Colmenar

Colmenar Viejo lies north of Madrid among the oak woods and pastures below the mountains. It grew into the largest settlement of the Real de Manzanares, the lordship held by the Mendoza family. In 1504 it gained the status of a town and its own jurisdiction, separating from the authority of Manzanares while remaining within the lordship. Its population continued to grow during the sixteenth century, and Colmenar became an administrative and economic centre for the surrounding district.