Death and Glory at the Alcazar of Toledo

The Alcazar of Toledo is a square fortified building with imposing towers dominating the skyline of the ancient fortified city.

The dramatic structure was a Roman 3rd century palace that turned into a Muslim fortress in the 10th century before being restored and modified after the Christian restoration. It was at the Alcazar that Charles V received Hernan Cortés following his conquest of the Aztecs.

During the Spanish Civil War, the Alcazar was the scene of a dramatic siege, when the Nationalist Colonel José Moscardó Ituarte held the fortress despite fierce assaults by the Republicans and the kidnapping of his son, Luis. The Republicans allowed Ituarte to speak to his son in an effort to encourage his surrender. After asking his father what he should do, the Colonel responded "Commend your soul to God and die like a patriot

shouting '¡Viva Cristo Rey!' and '¡Viva España!' The Alcázar does not surrender."

His son allegedly replied "That, I can do." Luis was immediately shot.

The Siege of Alcazar turned the site into a symbol of Spanish nationalism. More human fuckery in the name of someone’s great cause.

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