Keep of Trujillo (Torreón de Trujillo) is the name of a giant armored commander of the Gibraltar region and of the castle he holds, a garrisoned stronghold that lodges travelers on the road.
| Type | Character / place |
| Region | Gibraltar |
| Spanish entry | Torreón de Trujillo |
The man
“A very large man. 2 meters 10 tall. With a white beard. Short hair.” He wears “blue, black and silver armor” and goes “with a black bull en el peso”, a phrase kept as recorded. In the region he is known by sight: “those who know him [call him] Torreón de Trujillo”. He is a companion of the gesta (campaign-cycle), with his own garrison and a say in the affairs of the stronghold.
He can silence a guard, but only at close quarters: “it has to be when he is next to you… He has to silence him.” How he does it is not recorded.
The stronghold
The place is called both tower (torreón) and castle. The approach climbs through “a number of gates, the stables and the buildings” up to a reception hall with the main tower and “the hall of Torreón de Trujillo”, with “a number of chairs that will often be left empty”.
It serves as a stop on the road: travelers are invited to stay a night and rest, with a banquet. No payment is recorded. The garrison is his, and the castle is called “ours”.
The victory banner
In victory he raises “a green banner with a moon”. It is linked to “In Africa”, without it being clear whether this names where it was raised, where the cloth came from, or a slip of the speaker.
In one episode he is mentioned “near another ship”, with figures who “are scrubbing” (se van fregando); the passage is obscure.
Open questions
- Whether the man is named after the castle or the castle after the man is unresolved; whether “Trujillo” is a lineage, place of origin or title is unknown. No other Torreones are recorded.
- His precise location within the Gibraltar region is not fixed.
- The size of the garrison, and why the chairs stand empty, are not recorded.
- The meaning of the black bull en el peso is unknown.