In every country and in every region, there are places to which that enigmatic Jesuit concept of the ‘well of souls'; could be applied, where history, legend and tradition are mysteriously struggling to make their way in a world destined to be seduced by oblivion, obstinately keeping their eyes fixed on the future, without worrying about knowing this rich cultural heritage, which in reality represents their past.

Located 69 kms from Madrid, Patones de Arriba, no doubt, is one such place. A metaphorical well of souls hidden between mountains, where one has the sensation, however uncertain it may seem, of walking through a place where time, even with the relativity enunciated by Albert Einstein, or even without it, has definitively stopped, allowing the people to continue maintaining those primitive architectural diapers that they had, at least, in medieval times, in whose memory, they seem to have definitively fallen asleep.

The inhabitants of Patones say that their people - and in doing so, I assure you that they breast out, as if they stood firm in front of the magazine of this sergeant chusquero that is History - that during the War of Independence, they were the only people through which Napoleon's troops passed by, ignorant of their existence. And it would not be surprising, lost in the mountains, as we have said it is.

They also say, and they can believe this, because it is true, that Patones had his king: the King of Patones. And in fact, the house where this curious personage lived -in fact, judge or mayor- is nowadays a hostel-restaurant, which has such a legend on the lintel of its door -situándola in the times of the reign of Charles III- as well as the previously mentioned one, referring to the passing of Napoleon's armies.

It is located on the main street of the village, a few metres above the church and a singular tavern, which bears the name Taberna de la Bruja (Witch's Tavern), so that the saying could be applied, between one and the other -that is, between church and tavern- that God raises them and they come together.

In fact, it is not difficult to find stalls located at the entrance to the village, usually on weekends, which sell all kinds of amulets, and among them, the so-called ‘witch of Patones' luck, in the form of a beautiful silver pendant, depicting a witch sitting on her broom, hanging from a crescent moon, as could not be otherwise.

The pine character of the chimneys of their houses, of conical and peak form, seems, in this respect, to coincide with the somewhat jocular legends that are located in numerous mountain villages of the parameras of Soria, where it is alleged - popular histories, blessed treasure - that the chimneys had that form, to impede the passage of the witches, who played the butt in the attempt.

In reference to the denomination of Patones, it is generally accepted the theory that it has its origin in the surname Patón, of the supposed founders of the town. However, in my opinion - and I warn you honestly that at this point, I take my right to speculation - I want to let my imagination fly and from a purely romantic perspective, assume that the derivative of ‘patones' has something to do with those no less enigmatic brotherhoods of ‘geese', a name or denomination that in the Middle Ages was applied to certain guilds of stonemasons, who were leaving their mark on buildings, both civil and religious, which mark the infinite routes of the roads to Santiago.

Think, if reasonable doubts assail you, that just half a dozen kilometres from Patones de Arriba, on the border of the communities of Madrid and Guadalajara, we have one such Jacobean road, that of La Varga, in honour of the miraculous patron saint of Uceda, whose primitive Romanesque church of the XII century - by the way, traditionally attributed to those guardians of the roads, who were the Knights Templar - welcomes, ruined, the present cemetery, and place on which the town of Patones depended, until well into the XVIII century.

Nearby is the Pontones dam, the famous El Atazar reservoir - in the 1980s, the Madrid newspaper Pueblo published numerous articles about sightings of UFOs in the area, to the point that some ufologists speculated with all sorts of urban deliriums, which affirmed that there were extraterrestrial bases in its depths - being the starting point, moreover, of numerous hiking trails, which lead to other picturesque villages of the Sierra de Madrid, such as Rascafrías and its famous monastery of El Paular.

In short: Patones de Arriba, a village where you can get lost in an exciting excursion to the past.

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[Martial, latin poet]

Ars vtinam more Animvm qve effingere. Posses pulchrior in ter. Ris nvlla tabella foret.

Arte Ojala pudieras representar. el carácter y el espíritu. No habría sobre la tierra. Imagen más bella

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