Puertollano

Puertollano lies in the country south of Ciudad Real, between the plains of La Mancha and the Sierra Morena. Its oldest communal tradition, the Santo Voto, is linked to the Black Death of the fourteenth century. According to local tradition, the families who survived the epidemic made a vow in gratitude for the Virgin's intercession. A meal given to the poor and needy came to commemorate their promise, keeping the memory of the plague alive in the town.