Fundación Aguilar y Eslava

The Fundación Aguilar y Eslava is a private educational foundation based in Cabra, in the province of Córdoba, Spain. It was established to carry out the wishes set out in the 1679 will of its founder, Luis de Aguilar y Eslava, who wanted to improve education for the young people of the town. The foundation is governed by a Patronato (board of trustees) chaired by Salvador Guzmán Moral, and its board includes representatives of various local institutions. It was declared a private charitable teaching foundation by Royal Order of 19 November 1917, and is registered with the education authorities of the Regional Government of Andalusia. The foundation's historic seat is the former Real Colegio de la Purísima Concepción de Cabra, a building more than 300 years old that the foundation has owned since its purchase in 1689. The foundation shares these premises with the IES Aguilar y Eslava, a public secondary school dependent on the Regional Government of Andalusia. Its current foundational purposes are to benefit the educational community in general, and it is a founding member of the national association for the defence of the heritage of historic secondary schools. The foundation is the owner of significant heritage assets. These include the Museo Aguilar y Eslava, inaugurated in 2007, which displays the historical, artistic and scientific collections accumulated over centuries; the historic building and its archive; the Centro de Estudios y Documentación "Manuel Vargas y Alcalde", opened in 2018, which houses the historic archive and library with documents from the 16th to 20th centuries and books from the 16th to 19th centuries; and land in the Campo Chico area. It also owns the local media brand La Opinión de Cabra, founded in 1912 and donated to the foundation in 2002. In February 2019 the foundation received the Medalla de Andalucía in recognition of its work. It continues to run cultural and educational activities, including temporary exhibitions, and maintains the Museo Aguilar y Eslava and the Museo de la Pasión. Its website documents its history, archive, library and current events, including the solemn opening of the 2026-2027 academic year at the IES Aguilar y Eslava.

The Fundación Aguilar y Eslava traces its origins to the will of Luis de Aguilar y Eslava, dated 1679, in which he set out his wish to contribute to improving the education of young people in Cabra. The foundation's historic seat, the former Real Colegio de la Purísima Concepción de Cabra, was acquired by the foundation in 1689; the original purchase deeds are preserved in its historical archive. The building, more than 300 years old, remains the foundation's property and is shared with the public secondary school IES Aguilar y Eslava. In the early 20th century, the foundation was declared a private charitable teaching foundation by Royal Order of 19 November 1917 (published in the Gaceta de Madrid of 12 December 1917, no. 546). It is registered in the Registry of the Service of Resources and Foundations of the Department of Education and Science of the Regional Government of Andalusia. The old Real Colegio closed in the 1970s, and part of its former premises were later adapted to house the foundation's heritage collections. A major milestone came with the creation of the Museo Aguilar y Eslava. The museum was included in the Register of Museums of Andalusia in 2002, and it was inaugurated in 2007. It occupies rooms in the historic building and displays the historical, artistic and scientific collections accumulated over centuries. In April 2013, the Boletín Oficial de la Junta de Andalucía published the definitive inscription of the Museo Aguilar y Eslava, granting it official recognition. In 2018 the foundation opened the Centro de Estudios y Documentación "Manuel Vargas y Alcalde", which houses the historic archive and library. The archive preserves documents from the 16th to the 20th centuries, and the historic library holds books published between the 16th and 19th centuries. Information about these collections is available through the Censo Guía de los Archivos de España (PARES) of the Ministry of Culture and the Red de Centros de Documentación y Bibliotecas Especializadas de Andalucía (Red IDEA). The foundation also owns the media brand La Opinión de Cabra, a local newspaper founded in 1912 and considered the dean of the local press. The masthead was donated to the foundation in 2002 by Manuel Mora Mazorriaga, a former president of the foundation. La Opinión de Cabra publishes a periodic magazine and a daily digital news service, as well as La Opinión Cofrade, dedicated to religious and brotherhood information. In February 2019, the foundation received the Medalla de Andalucía in recognition of its trajectory. It is a founding member of the national association for the defence of the heritage of historic secondary schools, with its president acting as secretary of that association. The foundation continues to manage its museum, archive, library and cultural activities, and remains closely linked to the educational life of Cabra through its historic building and the IES Aguilar y Eslava.

• 2019

  Receives the Medalla de Andalucía in February.

• 2018

  Opening of the Centro de Estudios y Documentación "Manuel Vargas y Alcalde".

• 2013

  Definitive inscription of the Museo Aguilar y Eslava published in the BOJA.

• 2007

  The Museo Aguilar y Eslava is inaugurated.

• 2002

  The Museo Aguilar y Eslava is included in the Register of Museums of Andalusia; La Opinión de Cabra masthead is donated to the foundation.

• 1917

  Declared a private charitable teaching foundation by Royal Order of 19 November 1917.

• 1689

  The foundation acquires the building of the former Real Colegio de la Purísima Concepción de Cabra.

• 1679

  Luis de Aguilar y Eslava sets out his educational wishes in his will.

A historic private educational foundation preserving and promoting the educational, cultural and documentary heritage of Cabra.

• Museo Aguilar y Eslava

  Museum inaugurated in 2007 displaying the foundation's historical, artistic and scientific collections.

• IES Aguilar y Eslava

  Public secondary school dependent on the Regional Government of Andalusia, sharing the historic building with the foundation.

• Centro de Estudios y Documentación "Manuel Vargas y Alcalde"

  Opened in 2018, housing the historic archive and library with documents from the 16th to 20th centuries and books from the 16th to 19th centuries.

• La Opinión de Cabra

  Local media brand founded in 1912, donated to the foundation in 2002; publishes a magazine and daily digital news.

1. 1Museo Aguilar y Eslava | Cabra (Córdoba)aguilaryeslava.org
2. 2Fundación Aguilar y Eslava - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Fundación Aguilar y Eslava - Wikipedia, la enciclopedia librees.wikipedia.org