La Bodega - Facts

 

The novel is set in 1892 in Jerez de la Frontera. Jerez de la Frontera  is a city and municipality in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Located in southwestern Iberia, it lies on the Campiña de Jerez, an inland lowland plain crossed by the Guadalete River, midway between the Atlantic Ocean, the Guadalquivir river and the western reaches of the Subbaetic System.

The events that happen at the end of the novel are based on the revolution of 1892. The Events of Jerez took place in Jerez de la Frontera  on the night of January 8–9, 1892, when hundreds of peasants stormed the city shouting 'long live anarchy' and 'death to the bourgeoisie.' They controlled the city for over two hours until the insurgents fled when confronted by garrison troops. Two people were killed by the rebels, and one person died among the ranks of the insurgents. The alleged leaders of the revolt were tried in a court-martial that sentenced four of them to death; they were executed on February 10.

One of the locations that is mentioned in the novel is Calle Larga. Larga Street runs parallel to the outer eastern edge of the city walls. At the end of the 16th century, in order to maintain the walls and generate revenue, the Jerez City Council approved the construction of buildings attached directly to them. From the very beginning, as a primary artery connecting the city's most important spaces, Larga Street evolved into a hub for both commerce and festivities. It became home to traditional businesses such as watchmakers, butcher shops, photography studios, jewelers, and shoe stores, as well as cafés, taverns, and social clubs (casinos).

The characters mentions the First Republic in 1873. The Spanish Republic, historiographically referred to as the First Spanish Republic, was the political regime that existed in Spain from 11 February 1873 to 29 December 1874. The Republic was founded after the abdication of King Amadeo on 10 February 1873. On the next day a republic was proclaimed by a parliamentary majority made up of radicals, republicans and democrats. The period was beset by tensions between federal republicans and unitary republicans. The period also saw the end of compulsory conscription, the regulation of child labor and the abolition of slavery in Puerto Rico. 

The book mentions the Christ of the the Crowning with Thorns in Jerez. The image of the Most Holy Christ of the Crowning with Thorns dates back to the 17th century. Specifically, there is record of a contract commissioning the work to the artists Pedro Grass and Elías Mez, of German and Flemish nationality respectively.

The book also mentions 'La mano negra' (The Black Hand).  The Black Hand was a presumed secret, anarchist organization based in the Andalusian region of Spain and best known as the perpetrators of murders, arson, and crop fires in the early 1880s. The events associated with the Black Hand took place in 1882 and 1883 amidst class struggle in the Andalusian countryside, the spread of anarcho-communism distinct from collectivist anarchism, and differences between legalists and insurrectionists in the Federación de Trabajadores de la Región Española. In June 1883, the Jerez court sentenced seven people and eight accomplices to 17 years and four months of prison. Two people were acquitted, but the prosecutor appealed the sentence to the Supreme Court, who ruled in April 1884 in favor of the death penalty for all but one accused. Nine sentences were commuted to jail time and seven were executed by garrote two months later in Jerez de la Frontera's Plaza del Mercado. Three days later, the judges were recognized by the Order of Isabella the Catholic.

The people who came together to revolt gathered in Caulina Plains. Llanos de Caulina is located on the northeastern outskirts of Jerez de la Frontera, in the province of Cádiz, Spain. It is primarily a rural and agricultural area that sits between the main city center and the countryside.