Mystery Play of Elche

Elche (Valencian: Elx) is a city and municipality of Spain, belonging to the province of Alicante, in the Valencian Community. According to 2014 data, Elche has a population of 228,647 inhabitants, making it the third most populated municipality in the region (after Valencia and Alicante) and the 20th largest Spanish municipality. It is part of the comarca of Baix Vinalopó. Part of the municipality is coastal yet the city proper is roughly 15 km (9 mi) away from the Mediterranean Sea. A small creek called Vinalopó flows through the city. Elche is the centre of the footwear industry in Spain. The main airport of the province of Alicante (Alicante–Elche Miguel Hernández Airport) is located inside Elche's municipality, and it serves both Elche and Alicante, being the fifth-busiest airport in Spain. Together with Alicante and other municipalities, Elche forms a conurbation of some 800,000 inhabitants. The city is noted for its urban Palm Grove, designated as World Heritage Site.

The Palmeral or Palm Grove of Elche (Spanish: Palmeral de Elche; Valencian: Palmerar d'Elx) is the generic name for a system of date palm orchards in the city of Elche, Spain. The Palmeral was planted in Roman times and underwent modifications in the medieval period under Islamic and Christian rulers. The Roman empire introduced water management techniques to Elche, but the 10th c. Islamic Caliphate of Córdoba and later rulers of Al-Andalus planted palm groves and garden-estates in huertos (rectangular base agricultural units). Islamic rulers also constructed the largest canal system sections in Elche. In the 13th century Christian rulers conquered Elche and expanded the canal system. Industrialization and urban sprawl contracted the Palmeral in the late 19th and 20th century. The Spanish national government and Valencian regional government enacted legislation to protect the Palm Grove. In 2000, UNESCO designated the Palmeral a World Heritage Site, but climate change, pests, and disease threaten the site. The Palmeral includes a National Artistic Garden, Palm Grove Museum, Route of El Palmeral, and Municipal Park.

The Baix Vinalopó (Spanish: Bajo Vinalopó, lit. "Lower Vinalopó") is a comarca in the province of Alicante (Valencian Community, Spain). It is bordered by the comarques of Vinalopó Mitjà and Alacantí on the north and Vega Baja del Segura on the south. Its capital is the city of Elche/Elx, with a population of 232,517 in 2019. The other major towns in the comarca are Crevillent/Crevillente and Santa Pola. Vinalopó river flows through this comarca giving its name to it, even though nowadays is just a tiny stream more than a proper river. The territory is mostly flat except for some of the last ranges belonging to the Baetic System which appear here near the border with the neighbouring comarcas Vinalopó Mitjà, following a general southwest-northeast trend. The highest peaks are found in the Serra de Crevillent (Sierra de Crevillente), a mountain range close to Crevillent/Crevillente, being its highest the Sant Gaietà with its 816 metres, a local hiking attraction. Its climate is dry, with scarce rainfalls—below the Mediterranean climate threshold—which happen mostly in Autumn and Spring amounting an average of 250–300 mm per year and showing relatively warm mean temperatures. Among the herbaceous species, esparto and shrub deserve to be mentioned due to their industrial value in the past. Some important natural places are the swamps in the lower part of the comarca known as El Fondo Natural Park and the Salines de Santa Pola Natural Park, both Ramsar sites. The comarca is highly industrial, especially in its capital, Elche, and also in the town of Crevillent/Crevillente. Agriculture is also an important activity in the area. In the coastline around Santa Pola the main activity is tourism, fisheries and sea salt.

The Miguel Hernández University (UMH, Spanish: Universidad Miguel Hernández, Valencian: Universitat Miguel Hernández, Latin: Universitas Miguel Hernández illicitana), is a Spanish Public University offering education, research and services facilitating the comprehensive development of its students. It is located in the province of Alicante and was established in 1996. Its name commemorates the Spanish poet Miguel Hernández. The UMH offers bachelor's degrees, Master's and PhD programs adapted to the European Higher Education Area in the fields of the arts, experimental and technical sciences, engineering, and health and social sciences at its four university campuses (Elche, Altea, Orihuela and Sant Joan d'Alacant).

Ciutat Esportiva Juan Ángel Romero is the training ground and academy base of the Spanish football club Elche CF. It was opened in 1980. Located in Elche and covering an area of 100,000 m², it is used for youth and senior teams trainings.

The Estadio Martínez Valero is a stadium located in the Spanish city of Elche in the province of Alicante, Valencian Community. It is the home stadium of Elche CF, a team that is currently playing in Segunda División. Its name pays tribute to the late president of the club, Manuel Martínez Valero. It hosted the largest rout in the finals of a World Cup and hosted the final of the Copa del Rey in 2003. The Spanish football team has played several friendly matches and competitive qualifiers there. The stadium has the largest field dimensions in Europe. With a capacity of 31,388 seats, Martínez Valero is the 15th-largest stadium in Spain and the 2nd-largest in the Valencian community.

Aspe (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈaspe], Valencian: Asp) is a town and municipality located in the comarca of Vinalopó Mitjà, in the province of Alicante, Spain. The town is located in the valley of the river Vinalopó, 25 km (16 mi) from Alicante city. The economy of Aspe is based on textile and footwear industries, as well as farming of vegetables and fruits. Aspe is also famous for growing a special kind of grape, which is eaten at the stroke of midnight, every New Year's Eve, all across Spain. The grapes are eaten one at a time, according to the clock striking 12, to signal the new year.Aspe has a small foreign population, mainly Dutch and English. The local Castilian dialect is known for dropping the "s" and seseo. Aspe has many traditions and during the summer large fiestas take place. Every other year La Virgen De Las Nieves, the patron of the town, comes to Aspe.

