Four decades ago, the province of Teruel experienced a watershed moment: its Mudéjar art was inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Today, the city is preparing to commemorate that date with an extensive program that goes far beyond a simple celebration and aims to strengthen the understanding, conservation, and promotion of this legacy.
The Teruel City Council, together with the Provincial Council, the Institute of Teruel Studies, the Ibercaja Foundation, and other entities, has developed a program that will run for approximately sixteen months, packed with scientific, cultural, and participatory initiatives . The aim is for this anniversary to serve both as an opportunity to reflect on the past and to shape the future, involving the local community and the national and international academic spheres.
An anniversary with a broad and coordinated program
The official presentation took place at the City Hall, where Mayor Emma Buj, the President of the Provincial Council of Teruel Joaquín Juste, representatives of the Ibercaja Foundation such as José Luis Torán, the Councilor for Culture Carlos Méndez and the Director of the Institute of Teruel Studies, Inma Plaza, detailed the main lines of a program conceived as a cross-cutting and collaborative project.
During the event, all the institutions agreed that this 40th anniversary is a source of pride, but also of responsibility in protecting the heritage . It is not just about celebrating, but about consolidating Teruel as a European benchmark for Mudéjar art, reinforcing its position within cultural tourism and specialized research.
The mayor emphasized that an "open program" has been designed, one that will incorporate new proposals as it unfolds, with the aim of adapting the activities to the demands of the public and the cultural sector. In Buj's words, this anniversary represents "an opportunity to continue promoting Teruel as a cultural tourism destination ," capitalizing on the momentum generated by the UNESCO recognition.
The president of the Provincial Council, Joaquín Juste, emphasized that these four decades of international recognition should be seen as an incentive to continue investing in conservation, promotion, and restoration. He explained that the anniversary reinforces the idea that Mudéjar architecture is one of Aragon's most powerful defining characteristics and a key element in retaining population and revitalizing the region.
For his part, the representative of the Ibercaja Foundation, José Luis Torán, recalled the entity's long involvement in the rehabilitation of towers and other emblematic Mudéjar elements , and announced that the foundation will have an active role in several of the activities, coinciding with its own institutional anniversary.
Four main pillars: research, participation, legacy, and celebration
The entire program is organized around four main pillars: research and dissemination, citizen participation, legacy creation, and institutional celebration . This structure, explained in detail by Inma Plaza, aims for a balance between the academic aspect, social engagement, and a commitment to long-term sustainability.
In the area of research and dissemination, the plan includes specific calls for R&D projects dedicated to the study of Mudéjar art , as well as the organization of conferences and technical workshops. Among the planned milestones is an international congress on medieval painted ceilings, which will bring together specialists from different countries to analyze, compare, and update knowledge about these unique structures.
Furthermore, new editions of conferences focused on the conservation and restoration of Mudéjar heritage will be held , an area in which Teruel has accumulated experience in recent decades that is especially valued throughout Spain and Europe. These events will serve to share best practices, present technical advances, and discuss current challenges in heritage management.
One of the program's most innovative aspects is its commitment to digitization. High-precision digital twin projects will be launched for iconic monuments , allowing for the study of every detail of the structures, their comprehensive documentation, and the facilitation of their dissemination through interactive tools. This initiative places Teruel at the forefront of the use of new technologies applied to cultural heritage.
Alongside the scientific component, the plan also aims to explore the historical and symbolic dimension of Mudéjar architecture as a crossroads of influences. Therefore, many activities emphasize the combined imprint of Christian, Jewish, and Islamic cultures in the province , both through research and accessible outreach to the general public.
Mudejar in the street: living culture and citizen participation
The participation of the population is not secondary. One of the pillars of the program is precisely to bring Mudéjar art closer to people's daily lives, integrating it into cultural proposals designed for all audiences and for different neighborhoods and municipalities of the province.
The planned activities include medieval music and art series , combining concerts, exhibitions, and small-scale artistic interventions in heritage sites. The aim is to present monuments not merely as places to visit, but as vibrant, living spaces where events unfold.
Photography competitions focused on the Mudéjar heritage have also been designed , with the aim of encouraging residents and visitors to see the towers, churches, roofs, and ceramic details that make up Teruel's urban and rural landscape with fresh eyes. These competitions will also serve to generate new graphic materials that can be used in future campaigns.
Gastronomy will play a prominent role, with tapas routes and themed culinary offerings that connect contemporary recipes with historical traditions, leveraging the appeal of local cuisine to attract a wider audience. In addition, there will be specific events focused on ceramics, a craft closely linked to Mudéjar aesthetics.
