You know something of Spanish history because it is linked closely with early American history for 3 centuries. You will recall that Ferdinand and Isabella were ruling Spain when Columbus asked their aid to go in search of the Indies. The marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella led to the union of two powerful Spanish houses. Castile and Aragon were rival kingdoms. Ferdinand was a king of Castile and Isabella was from Aragon. After the union of these two houses, Spain soon became a united country. The history of the city of Burgos is the history of old Castile. It is a very old city. Spanish tales relate that it was founded in 884-over a thousand years ago. It was for a long time the capital of old Castile. In 1087 the capital was moved to Toledo, and the glory of Burgos departed. But its great past could not be taken from it. It is the very center of Spanish story because here the national hero lived. He is called the Cid (that is, the Lord). He was born in Burgos about 1025, and was a skilled leader of soldiers. His greatest feats were the capture of Toledo and Valencia. He was to Spain what Alfred the Great was to England, although the two men were utterly different. In Burgos the Cid is buried, and much of the romance of the city clusters about his name. Today Burgos is a city of over 30,000 people. It is the capital of a province, and here dwells an Archbishop. Burgos is on the railway line that connects Paris and Madrid (mä-drd´). It is one a treeless, windswept plateau, through which a small river flows. Its climate is severely cold in winter and extremely hot in summer. Its chief claim to a traveler's attention is the fine Gothic Cathedral. Locate Burgos. What mountains are near it? Read the article about Castile in an encyclopedia. Keystone ID: 15814 Note: All titles, descriptions, and location coordinates are from the original Keystone Slide documentation as supplied by the Keystone View Company. No text has been edited or changed.