Boabdil’s Sigh (1492): History vs. Legend

Legend often outpaces history—read the archive, then enjoy the tale.

Sources and Sequence

• 2 January 1492: Boabdil (Muhammad XII) surrenders Granada to the Catholic Monarchs.
• Capitulations: promised rights for Muslims initially; later pressures transformed life for Moriscos.
• The keys and procession: recorded as emblematic gestures of transfer.

The “Sigh of the Moor”

• Place: Puerto del Suspiro del Moro on the road toward the Alpujarras.
• Story: Boabdil looks back and sighs; his mother Aixa rebukes him in later legend.
• Function: a morality tale framed after the fact—identity, memory, and loss.

Where to Stand Today

• Viewpoints along the A‑44 corridor (signed); safer to use designated stops.
• In the city: look from San Nicolás and imagine the procession and banners.

Reading the Moment

• Politics: negotiated end of a long war; elite bargains and common fates diverge.
• Memory: 19th‑century art and literature amplified the pathos of the scene.

Bottom Line

Hold the archive in one hand and the legend in the other—both shape Granada’s story.