The F. Lázaro Carreter Municipal Library recently hosted a conference entitled 'Villanueva de la Cañada in the 16th century', led by Alfredo Alvar Ezquerra, a noted historian and research professor at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). This event was part of a series of activities organised by the local council to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Villanueva de la Cañada's designation as a villa.
The conference was attended by the mayor, Luis Partida, municipal councillors, and local residents. During his presentation, Alvar provided insights into the context of the village, then known as La Despernada, exploring its social history, the royal court, and the Madrid of that era. He also discussed the influence of humanism and the historiography of Castile during the period.
Alfredo Alvar Ezquerra, born in Granada in 1960, is a leading expert on the Golden Ages and the Modern Age of Spanish history. He is a member of the Royal Academy of History and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Telmo in Málaga. His contributions to the field have been recognised with the Encomienda of Isabel la Católica, and he has published extensively on significant figures and events from the 16th to the 18th centuries.
