Pinto, Madrid

Pinto is a municipality in the Community of Madrid, Spain. It is located in the central area of the Iberian Peninsula at an altitude of 604 metres, 20 kilometres south of Madrid, and covers 62.7 square kilometres. In 2018, Pinto had a population of 51,541.[2] It is home to the Torre de Pinto, the Pinto Castle, and the Éboli Tower, which is a 14th-century tower used as a prison for nobles who fell out of favor with the king.

Pinto
Municipality
Flag
Coat of arms
Pinto
Coordinates: 40°15′N 3°42′W
CountrySpain
RegionCommunity of Madrid
Government
 • MayorRafael Sánchez Romero
Area
 • Total62.7 km2 (24.2 sq mi)
Elevation
604 m (1,982 ft)
Population
 (2018)[1]
 • Total51,541
 • Density820/km2 (2,100/sq mi)
Demonym(s)Pinteños
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Websitewww.ayto-pinto.es

Name

According to local tradition, the name Pinto sprung from the Moorish Legend of the Ark, which cited the area as the "geographical centre of the Iberian Peninsula." According to this legend, the Moors carried out measurements that located the central point of the peninsula in the ravine of the Egido de Pinto, in what is now the confluence of the streets of the hospital and the Master María del Rosario (Calle del Arca, until 1935). There, under a circular stone marked with an X, they deposited the instruments used for these measurements in an 'ark'.

There is also a hypothesis that suggests a Roman origin of the name, with "Punctum" (Latin: way-point or cross-roads) indicating the meeting of five roads. The word may have changed to "Punto", then to the current name, Pinto.

History

It is not known exactly when the first inhabitants arrived in the area, although the oldest remains are in the Cuniebles Cave, with other settlements on the banks of the Prados and Culebro rivers, in the vicinity of the cave. In total, five sites from different periods have been found in the municipality: paleolithic, chalcolithic, Iron Age and from Roman and Visigoth occupations (the latter of which appears to include re-purposed Roman buildings).

During Moorish rule, between 711 and 1083, Pinto was a colony of Getafe called Xata, which was subsequently conquered by Alfonso VI in his advance through Toledo.

The town title was granted in 1359 by the King of Castile, Peter I, also known as Peter the Cruel.

Symbols

The coat of arms was formally approved on 13 September 2007, and it has these blazons:

"Jaquelado de quince escaques, ocho de oro y siete de gules, cargado con la figura de un globo terráqueo de azur, con los continentes en oro y un punto de gules en el centro de la península ibérica. Al timbre corona real de España."

"Chequered with fifteen squares, eight of gold and seven of red, plated with a figure of a blue globe, with the continents in gold and a point of red in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula. Topped with the Spanish crown."

Geography

Location
Pinto as seen by the European Space Agency's Sentinel-2.

Pinto has a typical Castilian plateau landscape, with heavy urban expansion due to its proximity to the capital. The Arroyo de los Prados is a stream that passes through the village that was first cultivated in 1967. It is a tributary of the Arroyo Culebro, which also runs through the village, creating the border between Pinto and Getafe.

The area is also subject to flooding that occurs as a result of the Arroyo de los Prados rising.

In the southwest of the town lies the last remaining wetland of the municipality, Los Estragales, where up to 130 different types of birds have been identified.

Boundaries

Climate

Pinto has a Mediterranean climate with hot summers that can reach up to 40 °C and cold winters that can drop below 0 °C. Rainfall is scarce, with approximately 450 mm of precipitation annually, with autumn and spring being the rainiest seasons.[3] Snowfalls, which, in the past, were relatively abundant, now occur infrequently.

Demography

According to the 2018 census, the total population of Pinto had risen to 51,541 inhabitants.[2]

Demographic Evolution[4]
1889 1900 1920 1930 1950 1960 1970 1975 1982 1990 2000 2005 2006 2009 2010 2014 2015 2017
312 1,048 7,987 8,695 9,341 15,603 16,980 17,053 22,503 26,902 28,726 37,559 39,432 43,501 44,524 47,594 49,565 50,442

Politics and government

Mayors

List of Mayors
Term Name Party
1979-1983 Carlos Penit PCE
1983-1987 Carlos Penit PCE
1987-1993 Carlos Penit IU
1993-1995 Gloria Razábal IU
1995-1999 Antonio Fernández PSOE
1999-2003 Antonio Fernández PSOE
2003-2007 Antonio Fernández

Juan Tendero

 PSOE

PSOE

2007-2008 Miriam Rabaneda Gudiel PP
2008-2011 Juan José Martín Nieto PSOE
2011-2015 Miriam Rabaneda Gudiel PP
2015-present Rafael Sánchez Romero Ganemos Pinto

Municipal politics after the transition

In 1979, with the arrival of democracy, Carlos Penit, the head of the regional Communist Party of Spain (PCE), became the first mayor of Pinto, and was reelected in 1983, 1987, and 1991.