Crevillent (Spanish: Crevillente) is a town and municipality located in the Alicante province, part of the Valencian Community, Spain. It is situated in the comarca of Baix Vinalopó, and lies at the foot of the hill range known locally as Serra de Crevillent. As of 2009, it has a total population of 28,609 inhabitants. The terrain is dry, and its main vegetation is composed by carob trees, almond trees, olive trees and esparto. Crevillent is a major producer and exporter of carpets and pomegranates. The town was probably settled by Romans. In 1263, during the period known as Reconquista, James I of Aragon captured the city from the Moors and became a part of the Kingdom of Valencia. The most important tourist places of the city is a museum with works of Mariano Benlliure, a Valencian sculptor. Also remarkable is its Moors and Christians festival. Many of the agricultural areas, particularly El Realengo, contain ruins of prisons, ovens and torture houses used during Francisco Franco's reign and the Spanish Civil War in the early 1900s.

La Marina Elche, is a coastal village administered by the city of Elche / Elx (Bajo Vinalopó¹), in the province of Alicante, (Comunidad Valenciana) on Spain's Costa Blanca. It is located by the Mediterrànean sea, by the mountain range of Sierra del Molar, very close to Guardamar del Segura and by the salt pans (Salinas) of Santa Pola. The 1'1 km long beach receives the same name. Nearby inland is a large urbanisation built from the mid-1980's; (1987), onwards confusingly also called 'La Marina': More correctly called "Urbanisation La Marina", administrated by Town of the San Fulgencio Village. (Limit border with La Marina coastal Village, and this, it's located in Vega Baja del Segura). ACCES TERRESTRIAL COMMUNICATIONS & CONNECTIONS - TRANSPORTS. "The village", is on the Costa Azul bus route providing access northwards to Alicante and southbound to Torrevieja and ultimately Cartagena. In Car, it's connected with the tangential (Variante) Road N-332, exit's main access the Road N-332a. (Principal street of La Marina Village). Points Exit's N-332: •North Direction. -> Alicante: Km.77'300. •South Direction. -> Torrevieja - Cartagena: Km.78'00. ¹Learn Article, for more info: https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bajo_Vinalop%C3%B3

Alicante–Elche Miguel Hernández Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto de Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández, Valencian: Aeroport d'Alacant-Elx Miguel Hernández), (IATA: ALC, ICAO: LEAL), is an international airport located about 9 km (5.6 mi) southwest of the city of Alicante and about 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) east of the city of Elche in Spain. Alicante–Elche is one of the main airports in south-eastern Spain, serving both the southern part of the Valencian Community and the Region of Murcia. The airport is a base for Air Nostrum, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Ryanair and Vueling. Passenger traffic increased significantly in the 2010s, beating its own yearly record from 2013 to 2019; in 2019 it set a record at 15 million passengers. It is the largest airport in the Valencian Community (well ahead of Valencia and Catellón), one of the 50 busiest in Europe and was Spain's fifth busiest airport in 2019. Up to 80% of all passenger flights are international. The largest numbers of passengers arrive from the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Belgium and Sweden. Popular domestic destinations are Madrid, Palma de Mallorca and Barcelona.

Dolores (Spanish pronunciation: [doˈloɾes]) is a town located in the comarca of Vega Baja del Segura in southern Alicante province, Spain. The town is in the heart of the Segura huerta (vegetable garden) about 10 km (6.2 mi) from the nearest beaches in La Marina and Guardamar. Dolores is readily accessible from the Autovia del Mediterráneo motorway and a new motorway from Elche, and is about 20 minutes away from the Alicante international airport. The town has a population of 7427, an area of 18.25 km2 (7.05 sq mi), and the average monthly temperature varies between 16 °C (61 °F) in December–January and 28 °C (82 °F) in July–August. The most important monument is the 18th-century church, with sculptures by Salcillo and Roque Lopez. The two most important fiestas in Dolores are the Feria de Agosto (August Fair) in early August; and the Fiesta de la Virgen, in mid-September. The Feria de Agosto is one of the more important fairs of Spain, and it features a Spanish Horse Contest. More than 1,500 horses are shown each year in all sorts of games and activities. Cattle and dog contests are also held at the fair. The Fiesta de la Virgen includes a carriage parade, the running of the "vaca toposa" (a variety of a small, aggressive cow), and the procession to honor the Virgen de los Dolores (Virgin of Sorrows), the patron saint of the village. The typical cuisine of Dolores takes advantage of the fresh vegetables available in the area (artichokes, beans), and also includes plenty of meat and seafood. The most typical dish is "cocido con pelotas", which includes meatballs and potato and chickpea stew. There are also many fresh fruits such as melons, watermelons, oranges, and apricots. An open-air market is held every Friday morning where the local produce is sold. Housing in Dolores is relatively affordable, and substantially cheaper than in the nearby beach areas. On November 25, 2005, the Municipal government of Dolores approved the development of a 1.6 km2 area -Dolores Golf- to accommodate 2,664 new housing units, which also includes a 580,000 m2 (145 acre) golf course. The new development was modified afterwards, and is now fully consistent with the regional government (Generalitat Valenciana) requirements. The improved Dolores Golf plan was approved on March 26, 2007, with the agreement of the two main political forces in Dolores -People's Party (P.P.) and the Socialist Party (P.S.O.E)- which, together, accounted for some 92 percent of the votes in the May 2007 local elections. [1]. The revised plan was finally approved by the Conselleria de Urbanismo (regional government) on March 27, 2008.[2] [3]. The development is expected to be completed over the next few years.

Catral (Spanish pronunciation: [kaˈtɾal]) is a town in the Valencian Community, Spain. Located in the south of the province of Alicante, in the region of Vega Baja del Segura. It had 8,105 inhabitants in 2007 according to the National Statistics Institute of Spain.