The Town Hall of Totana (Ayuntamiento)
The administrative centre of Totana dates from the 16th century growth of the town
The main building occupied by the municipal council of Totana, the “Ayuntamiento” or “Casa Consistorial”, dates from the 16th and 17th centuries, the period when the town finally became established as having outgrown its hillside neighbour, Aledo.
Following the Reconquista of Murcia from the Moors by the Christian forces of Castilla in the 1240s Totana was located dangerously close to the frontier with the Nazarid kingdom of Granada, and most of the few people who lived in the area preferred the security of the fortified town of Aledo. However, in the aftermath of the taking of Granada by the Catholic Monarchs in 1492 the population gradually migrated down to Totana, and in 1550 it was decided that council meetings should be celebrated here rather than in Aledo (see the history of Totana).
This was the context in which the most important buildings in Totana of the time were constructed, including the Iglesia de Santiago which stands alongside the Town Hall in the Plaza de la Constitución: in the 16th century it was common to place ecclesiastical and lay centres of administrative power in close proximity to one another. However, a full renovation of the Ayuntamiento was undertaken in the 1990s, when the original beams and rafters from the basement were stored on the top floor and replaced with more modern structures.
The result inside is one of the larger and more modern Town Halls in the Region of Murcia, and although the exterior of the building is generally quite sober there are several decorative elements, particularly on the top floor. All of the windows are geometrically laid out, and in the centre of the main façade is a triangular panel topped by an ornamental design and the coat of arms of Totana over the main door.
For administrative purposes the Town Hall is open every weekday morning (telephone 968 418151).
Address: Plaza de la Constitución, 1, 30850 Totana, Región de Murcia (see map location)
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