The Silk of Granada: Spain's Lost Luxury Industry

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the forgotten story of Granada's silk industry — a luxury trade that once rivaled Chinese silk and fueled the economy of Nasrid and early modern Spain. They trace the journey from the mulberry groves of the Alpujarras mountains to the bustling silk markets of the Albaicín, and examine how the industry flourished under Muslim rule, then adapted under Christian dominance after the Reconquista. The conversation covers the role of Morisco laborers in sericulture, the establishment of the Real Fábrica de Sedas in the 18th century, and the devastating impact of the Morisco expulsion of 1609, which dealt a blow from which Spanish silk never recovered. Lucas explains the technical process of silk production — from silkworm rearing to reeling and weaving — and reveals how Granada's silks were prized across Europe and the Americas. The episode also touches on the decline of the industry in the face of competition from France and Italy, and the eventual collapse due to industrialization. It's a microhistory of economic policy, cultural exchange, and the fragile threads that connect a region's identity to its craft. #GranadaSilk #Morisco #Nasrid #Alpujarras #RealFabricaDeSedas #Sericulture #Albaicin #LuxuryTrade #SpanishHistory #EarlyModernSpain #MoriscoExpulsion #SilkRoad #CarreraDeIndias #MulberryGroves #Mudejar #Crafts #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo