200px|right|Vallecas' coat of arms

thumb|right|160px|Panorama of Vallecas from Cerro del Tío Pío (at sunset).

thumb|140px|Facade of the church of saint Peter ad vincula (in chains) – Vallecas, Madrid.

Vallecas was a municipality of Spain that disappeared as such in 1950, when its annexation to the municipality of Madrid took place. Nowadays, the territory is shared between two districts: Puente de Vallecas (population 240,917) and Villa de Vallecas (population 65,162).

Overview

Vallecas is known for its working-class inhabitants who have given it the local names Vallekas or Valle del Kas. Many initiatives that take place in the district show this countercultural attitude by replacing the letter c with k, examples of these are the local radio station Radio Vallekas, the local television channel Tele K, the music festival Vallekas Rock, etc.

The local pride coalesces around the Rayo Vallecano football team.

Professional footballer Álvaro Negredo is from the area, as are lightweight boxer Poli Díaz, nicknamed The Colt of Vallecas and Atlético Madrid and Spain national team midfielder Koke.

Notable people

  • Silvia Agüero (born 1985), Spanish Roma feminist writer and human rights activist
  • Poli Díaz
  • Koke
  • Álvaro Negredo
  • Vicky López Spanish professional footballer

See also

  • Rayo Vallecano
  • Puente de Vallecas
  • Villa de Vallecas

References

  • Vallecas Todo Cultura
  • paudevallecas.org (website of a neighborhood-organisation in the new housing area in the district of Vallecas Villa, with web-forum, in Spanish)