The Rincón de los Fueros was created to restore the memory of Francisco de Ayerbe, Tomás Pérez de Rueda and Dionisio Pérez de San Juan, three men from Tauste executed in Zaragoza in 1592 for defending the Fueros—the traditional laws and liberties—of the Kingdom of Aragon during the Alterations of Aragon.
Promoted by the El Patiaz Cultural Association in collaboration with Tauste Town Council, this memorial site—comprising a stone monument, a ceramic plaque and an interpretive panel—invites visitors to discover one of the most significant yet least-known episodes in the history of our town.
The inauguration will take place on 21 September 2026 during Tauste’s patron saint festivities. The institutional ceremony will bring together public authorities, residents and visitors to pay tribute to the three men from Tauste executed for defending Aragonese law.
A tribute to three defenders of the Fueros and liberties of Aragon
The Rincón de los Fueros is Tauste’s public tribute to Francisco de Ayerbe, Tomás Pérez de Rueda and Dionisio Pérez de San Juan. Their involvement in the Alterations of Aragon and their defence of Aragon’s legal and constitutional traditions led them to the scaffold in October 1592.
However, for more than four centuries, their story remained almost entirely forgotten. This memorial restores their memory to Tauste’s historical heritage and commemorates events that form part of the history of Aragon and the defence of its Fueros.
More than a monument, the Rincón de los Fueros is a place of remembrance and historical interpretation. It invites visitors to explore the world in which these three men lived and to understand the importance of the Fueros and Aragon’s own institutions in shaping the Kingdom of Aragon.
The three men from Tauste commemorated by the Rincón de los Fueros
Francisco de Ayerbe, Tomás Pérez de Rueda and Dionisio Pérez de San Juan were three infanzones—members of the lower Aragonese nobility—from Tauste whose names became linked to one of the most momentous episodes in the early modern history of Aragon: the events known as the Alterations of Aragon.
Following these events, the Crown’s repression of those defending the existing constitutional order affected many Aragonese people regarded as supporters of resistance in defence of the Fueros. Among them were these three residents of Tauste.
After being tried and sentenced to death, Francisco de Ayerbe and Dionisio Pérez de San Juan were executed by having their throats cut in Zaragoza’s Market Square on 19 October 1592. The following day, 20 October, Tomás Pérez de Rueda, who had been tried by the Inquisition, was executed.
As a result, their executions left a profound mark on the history of Tauste. Over time, however, their names faded into obscurity. Today, the Rincón de los Fueros restores them to Tauste’s historical memory as protagonists in an episode that extends beyond the local sphere and forms part of the history of Aragon.
Historical context: the Alterations of Aragon
The Alterations of Aragon were among the most consequential events in the history of the former Kingdom of Aragon.
Philip II came into conflict with the institutions of Aragon, which defended the Fueros and the role of the Justicia Mayor. The confrontation culminated in the invasion by the Castilian royal army and the execution of Juan de Lanuza V on 20 December 1591.
In the aftermath, the repression affected many Aragonese people, including Francisco de Ayerbe, Tomás Pérez de Rueda and Dionisio Pérez de San Juan on 19 and 20 October 1592. Their convictions and executions in Zaragoza constitute one of the most dramatic episodes in Tauste’s history and remain essential to understanding the history of Aragon and the meaning of its Fueros.
The Rincón de los Fueros project
Recent research by Tauste historian and former El Patiaz president Francisco Castillo Sola has made it possible to reconstruct this episode accurately through documents preserved in several historical archives. His work provides new evidence about events that remained almost entirely forgotten for more than four centuries.
Building on this research, the Rincón de los Fueros is an initiative of the El Patiaz Cultural Association, developed in collaboration with Tauste Town Council, to restore their memory and raise awareness of this episode in local history. It commemorates the three men and helps preserve their memory as part of the history of Tauste and the former Kingdom of Aragon.
In addition, the project allows El Patiaz to continue researching, preserving and sharing Tauste’s historical heritage through publications, historical conferences, exhibitions and other cultural initiatives.
The Rincón de los Fueros memorial: a place of remembrance
The ensemble—consisting of a stone monument, a ceramic plaque and an interpretive panel—explains the meaning of the tribute and places visitors within its historical context. Designed as a unified whole, these three elements combine a tribute to Francisco de Ayerbe, Tomás Pérez de Rueda and Dionisio Pérez de San Juan with an account of the events of 1592, providing an overall view of the historical background and the meaning of the site.
For this reason, the site is more than a monument. It invites visitors to understand the Fueros and the institutions of the former Kingdom of Aragon.
Inauguration of the Rincón de los Fueros on 21 September 2026
The Rincón de los Fueros will be inaugurated on 21 September 2026 during Tauste’s patron saint festivities. Residents, visitors and institutional representatives will come together on a particularly significant day for the town.
This ceremony will be attended by the Justicia of Aragon Concepción Gimeno Gracia, the holder of Aragon’s highest institution for safeguarding its Fueros and historic rights, together with other invited authorities and organisations. Their presence underlines the institutional importance of a project that extends beyond the local sphere.
Conceived as a tribute to Francisco de Ayerbe, Tomás Pérez de Rueda and Dionisio Pérez de San Juan, the ceremony will feature the Dance of Tauste, the Tauste Municipal Band and the Virgen de Sancho Abarca Choir, who will perform the Anthem of Aragon to close the ceremony.
Programme of the ceremony
The inauguration of the Rincón de los Fueros will take place on 21 September 2026 with the following programme:
- Reception of authorities and invited guests.
- Arrival of the procession at Plaza del Dance from the Church of Santa María, following the procession of the Virgin of Sancho Abarca.
- Official welcome.
- Unveiling of the memorial ensemble and the plaque identifying the Rincón de los Fueros.
- Addresses by public authorities.
- Performance by the Dance of Tauste.
- Performance of the Anthem of Aragon by the Tauste Municipal Band and the Virgen de Sancho Abarca Choir.
- Closing of the ceremony.
Minor organisational changes may be made before the event.
A project promoted by
El Patiaz Cultural Association
Tauste Town Council
With the institutional support of the Justicia of Aragon
This project is supported by Tauste Town Council and the Institution of the Justicia of Aragon, both in promoting research and public awareness of this episode in Tauste’s history and in funding initiatives for its recovery, including the memorial ensemble and the publication of the historical research.
You can explore more of Tauste’s history and heritage in our English articles