In 1993, Gloria Razábal was elected by the municipal council, making her the first female mayor of Pinto.

In 1995, Antonio Fernández, leader of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), became the mayor by a margin of 25 votes. He was reelected in the years 1999 and 2003 with a majority. Due to accusations of corruption, he resigned in 2005, and Juan Tendero became mayor.

Pinto was considered a left-wing enclave until 2007 when the conservative Popular Party (PP) put itself within 3 points of the governing PSOE. After managing to double its share of votes from 21% to 42% in the prior four years, PP was then able to go into coalition with Juntos por Pinto (Together for Pinto; JpP) to govern with a stable majority and proclaim Miriam Rabaneda as the mayor of Pinto.

Miriam Rabaneda, former Mayor of Pinto

The legislature was full of political tension. A councillor from Juntos por Pinto, Reyes Maestre, changed his mind concerning a motor space project, supporting its construction. This provoked a crisis within the PP-JpP government. On December 22, 2008, a motion of censure was presented by PSOE/IU/JpP against the Popular Party and PSOE member Juan José Martín Nieto was proclaimed as the new mayor, obtaining a majority in the municipal council. The political tension in Pinto was constant. In February 2010, the former mayor Miriam Rabaneda and her sister Tamara Rabaneda, former councillor of the Treasury, were charged for alleged malfeasance due to irregularities in the municipal accounts. The case was subsequently dismissed by a court in the town of Parla. In October 2010, Reyes Maestre was terminated as deputy mayor by the mayor of Pinto.

In the municipal elections on 22 May 2011, the Popular Party won another majority and Miriam Rabaneda reclaimed the mayoralty of the municipality from Juan José Martín Nieto. These elections led to the emergence of the UPyD party in Pinto, which won two seats, thus becoming a new political force represented in the City Council. The electorate punished Juntos por Pinto, then headed by Reyes Mastre, as well as the United Left party (IU), which gained no representation.

In 2015, the municipal elections held that no party had managed to obtain an absolute majority, with UPyD losing both of its seats. In these elections, the party Ganemos Pinto (a coalition between several minor parties, including Podemos) gained seven seats alongside PP, PSOE, which gained five, and Ciudadanos with two. An alliance between Ganemos Pinto and PSOE gained Rafael Sánchez Romero the mayoralty.

Main sights
Tower where Ana de Mendoza, Princess of Eboli, was imprisoned.
  • Ermita de San Antón ("Saint Anthony Abbot hermitage") — Its environment was transformed after the construction of a nearby mall. The hermitage was rebuilt during the 19th century.
  • Ermita del Cristo ("Christ hermitage") — In its interior is a crucified Christ that is popular with pilgrims.
  • Iglesia parroquial de Santo Domingo de Silos ("Parish of Saint Dominic of Silos")
  • Torre de Eboli ("Tower of Eboli) — The Princess of Eboli was imprisoned in this location.
  • Centro Cultural Infanta Cristina — It was thought until recently that this building, then known as Casa de la Cadena ("House of the Chain"), provided accommodation for the Catholic Monarchs, but serious historical studies have disproved such a possibility.
  • Centro Municipal de Cultura ("Local Culture Centre")
  • Teatro Municipal Francisco Rabal ("Francisco Rabal Town Theatre")
  • Parque Juan Carlos I ("Juan Carlos I Park")

Notable people

References
  1. Municipal Register of Spain 2018. National Statistics Institute.
  2. "2018 Census, Nomenclator". www.ine.es. Retrieved 2018-07-24.
  3. "Pinto climate: Average Temperature, weather by month, Pinto weather averages - Climate-Data.org". en.climate-data.org. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
  4. https://web.archive.org/web/20080916170044/http://www.ayto-pinto.es/html/ciudad/conoce_pinto/poblacion.asp. Archived from the original on 2008-09-16. Retrieved 2020-01-19. Missing or empty |title= (help)
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.