Tafalla

the genus of moth

Tafalla is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain. Tafalla lies 30 km south of Pamplona, in the valley of the Zidacos river, which is a tributary of the Aragón. The population in January 2022 was 10,576.

Traces of human presence in the area date back to the Chalcolithic era, c. 4,500 to 3,700 years ago. There are no remains of permanent settlements before the Iron Age (900 300 BC), but by Roman times, there were 15 settlements in the area. These were concentrated near the Cidacos River in El Busquil, La Pedrera, La Recueja, Los Cascajos, and El Escal. At Lobera, a funeral tombstone was found inscribed with the name of Thurscando. This tombstone is now in the House of Culture of Tafalla.

The first historical mention of Tafalla dates from the tenth century in the Chronicle of Arib Ibn Said, which recounts a raid on Tafalla by Abd al Rahman III during a campaign against the Kingdom of Pamplona, in the year 924. In 1043, the Tafallese helped King García III de Nájera defeat Ramiro I of Aragón in a battle on the fields of Torreta and Barranquiel. After this, the Tafallese were granted the titles of Noble, Loyal and Strong. Sancho Ramírez granted Tafalla its first charter, later confirmed by Sancho the Wise in 1157 and Theobald II in 1255. Sancho VII the Strong granted another charter to the Tafallese, freeing them of taxes. In 1418, Carlos III the Noble granted the privilege of holding a fair, and in 1423 he granted Tafalla a seat in the Cortes among the "Good Towns," and declared the Tafallese free men. In the Civil War of Navarre, Tafalla first sided with the Beaumont confederacy, defending the rights of Carlos, Prince of Viana. After the Castilian Aragonese invasion, Tafalla defended the legitimate kings of Navarre against the invaders. Tafalla was in the news in 2010, after a bull jumped into the stands at the bullring, during a bull fighting contest. In July 2019, Tafalla was hit by damaging flash floods following torrential rain.

20 January, Saint Sebastian.