms ornamented with a red stone in the cxenter with two yellow swords placed per saltire.

The coat of arms of Maracena, adopted on 28 November 1986 by the Municipal Council, is prescribed by a Decree adopted on 20 January 1987 by the the Government of Andalusia and published on 10 February 1987 in the official gazette of Andalusia, No. 11, p. 484 (text). This was confirmed by a Decree adopted on 30 November 2004 by the Government of Andalusia and published on 20 December 2004 in the official gazette of Andalusia, No. 246, pp. 28,986-29,002 (text).
The coat of arms is described as follows:

Coat of arms: Per fess, 1. Azure two swords argent per saltire, 2. Or a carbuncle gules. The shield surmounted by a Royal crown closed.

The swords symbolize the successive dominations experienced by the town. The carbuncle represents the economical resources.
[Símbolos de las Entidades Locales de Andalucía. Granada (PDF file)]

Ivan Sache, 27 June 2009