In the section on visits and guided activities, the Councillor for Culture, Carlos Méndez, emphasized initiatives such as the night visits “Between Two Lights” , which will allow visitors to discover the heritage under a different atmosphere, as well as new cultural tours around the province that will place special emphasis on the coexistence of the three historical religions and the formation of the Jewish community.
Research, education, and materials that stand the test of time.
One of the aspects that the program organizers emphasized most was the desire to leave a lasting legacy beyond the calendar of events . They don't want the anniversary to be limited to a series of dates, but rather to generate resources that will continue to be useful for years to come.
In this regard, plans are underway to produce high-definition documentaries on key elements of Mudéjar heritage , with particular attention to the roof of Teruel Cathedral, one of its most emblematic features. These audiovisual works are intended both for distribution in cultural venues and for educational use.
The program also includes the creation of educational materials for young people and schools , so that new generations can learn about the value of this legacy from an early age and feel involved in its preservation. Educational materials, interactive resources, and suggestions for school visits are part of this initiative.
In parallel, the updating of scientific studies on the Mudéjar architecture of Teruel will continue , incorporating the advances of recent years and opening new lines of research. Among the key initiatives is the study and cataloging of the Jewish quarter, which aims to shed more light on the Hebrew community and its links to the Mudéjar culture.
The creation of museum displays for historical musical instruments and other heritage items is also on the agenda, with the aim of enriching the city's and province's permanent exhibition offerings . As Inma Plaza pointed out, "knowledge is never exhausted, and new technologies allow us to rediscover aspects we are still unaware of."
Institutional commitment and projection beyond Teruel
The fourth pillar of the plan focuses on the institutional celebration and international promotion of the anniversary. Over the coming months, official events will be held with the participation of representatives from Aragonese administrations and other regions with significant Mudéjar heritage.
The program anticipates that the commemoration will culminate in an official regional event in the city of Teruel , coinciding with the date of the UNESCO declaration. Authorities involved in heritage management and experts in Mudéjar art are expected to attend, highlighting Teruel's place on the international stage.
This approach seeks to consolidate a collaborative network among territories that share this type of architecture, fostering the exchange of experiences in conservation, cultural tourism, and heritage education . The goal is for the anniversary to also serve to strengthen ties at the national and European levels.
The institutions involved have emphasized that the program is designed to promote a cultural management model based on public-private collaboration and citizen participation , so that heritage does not depend solely on large, one-off events, but on continuous work over time.
The involvement of entities such as the Ibercaja Foundation, with a consolidated track record in the restoration of towers and unique spaces, reinforces the idea that the financial sector and the social fabric also have a role in the protection of heritage , especially in medium-sized territories such as Teruel.
First activity: dialogue between the three cultures
The calendar of activities will kick off with a program of a distinctly academic and educational nature. This Friday, April 17, at 19:00 p.m., the Teruel Museum will host the session entitled “Three Books, Three Beliefs: History and Meaning of the Torah, the Bible (New Testament), and the Quran and Their Legacy in Medieval Teruel . ”
The event will bring together specialists such as María Ángeles Gallego, Israel Muñoz, and Juan Pedro Monferrer , who will analyze the origin, evolution, and influence of the main sacred texts of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Each speaker will approach their field from a historical and contextual perspective, connecting it to the medieval reality of the city.
The session will be presented and moderated by Mariano Ubé and will conclude with a round table discussion open to the public , fostering dialogue on the historical coexistence of the three cultures and its reflection in the art and society of Teruel. The aim is to reinforce the understanding of Mudéjar art as a style born from encounter, and not merely from the superimposition of traditions.
The organizers emphasize that the open debate format will allow attendees to ask questions and share their thoughts, making concepts often reserved for academia accessible to anyone interested. This philosophy of accessibility permeates much of the event's schedule.
Following this initial phase, a series of conferences, themed visits, screenings, and cultural events will take place , gradually building a comprehensive narrative about what Mudéjar art has meant and continues to mean for Teruel and for the whole of Aragon, both historically and in the present day.
Throughout this extensive program, the city of Teruel aims to reaffirm its position as a national and international benchmark for Mudéjar art , combining historical memory, cutting-edge research, community participation, and new technologies. Forty years after UNESCO recognition, the commemoration is envisioned as a renewed impetus to continue caring for, studying, and sharing a heritage that forms an essential part of Teruel's identity.