What would our life if we lived in Dénia 400 years ago?

If we were dianenses of the XVII century and lived the moment in which we stopped being a town to become a city, we would not be citizens, but vassals. The society that would surround us would be violent and armed, with the threat of pirates always around us. The Marquis de Dénia, to whom we owe fidelity, would be entitled to our life and death; We would pay him a large part of our income annually, as well as the Church and the Inquisition, who would also watch over us to be good "old Christians."

The men would probably be Joan, Francesc, Vicent, Antoni, Pere or Jeroni, we would dedicate ourselves to the land, we would be fishermen or sailors, or maybe carpenters, shoemakers or tailors. Those who had more wealth would be doctors, lawyers, merchants, rich laborers or friars of the Convent of San Antonio.

If we were women in the seventeenth century Dénia we call Catherine, Isabel, Joana, Jerónima, Paula Ursola or Anna and would live under the tutelage of our father, brother, husband or church.

All this information has been compiled by the Municipal Archives of Denia in an exhibition that commemorates the Dénia 1612 400 on the anniversary of the grant of the city. The exhibition, which opened yesterday, will be open until December 2 in the Center d'Art L'Estacio and born with the aim that visitors get in the skin of the seventeenth century dianenses.

Consists of three blocks, this exhibition covers all aspects of society 1612 from power in the city, with explanations of ceremonies like Swath (When the population communicated the funeral of important people), the defense of the city or the important role of the port. In this section, located in the 1 Sala, you are a model of a royal galley by Antonio Simó.

The second room focuses on religiosity and gastronomy, and in it we can see the Moma and Momo costumes from the Corpus Christi festivities which, like the figure of El Drac, have been loaned for the exhibition by Dianium Dansa . Curiosities such as the celebrations of Sant Roc and Sang Santíssima They accompany in this block a painting of Pare Pere made by the painter Gastón Castelló donated to the town hall.

Very interesting is also the approach to the cuisine of the era, in which the lentils were considered harmful and products such as potatoes or tomatoes were not yet commonly consumed in homes.

The last room is devoted to the Ciutat Nova, and she can see the original sample Title Dénia City, as well as a reproduction of the ceremonial costume of the jurors, the Gramalla, Made from the few paintings preserved. In this room the system of election of municipal leaders known as -Els jurats- also recreates Els redolins, In which the names of candidates, written on parchment, wrapped with a ball of wax and deposited in a basin filled with water barber. A child was in charge of choosing the four balls that would determine juries that year.

Figures such as the "saludador" or the "empedrador", the existence of slaves in the city, the hermitages of Dénia, the last names of its inhabitants or the price of food are some of the interesting curiosities offered by this exhibition, unmissable for Any citizen who wants to know Dénia's past.