Alonso Perez de Guzman el Bueno, heroe caztellano que acepto la muerte de su primogenito antes de entregar la plaza de Tarifa en el año 1294. Esta estatua es obra del escultor Tarifeño Manuel Reine Jimenez.
Castillo de Guzmán, built in 960, is what stands between invaders from the South and the rest of Spain. It’s large, robust, and has only recently been cleaned up and opened to the public. Given that the structure has been neglected for centuries, it has held up remarkably well against the ravages of time.
The Spanish text above eludes to the tale of Guzmán el Bueno (the Good), whom the castle is named after and where, in 1294, Guzmán sacrificed his 9-year old son to keep the Moors out of Spain. As the story goes, his son was kidnapped by a Spanish traitor (the Infante Don Juan) and given to invading Moors. The Moors then demanded that Guzmán hand over the castle in exchange for his son. In doing so, it would give the invaders a powerful foothold into the rest of the country.
Instead of conceding, Guzmán el Bueno gave his own dagger to the invaders for the execution and exclaimed, I did not beget a son to be made use of against my country, but that he should serve her against her foes. Should Don Juan put him to death, he will but confer honour on me, true life on my son, and on himself eternal shame in this world and everlasting wrath after death. — Wikipedia.
In the end, Don Juan carried out the execution, but Guzmán became a Spanish legend and his family became one of the most powerful families in Spain.
