Caparroso

Caparroso is a land of fertile meadows, history and traditional flavours. Strategically located on the bank of the River Aragón, this municipality stretches from where this river and the Cidacos meet, forming meadows that have been the centre of farming here since time immemorial. Its name comes from the Romance word caput-russus, which means ‘bright red’ or ‘red head’, perhaps evoking the colour of its earth or its resilient nature.

Deposits of flints have been found, possibly linked to the repair of early agricultural threshing boards. Even though Roman settlements are not known there, the presence of tiles and vessels confirmed that there was rural life in the form of villas and river ports. The first documented reference to Caparroso is as ‘Qabarrus’ in Arabic chronicles in the 9th century. According to those texts, Caliph Abd-al-Rahman set up camp near to its castle, which together with the existing walls was the scene of its important defensive action at that time.