LA LATINA

Description

Essentials about La Latina in brief

La Latina is perhaps the most Madrilenian of all Madrid’s neighborhoods. Here tapas bar is lined up with tapas bar. Spain’s most famous flea market, El Rastro, takes place here every Sunday. And here the winding streets and picturesque squares breathe medieval history. Where else could you discover the real Madrid better than here?

The history of La Latina

The La Latina neighborhood forms the southwestern part of Madrid’s city center. The many narrow and winding streets that lead to scattered squares reveal the medieval origins of the neighborhood. In the Middle Ages, La Latina was still a suburb of Madrid, where mainly merchants and craftsmen settled. The names of many streets and squares still bear witness to their former use. The Plaza de la Cebada (meaning “Barley Square”) was used to deliver fodder for the horses of the royal court and the cavalry, the Plaza de los Carros (meaning “Wagon Square”) was used to unload the merchants’ wagons, and the Plaza de la Paja (meaning “Straw Square”) was once used to trade cattle.

The name “La Latina”

Incidentally, the district’s name comes from the writer and humanist Beatriz Galindo, commonly known as “La Latina”, one of the most important personalities of the 15th century. She was the teacher of Queen Isabella the Catholic and her children. Together with her husband, she founded a hospital in Calle Toledo near Plaza de la Cebada, which the people of Madrid call Hospital de La Latina.

The sights of La Latina

There are several historically and architecturally interesting buildings to discover in La Latina, most notably the Basilica of San Francisco el Grande. The 18th century basilica has one of the largest domes in the world, with a diameter of 33 meters. It also houses an important collection of paintings with works from the 17th to the 19th century and frescoes by Goya.

Those interested in Madrid’s urban history should visit the Museo de San Isidro. Dedicated to the origins and archaeological heritage of Madrid, it displays tangible and intangible evidence of all cultures that have inhabited the Madrid area since the Paleolithic Age.

The “El Rastro” flea market

However, the main attraction of La Latina is definitely the El Rastro flea market. Held every Sunday, the street market is one of Madrid’s main attractions, and not just for shopaholics. The market stretches from Plaza de Cascorro down Ribera de Curtidores and into neighboring alleys and squares. Starting at 9 a.m., Madrileneans and tourists flock here in search of antiques, second-hand clothing, jewelry, and vintage items of all kinds.

Eating and drinking in La Latina

And another reason for a trip to La Latina: tapas. La Latina is one of the most popular neighborhoods when it comes to eating and drinking, and not just among the Madrileneans themselves. On weekends and warm summer evenings, the number of inhabitants of La Latina seems to multiply, so many tables and chairs stand on the squares and in the alleys of the neighborhood. In and in front of countless quaint and trendy tapas bars and tabernas, you can sample the delicious Spanish mini portions while sipping beer and wine. Starting from Plaza de los Carros and Plaza del Humilladero, one tapas bar follows the next in Cava Alta, Cava Baja, Calle del Almendro and Calle del Nuncio. Hunger is definitely a foreign word in La Latina.