Castrillo Mota de Judíos is a municipality located in the province of Burgos, Castile and León, Spain. The 2004 census (INE) indicated the municipality had a population of 71 inhabitants.

Geography

The town is located on a plain area, near the river Odra, 51 km west of Burgos and 54 km northeast of Palencia. It is crossed by the roads BU-400 and BU-403.

History

Name

The town was originally named Castrillo Motajudíos ("Jew hill camp") in 1035 when Jews fleeing from a nearby pogrom settled there; it was changed to Castrillo Matajudíos ("Jew-killer camp") in 1627 during a period of religious persecution of non-Christians in Spain (the Jews had been expelled from Spain in 1492 during the Spanish Inquisition). In June 2015 the name was changed back to Castrillo Mota de Judíos following a campaign led by mayor Lorenzo Rodríguez leading to a vote among the villagers in May 2014. There have been several anti-Jewish incidents since the name change. In 2022, the town inaugurated a Sephardic Jewish memorial center to pay tribute to its history of Sephardic Jewry.

Personalities

Twin towns

Castrillo Mota de Judíos is twinned with: