Callejón de Preciados

Sol

The alley takes its name from the main street it crosses, whose name comes from the surname of two brothers, the Preciados, who in the late 15th century bought plots from the Monastery of San Martín and set up the town’s royal weighing station there, serving as official inspectors of weights and measures known for their honesty.

This alley’s name came second-hand. It links Calle de Preciados with Calle de Maestro Victoria, in the Sol district, and inherited from its neighbour the surname that has named the great adjoining shopping street since the 15th century: that of two brothers called Preciado. The brothers held the leased post of market inspector (almotacén) for the town, keeping watch over the stalls. Anyone using rigged scales paid a fine of twelve maravedíes; anyone cheating on salt received fifty lashes. Their reputation for severity took such hold that Madrileños ended up naming after them the very avenue they policed. The alley itself was long called Callejón del Codo (“the elbow”), for its crooked, medieval layout. The image of the bent elbow was used for several Madrid streets that turned at right angles.

Its names

  • Calle del Codo de los Preciados / Callejón del Codo17th-19th centuries
  • Callejón de Preciados19th-20th century hasta la actualidad
Sources (9)

Crossings