Paseo del Marqués de Zafra
The avenue is named after the Marquessate of Zafra, a title created by Philip V in 1703 for Lucas Jerónimo Yáñez de Barnuevo, a Soria noble of the Twelve Lineages. Following the pattern of the eastern Ensanche, some holder is presumed to have owned the land, though no source identifies the specific marquis or records the naming date.
The title of Marquis of Zafra came into being at the hand of Philip V, who created it by Royal Decree on 12 January 1703. Its first holder was Lucas Jerónimo Yáñez de Barnuevo, a Soria man, knight of the Order of Alcántara and member of the Twelve Lineages of his city.
The avenue crosses Fuente del Berro, a corner that grew outside the 1860 Castro Plan. There, beyond the planned grid, many streets ended up carrying the surnames of those who owned the plots. That custom probably explains the marquis’s name, though here it meets a puzzle: no source confirms him as owner of those grounds.
What is documented is the name’s age. The Colonia Iturbe 2, designed in 1926, cited the Paseo del Marqués de Zafra as the development’s boundary, proof it was already in use. And at number 16, the Amador de los Ríos school opened its doors on 14 April 1933, with the avenue’s name already fully settled.