You’re approaching the San Fernando Bastion, standing tall and sturdy-a real stone guard from centuries past. To find it, just look ahead for a thick, stone structure jutting out from the walls, almost like a proud old giant keeping watch over the sea. Notice its curved walls and the worn, sandy color. You might even spot small windows or cannon slits peering out-a reminder of its defensive days.
Picture yourself in the late 1800s. The air smells salty, mixed with the clatter of carts and chatter from nearby markets. Behind these very bastion walls, the city of Melilla was hungry for a market worthy of the bustling streets. Enter the Mercado de Hierro del Mantelete-a market with iron bones! No, it’s not a superhero, but for a market, it’s got enough metal muscles to earn a comic book issue. Imagine the noise when it first opened, the market doors swinging wide and people flooding in.
This place was built on big dreams and some drama: after many failed projects, José Gómez and Carlos Ezagoury took their shot, with a military general cheering them on. The final design fell to a military engineer, but in the end, it was Francisco Orozco who laid the last piece. They started in 1896, working right on top of the old city wall, splitting up the Mantelete area. By January 1898, the first bananas met their buyers here-and not just bananas, but everything from bread to fresh fish!
The market even set up special stalls just for the demands of local Riffian tribes. Vegetables spilled over into nearby streets, so if you’d been here then, you’d smell fresh produce at every corner-or maybe dodge the odd runaway cabbage.
As you look at the bastion, imagine its echoey iron structure, filled with voices haggling, laughter, and maybe a seller boasting his melons were “the best in the Spanish lands!” But progress rolled in. In 1909, the market packed its bags and shifted to the Plaza de las Culturas so carriages could rumble through to the docks.
Now, even though the iron market’s legacy has moved on, you’re still standing where ideas sparked, trades happened, and history stretched forward-one noisy market day at a time. Remember, only Melilla could make a fortress moonlight as a grocery store. Only here, my friend!
Ready to explore what stories the next landmark is hiding? Let’s keep walking!
