Guadalupe, Spain: The Organic Growth of a Monastery and the Morphology of a Medieval Village

The Royal Monastery of Guadalupe is the most important medieval monument in Extremadura, Spain. It is important for its architectural and artistic heritage, its history, and its impact on Spanish America. In 1993, the monastery achieved the highest symbol of respect: inclusion in the World Heritage List. However, at that time, there were no plans that illustrated the different stages of the growth of the monastery and the village. In this article, we present a number of previously unpublished plans, which depict the urban networks and the morphology of Guadalupe. These plans reveal the construction of an integrated historical landscape following seven centuries of history and interactions between humans and their environment. In addition, they portray the destruction of an important part of this heritage in recent years under the Regional Government of Extremadura because of a lack of urban planning