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REST AREA FOR PILGRIMS "FOUNTAIN OF MOJAPÁN"
Famous fountain located on the ascent to the Montes de Oca, on the French Way as it passes through the Castilian-Leonese province of Burgos, 526 km (327 miles) from Santiago. Mojapán, which appears about 2 km after Villafranca de Montes de Oca , where the ascent to these solitary places begins, was once one of the most famous fountains on the French Way . It owes its unique and pleasant name, according to the traditions of the area, to the fact that pilgrims took advantage of its surroundings to rest after the ascent and regain their strength by drinking and eating the hardened crusts of bread from their bags, which they softened by dipping them in the fresh water of the fountain .
The custom, although true, also has its share of legend . In the area, they say that a group of pilgrims stayed overnight in Villafranca de Montes de Oca . They carried with them a shared bag with dried bread crumbs as their only food. In the morning, however, they discovered that the bag and one of their members were missing. They went out to look for him and found him in the Mojapán fountain . He was exhausted and choking on the large ball of bread that had formed in his mouth when he tried to eat the stolen bread crumbs. It happened that he had tried to soften them in the fountain but it had suddenly dried up. He crushed a part of the bread and ate the small crumbs that resulted until it formed a ball in his mouth that suffocated him. Instead of giving him a beating, as they thought, his companions decided, in honor of the Apostle, to help him. At that very moment the fountain began to flow again.
Mojapán has lost its former vigour, but it remains a stopping place for pilgrims, both for its tradition and because there is a recreational area in the area that temporarily relieves the body before continuing the hard and changing climb. The fountain was chosen in 10th place in a survey of significant works and places on the Camino carried out in 2009 by the magazine Peregrino .
Famous fountain located on the ascent to the Montes de Oca, on the French Way as it passes through the Castilian-Leonese province of Burgos, 526 km (327 miles) from Santiago. Mojapán, which appears about 2 km after Villafranca de Montes de Oca , where the ascent to these solitary places begins, was once one of the most famous fountains on the French Way . It owes its unique and pleasant name, according to the traditions of the area, to the fact that pilgrims took advantage of its surroundings to rest after the ascent and regain their strength by drinking and eating the hardened crusts of bread from their bags, which they softened by dipping them in the fresh water of the fountain .
The custom, although true, also has its share of legend . In the area, they say that a group of pilgrims stayed overnight in Villafranca de Montes de Oca . They carried with them a shared bag with dried bread crumbs as their only food. In the morning, however, they discovered that the bag and one of their members were missing. They went out to look for him and found him in the Mojapán fountain . He was exhausted and choking on the large ball of bread that had formed in his mouth when he tried to eat the stolen bread crumbs. It happened that he had tried to soften them in the fountain but it had suddenly dried up. He crushed a part of the bread and ate the small crumbs that resulted until it formed a ball in his mouth that suffocated him. Instead of giving him a beating, as they thought, his companions decided, in honor of the Apostle, to help him. At that very moment the fountain began to flow again.
Mojapán has lost its former vigour, but it remains a stopping place for pilgrims, both for its tradition and because there is a recreational area in the area that temporarily relieves the body before continuing the hard and changing climb. The fountain was chosen in 10th place in a survey of significant works and places on the Camino carried out in 2009 by the magazine Peregrino .