The Legend of Sanchicorrota

My name is Pedro Guinea but I am known to many people as Malasombra-the outlaw. For a time I was the slave of Juan II the king of Navarre in the royal palace of Tudela. My job was to taste all the food and drinks for the king. The food like roast game was very good but sometimes it was poisoned by the king’s enemies and I used to get sick and dizzy.

One day the king wanted to eat lentils. I didn’t like lentils. I tried a teaspoon closing my eyes. That very moment I imagined an ugly lentil with a moustache that wanted to kiss me. ‘Pouh’ I shouted spitting it out in the king’s face. The king got angry and said ‘Cut off his head!’.

His soldiers put me in chains.

We joined a caravan with wine, food and jewel carriages and lots of soldiers to protect the booty from the bands of thieves. Many times the thieves would attack the villages around Bardenas.

Suddenly one of the soldiers shouted something and we were in a cloud of dust. When the dust settled the soldiers were gone and instead of them we saw 29 ugly outlaws wearing masks. ‘You are free now’ said the chief of the outlaws breaking the chain with his sword.

I was staring at him. He was red headed like a flame and almost 2 meters tall. He had arms like legs of hams and strange clothes covered with animal skins and a wolf head. Sanchicorrota looked at me and said: ‘You seem to be a valiant man. You could be a good outlaw. Do you want to join us?’

I shrugged my shoulders. I was a slave getting orders all the time. They didn’t let me choose. I didn’t think long and agreed. And so I was converted in one of Sanchicorrota’s 30 outlaws.

Our hideout was in Bardena Blanca, in a cave on the top of a mountain. It was in a hidden place but from there all the desert could be seen. The cave was like a castle dug in the rock.

The outlaws were poor people who didn’t want to starve or put up with things that weren’t right. They were peasants who had to give their crop to the king without getting anything instead or soldiers fed up to fight in wars that they didn’t understand.

So for us the real king was the king of Bardenas, Sanchicorrota.

Sanchicorrota told me that his real name was Sancho, that being called Sanchico-little Sancho- was a joke because he was very big. He also told me that Rota comes from ‘errota’ which means mill in the Basque language. His family had a mill in Cascante and they had to give nearly all the flour to the king. One day he got angry and he couldn’t take it any longer. The king threw his parents in the dungeon so he decided to be an outlaw and fight for justice.

We would attack the caravans of the rich…

and share the booty with the peasants and the inhabitants from the villages around Bardenas.

They received us like kings celebrating and dancing in our honour.

I would always go with Sanchicorrota and as I’ve got dark skin they called me `Shadow’. But the soldiers who wanted to catch me called me the `Bad Shadow’.

Sanchicorrota was very clever. When the soldiers put posters saying `Sanchicorrota wanted. Reward 200 gold florines’ he would change them with other posters with the king’s face and a reward of 400 gold florines.

The soldiers were tracking us but they were always lost because Sanchicorrota had a trick. He would inverse the horseshoes so the marks would go in the opposite direction. He would laugh and say `They are not going to catch us ever’.

Unfortunately one day, when we had a fiesta…

I saw Sanchicorrot

a!!!

a traitor let the soldiers know and quickly more than 100 men on horses started chasing us.

We tried to escape but more and more soldiers turned up surrounding and attacking us until they thought we were all dead.

I managed to escape by pretending to be dead. But out of the corner of my eye I could see Sanchicorrota running away and climbing the mountain.

When he was at the top he yelled ‘You’ll never catch me alive!’. And he killed himself…

The king’s soldiers were relieved that Sanchicorrota had died. Meanwhile I went to our cave and wept for hours together with the peasants of Bardenas whose laments were carried by the wind.

For a time I was sad and stayed hidden but finally one day I made up my mind and said that I didn’t want to be a slave again. I disguised and went back to Bardenas. I recruited 30 new outlaws.

Together we decided to fight in Sanchicorrota’s honour defending all the humble men and women who wanted to be free.

The End

Special thanks to Reinaldo Carrascosa Vallejo, workmate and official school photographer, for allowing us to use his wonderful

pictures.

Akanni , Elías

Benguerar Zouine, Hajar

Borja Vazquez, Abraham

Calin Branzei, Adrián

Casajus Burgui, Yeray

Casares Ancil, Natalia

Cordero Gómez, Paula

Curaca Obando, Emmanuel JhosepDévora Ilundáin, Artius

González Muez, Asier

Goñi Ruiz, Maite

Martín López, Izan

Mcdonald Adindu Malo, Jorge ChidiMuñoz Redín, Diego

Osman Sanchez, Ammar Ali

Peña Oliván, Marcos

Pérez Goñi, Celia

Piñeiro Ballester, Andrea

Redecilla Sucino, Ana María

Rifai , Mounir

Rios Linares, Naiara-Ainhoa

Sanz Erro, Saioa

Valeri Garov, Miguel

A presentation made by classes 3A, 3B and 3C , Cardenal Ilundáin

School.

Abendaño Biurrun, Markel

Ahmedov Palov, Amet

Ansa Malo, Ane

Arbeloa Juániz, Naiara

Bernad Martínez, Jon

Blanco Gómez, Alex

Cairns Martinez, Elizabeth

Campo Mera, Nerea

Fernández Piera, Leyre

García Villar, Javier

Jaso Toni, Iris

Jiménez Jiménez, Angel

Luri López, Unai

Marcos Barrenetxea, Alain

Moreno Martín, Josu

Muñoz Vazquez, Sara

Peña Oliván, Pablo

Ramos Pesantes, José JavierSainz Bernal, Izan

Santaren Ozaeta, Asier

Todorova Hristova, Mikaela

Vivanco Granda, Kristine AngelineYerro Aizpeurrutia, Oihan

Zambrano Cedeño, Emersson

Aranguren Antomas, Irati

Arroyo Lanz, David

Azqueta Urbiola, Ibai

Baigorri Hincapié, Iosu

Buenaño Sofrone, Jonathan OswaldoCiro Rojas, Daniela

Clemente Santos, Iker

De Miguel Goñi, Aroa

Garrués Rived, Sofía

Gordoa Ladrón, Oscar

Guzmán Alegre, Erik Mikel

Hernández Fernández, Nerea

Martínez Aguirre, Anne

Mera Hernández, JeancarloMorales Nagore, Yerai

Moreno Area, Olaia

Pérez Egea, Unai

Perez Vargas, Maria FernandaRouidjali , Meriem

Ruiz Rodríguez, César

Sánchez Rubio, Adrián

Vergara García, Xabier

Villamar Jiménez, Senaida