Roda San Javier

Pedanias of San Javier: Roda

Roda is a pedanía  (administrative district) within the municipality of San Javier, its main activity traditionally agricultural, although residential tourism is now one of its most important activities.

There are no traces of any recognisable settlement in the area prior to the 13th century, although Roda would undoubtedly have been visited by both the Romans and Arabs who settled in other areas of San Javier in the previous centuries.

For the full history of the municipality, Click San Javier history.

The settlement of Roda dates back to the 13th century and a tumultuous chapter in the history of this whole area: the Reconquist.

The southern Iberian peninsula (Spain to us, today) had been occupied by the Moors from Africa in 713AD. They remained in power across the south until the forces of the powerful Catholic Kingdoms of Aragón and Castilla y Léon pressed downwards in search of more territories, the aim being the expulsion of the Moors from the Iberian peninsula.

A pact, known as the "Capitulations of Alcáraz" in 1243 absorbed Murcia peacefully into the protectorate of Castilla y Léon, King Fernando III and his son Alfonso (who became Alfonso X, El Sabio on his death in 1252) regaining control of this area.

Although in some places the Moorish settlers who occupied the area accepted the transition of power and continued to farm, others were less accepting of the situation, and it took, for example, 2 further years to defeat the Moors who resisted the takeover in Cartagena nearby. In 1264 there was an uprising, the Muslims complaining that the terms of the treaty were being abused and their rights disregarded. It took 2 years to bring the protestors under control, many of whom were expelled, provoking a wave of attacks on the coastline from the sea.

The unrest continued for a further 20 years, and finally, in 1265, as part of the efforts to bring the rioters under control, Jaime I of Aragón, who become known as “el Conquistador”, the son-in-law of Alfonso X, brought down his knights to re-conquer Murcia again at the behest of his father-in-law.

Amongst the knights of Aragón who accompanied him was Don Guillén de Roda, from the town of Roda de Isábena, in Huesca. (In the Middle Ages there were constant moves by members of the nobility between the kingdoms of Navarra and Aragón, which explains how Don Guillén de Roda, originally from Navarra, came to be one of the henchmen of King Jaime on his mission to Murcia.

Many of the noble families who took part in the re-conquest received land in the area, either by direct concession from Alfonso X or through the allocation of the land re-conquered, as even those plots which were not used for agriculture at the time were of potential value.

Often the new owners and their descendants waited until more economically propitious times before building houses on their land and beginning to take advantage of the fertile soil, and this would appear to have been the case in Roda: the Roda family from Navarra being one of the first to take an active part in the repopulation of the area, arriving in 1374.

The most important building on the estate is the manor, around which the village eventually grew.

It was built between 1610 and 1620, on top of the remains of a previous construction dating from the end of the 15^th century. When restoration work was carried out in 1997 on part of the building, workers found the remains of the terrace which was laid in the first third of the 18^th century, and it was also discovered that the exterior walls on the garden side of the house, which are around 70 cm thick, were build on top of other, far older, walls, which seem to indicate that the old 15^th century building was, in effect, a fortress.

The area was far from stable at that time, and was frequently the object of raids by the Berber pirates, as a result of which, very few people chose to actually live here. Those who did lived mostly in solid farmhouses, near watchtowers which could provide refuge for them in the event of an attack. These towers were the first line of defence for both the farmers and the shepherds who brought their flocks south in the autumn.

The first floor of the Casa Grande has an ornamental doorway which leads out onto a large central patio, where there is a substantial house with a tower. This is connected to the chapel of Roda, which is believed to have been built by Jaime Bort, and inside there are various religious images and two splendid oil paintings by Mariano Ballester. In 1908 the church became part of the diocese of Cartagena.

In the mid-20^th century, the estate had a workforce of twenty people, who used the manor house and the water-wheels, paid the “alcábala” (an old tax on trade), and produced chickens, rabbits, leaf vegetables, cereals and wine.

Irrigation, and the arrival of piped water in the 1950´s changed the course of agriculture in these flat, fertile lands, and modern drip systems facilitate the production of a wide range of crops, including lettuces, melons, peppers and courgettes. Agriculture is still the  main activity, and as well as crops cultivated in open fields and greenhouses, there are also many specialist citrus producers.

However, the development of the nearby Mar Menor as a tourist destination changed the face of San Javier forever and brought a new cash crop - tourism.

Roda, with its proximity to the airport at San Javier, the beaches and facilities of the Mar Menor, yet quiet country location, proved to be a popular combination for residential development, and the village is now home to a multinational population, occupying the residential developments and golf development which have been built to cater for the tastes of international buyers.

There are a good number of English speaking residents amongst them, with a good social and support network within the local community.

Fiestas

The fiestas of Roda are held in honour of Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, whose saint’s day falls on 2^nd September. The celebrations begin with the opening address, and an evening of music and food, starting at ten o’clock in the evening with the election of the children’s queen and the visiting queen.

The Centro Social de Roda was built in 1991, when the Mayor was José Ruiz Manzanares. It contains a café/bar and a small function room, and is often used by the village’s pensioners, who enjoy their card games and social life there.

There are also restaurant and bar facilities, popular with the ex-pat population.

Where is Roda, San Javier?

The map of the municipality shows the locations of the various pedanías of San Javier. For a larger scale location, see the google map.

Click for map: Roda, San Javier.

Click for more information about the San Javier municipality: SAN JAVIER TODAY