History Musings: The Celebration of the Toma
On January 1st of 1492, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella rode into Granada, the last stronghold of the Moorish kingdom, and took over. King Boabdil (or Mohammed XII) had secretly signed an agreement for a peaceful takeover, allowing him to depart in exile. King Boabdil knew he had no chance to defeat the monarchs—they had cut off his supplies and the continuous sacking of other Moorish kingdoms signaled the end to the Nasrid dynasty.
In some ways, it was a non-violent takeover. However, there had been rebellions and uprisings, with some neighborhoods in Granada opposed to the change in rulers.
The next issue became the people. With the entrance of Ferdinand and Isabella, the Reconquista had completed. All of Spain was under Catholic rule. But Granada, while ruled by a Moorish monarch, was not a city of only Moors. Mozarabes were Arab Catholics. Muwallads were Spanish Christians who converted to Islam. Then there were the Mudéjares, who were Muslims that remained in Spain after the Reconquista.
We know Granada famously for the Alhambra, the large Moorish palace and fortress that rests on Sabika hill. While the palace was kept, the mosques were destroyed and replaced with churches. Priests and bishops walked in the streets and sprinkled holy water on the Moors, thus enacting a large baptism and converting them to Christianity. Moors then became Moriscos. They were Christian, but had a new name: Little Moors. It is likely this was another way to delineate them from the Old Christians, basically people who considered themselves Spanish Christians.
The beginning of the new year is also the start of the full unification of Spain to Christian rule. The Moors had dominated most of the southern regions for numerous centuries, but division and in-fighting led to their defeat. Their imprint on Spanish architecture remains, evident with the Alhambra and numerous other well-preserved sites.
The Celebration of the Toma is the remembrance of the Catholic monarchs and their conquest of Granada. It is an evening that occurs even today, starting at the Cathedral of Granada where Ferdinand and Isabel are entombed, followed by a mass and a procession to City Hall.