1869
Cajal in Zaragoza
Cajal settled in Zaragoza. In October, he began his pre-medical studies at the University of this city. He took a job as an apprentice in the home of Mariano Bailo, a surgeon and friend of his father’s, in the Arrabal neighbourhood.
SANTIAGO RAMÓN Y CAJAL'S ZARAGOZA
Zaragoza left a profound impression on Cajal, as the great city it was. In 1869, it had a population of almost 80,000. A railway line had just opened, connecting it to Madrid and Barcelona. The previous year, a major regional exhibition had been held, and the city was in the midst of urban renewal. It is in Zaragoza where he spent his youth and early adulthood, studying and working as a teacher. It was here where he also met his wife Silveria, got married and had his first children. In his memoirs, he recalled how he had been amazed by the mighty Ebro River and his walks through the Torrero hills.
THE RAMÓN Y CAJAL FAMILY IN ZARAGOZA
The Ramón y Cajal family settled in Zaragoza in 1870. His father, Justo Ramón, was then appointed as a physician at the Hospital Provincial and as an interim professor of Anatomy. His parents lived here until their deaths, as did his sisters, Jorja and Pabla and his brother Pedro. Following a turbulent youth, Pedro also studied medicine. He went on to become a professor at the University of Zaragoza from 1899 until his retirement in 1924, and was a distinguished researcher who collaborated closely with Santiago. He was also a full member of the Royal Academy of Medicine of Zaragoza.
Medicine did not dominate Cajal’s interests during his university years, as he had always been a young man with a wide range of curiosities. A gymnastics enthusiast since his teenage years, Santiago became a true athlete at the age of 18 in Zaragoza. The reason lies in his desire for revenge against a college classmate, José Moriones, who defeated him in an arm-wrestling match without breaking a sweat. With his pride wounded and eager to face his colleague again, Cajal went to see the owner of the Poblador gym in Plaza del Pilar. Since he didn’t have the money to pay the trainer, he struck a deal with him to exchange lessons in muscle physiology for lessons in physical training. Driven by an unexpected strength of will, he soon became the gym’s strongest champion.
Santiago Ramón y Cajal in an athletic pose, c. 1870. Cajal-CSIC Legacy
I didn’t exactly look like Adonis. Broad-shouldered, with massive pecs, my chest circumference was over 112 centimetres. As I walked, I displayed that characteristic lack of grace and rhythmic sway typical of a carnival Hercules.
Sobrarbe Street
When he arrived in Zaragoza in 1869 to begin his pre-medical studies, and before his family moved there, he lived for a time on this street in the Arrabal neighbourhood.
13 Méndez Núñez Street
This is where he lived with his family when they settled permanently in Zaragoza in 1870.
28 San Jorge Street
The next family home, where he also set up his anatomy school.
Ramón y Cajal Street (formerly Hospital Street)
He studied medicine at the Hospital de Nuestra Señora de Gracia. He lived on that same street from the time he got married until 1884.
La Magdalena
Some of the courses in the medical programme were taught at the Universidad Literaria (the historical name of the University of Zaragoza), located in Plaza de la Magdalena.
Iglesia de San Pablo
This is where he married Silveria Fañanás García on July 19, 1879.
Santiago Ramón y Cajal, The Pilar of Zaragoza as seen from the Stone Bridge, 1908. Cajal-CSIC Legacy
Zaragoza is something deeply personal to me, something I carry deep in my heart and soul and it resonates in my character and in everything I do.