A tiny village named Trasmoz, has been excommunicated and cursed with a spell so powerful that only the pope can lift, sits in the hills of Spain. The story begins with witchcraft, superstition, revenge, envy and power…all of my favorite things.
A witch epidemic began as any of them do, in the 13th century, someone gets sick, there is no explanation and no cure and all of a sudden, it’s suspect that the illness was brought on by a witch. One of the quieter woman is accused, they find Rosemary in her kitchen and “SHE’S A WITCH!”
Then the rumors grow, the stories unfold, and we have a witch problem!
The village is currently only inhabited by 65 people. Many of the streets of the village are said to be named after witches who inhabited the village at some point of time like Casca, Dorotea, and Galga.
Other tales of witches were that all the strange noises in the castle were caused by witches whipping up their favorite spells down in the dark dungeons.
At some point the rumors of witchcraft reached the Archbishop of Tarazona and since the city wasn’t so good about paying their taxes, he took the opportunity to excommunicate the entire community from the church and the rest of the society. He claimed that repentance was the only way back into their good graces. A curse was placed on the village that only the pope could lift.
The belief in witchcraft was very strong in the village and women were easily convicted of witchcraft. For example, a deadly epidemic struck the village in the 19th century and a quiet woman was suspected of causing the disease and thrown into a well.
Now the village is visited by a lot of tourists wanting to see the cursed village for themselves. Every June, the Feria de Brujeria festival is held where the village hosts a market where strange herbs and lotions with hallucinogenic potentials is sold. They have plays, story-telling, and a contest where one lucky woman wins the title of, “Witch of the year”.
I think I just might have to go visit this little village and see all the mysteries for myself! Who knows, maybe I’ll go in June and win that prestigious title for myself.
-Trouble
