Cervantes Year in La Palma del Condado, Huelva
La Palma del Condado, a town located in Huelva, has dedicated this year to the figure of Cervantes, as an appraisal of his time spent in the town as a tax collector for the Royal Treasury in 1593. A monument, (an edition of Don Quixote dating from 1647), a chapter record from 1593, and around 30 cultural events have been at the forefront of the so-called Cervantes year devised to bring the figure of the writer closer to the town.
One of the cornerstones of the exhibition revolving around the figure of Cervantes is preserved in the municipal archives of La Palma. The document is nothing more than a simple minutes book, with the exception that one of its pages bears the signature of a certain Miguel de Cervantes, then tax collector. The date of signature is February 20, 1593, when Cervantes was visiting the town to collect 100 bushels of wheat.
La Palma has decided to celebrate the author of Don Quixote¿s time spent in the town this year with a compendium of cultural events. The town has also received the gift of an edition of Don Quixote dating from 1647. Furthermore, La Palma del Condado has held concerts and gastronomic routes featuring genuine tapas from the Cervantes era in order the bring the figure of the writer closer to the town. During his visit in 1593, Don Quixote hadn¿t yet been written. A few inhabitants recognised Cervantes the bailiff and no one recognised the comedy writer; today, however, everyone in Palma del Condado is familiar with both his facets.