page_title: Camino del Cid
section_title: Origins of the Camino del Cid
hierarchical_section_title: Camino del Cid / Origins of the Camino del Cid
caption_attribution_description: Página inicial del Cantar de mio Cid (f. 1r.º)
context_page_description: The Way of El Cid is a cultural and tourist route that crosses Spain from the northwest to the southeast, from Castilla to the Mediterranean coast. It follows the history and the legend of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, El Cid Campeador, a medieval knight of the 11th century and one of Spain’s greatest characters. El Cid is not only a literary character, also a historical figure.
  The main travel guide on the route is the Cantar de mio Cid, the great Hispanic medieval epic poem written at the end of the 12th century or beginning of the 13th. It tells of the adventures of El Cid Campeador as from his exile, fighting to survive against Moors and Christians.
  The route crosses eight Spanish provinces belonging to four Autonomous Communities. Owing to its length, the Way of El Cid is divided into interconnected thematic routes from 50 to 300 km approximately.
context_section_description: The Camino del Cid is an itinerary inspired by El Cantar de mio Cid. In it, the author makes references to both history and fiction. The route taken by the historic Cid does not correspond exactly with that described in the poem. The author would have used available historical references added to his own knowledge of geography to draw a route traced mainly by Roman roads, trade routes, and historic paths. This network of paths, some of which still exist today, began to be traveled as itineraries of the Cid towards the end of the nineteenth century by Archer Milton Huntington, founder of the Hispanic Society of America, followed shortly thereafter by the search for traces of the Cid through the Castilian and Aragonese lands by the philologist Ramón Menéndez Pidal and his wife Maria Goyri.
  With only a few exceptions, travellers will come across all the scenarios mentioned in the poem on this route. In some cases, some villages have been associated with the same place name, as is the case of El Robledal de Corpes. The location of this place, which is where the imaginary affront to El Cid's daughters occurs, has captured the attention of many academics.
caption: Cantar de mio Cid f. 1r (rep)
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