Surprisingly, even if we live in the modern times, there are still stories of witches and other mysterious events like in the village of Trasmoz. This village in Spain is known as the Witch Village with only 62 residents and it is said that the cursed area has a robust spell that only the Pope can elevate.
“The whole saga of witchcraft in Trasmoz starts here, at this castle,” Lola Ruiz Diaz, a modern day witch said in an interview with BBC News. “During the 13th Century, the castle occupants dedicated their time to forging fake coins. And to keep the people of Trasmoz from investigating all that scraping and hammering, they spread a rumor that witches and sorcerers were rattling chains and forging cauldrons to boil magic potions at night. It worked, and Trasmoz was forever associated with witchcraft.”
Because of the wealth provided by the iron and silver mines, Trasmoz enjoyed independence and the territory is not affiliated with the Catholic Church. Residents don't even have to pay for taxes or dues. This rumor of witchcraft, moved the Archbishop of Tarazona to excommunicate the village, which means that they were not allowed to do confessions or take the holy sacraments at any Catholic church.
A mix of Jews, Christian and Arabs comprised the rich locals of the area and they did not care about the excommunication. But when the monastery diverted water from the village without paying for it, Lord of Trasmoz, Pedro Manuel Ximenez de Urrea, sent his army to beat up the abbot and his monks.
The abbot then complained to King Ferdinand II but the actions of Trasmoz were easily forgiven because of some quick cash. Yet, the church still cannot accept their defeat. Hence, Pope Julius II cursed the village by chanting Psalm 108 in Latin which left the illiterate peasants scared. Up to this day, the curse is not yet lifted.
The Trasmoz castle was burned to the ground in 1520 and the village fell when Jews were expelled from Spain. From 10,000 inhabitants, the village only has 62 people in it and there are not schools or shops in the area.
But there is a small museum within the ruins of the castle, located at the foothills of the snow-covered Moncayo Mountain in Aragon. One can see witchcraft items in it like cauldrons, brooms and black crucifixes.
“This is La Tia Casca, the last witch to be killed in Trasmoz, in 1860,” Ruiz said, referring to a sculpture of a woman in the castle's courtyard. “A deadly epidemic had broken out and neither cure nor explanation was found. So they blamed La Tia Casca, as she was thought to be strange and secretive."
These days, they celebrate La Feria de Brujeria every June wherein potions and lotions made from herbs grown in the Mocayo Mountains are being sold. There are also re-enactments of how witches are killed and they will choose the Witch of the Year, who has knowledge of herbal medicine that surprisingly works, Kidapride wrote.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
