Our History
History of the Los Telares Rural Hostel
This house is located in the Albaicín neighborhood, the former Moorish quarter of Pastrana, so named because most of the Moriscos came from the city of Granada, specifically from this neighborhood, the former silk industry and the manufacturing of looms and dyes. Rebuilt and converted into this rural hostel, the house is located in a privileged setting, the old town of Pastrana, surrounded by marvelous buildings and monuments, one of the most important and significant towns in the province of Guadalajara.
Based on Velázquez's painting "Las Hilanderas" (The Spinners), the owner has attempted to create a rustic and stately atmosphere, maintaining the monumental construction of the town's buildings, including their wood paneling and crafted ceilings, lending a warm and welcoming atmosphere to the entire setting. This hostel will delight all those seeking a rustic flavor and medieval atmosphere.
The Spinners
This painting by Velázquez, long considered a genre piece, conceals the presentation of a mythological subject wrapped in the trappings of everyday work in a tapestry workshop.
This is the fable of Arachne, the weaver who clashed with the goddess Athena over the quality of a tapestry they had each woven. Arachne was eventually turned into a spider by the goddess of the arts, who, being also the goddess of war, appears in the background of the scene dressed in military attire. It is in the background of the workroom that the plot of the fable unfolds; in the foreground, the workshop's activity unfolds. In both spaces, such magnificent and careful study of light, and such ease and freedom of brushstrokes, make this painting one of the most esteemed precursors of Impressionism.
This painting underwent an extension in the 18th century, at the top and on both sides. It is unknown whether this was to restore it to its original state (it is thought to have been damaged in the fire at the Alcázar in 1734), or whether the scene was simply enlarged to make it larger.
