commemorative plaque to Alonso de Contreras

The commemorative plaque to Alonso de Contreras sits in the very heart of Madrid, on the corner of Plazuela de San Ginés 12, right beside the historic San Ginés church. It honors one of the most colorful soldiers and writers of Spain's Golden Age — a captain whose real life reads like an adventure novel.

Where exactly is the plaque?

The plaque is mounted on the facade of a building in the small corner (rinconada) of San Ginés, in Madrid's Centro district, just a few minutes' walk from Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayor. This is one of the oldest pockets of the city, next to the San Ginés church and the legendary Chocolatería San Ginés, famous for chocolate con churros served here since the 19th century. The plaque was installed in 1991 as part of Madrid's municipal Memoria de Madrid program, which marks building facades linked to figures and events from the city's history.

What does the inscription say?

The text is short and precise: "En esta rinconada de San Ginés el militar y aventurero Frey Alonso de Contreras 'El Capitán Contreras' vivió y fue preso en 1608" — in English, "In this corner of San Ginés the soldier and adventurer Frey Alonso de Contreras, 'Captain Contreras', lived and was imprisoned in 1608." The same address, Plazuela de San Ginés 12, was also where he died in 1641 — this corner of Madrid was the one constant in an otherwise restless life.

Who was Captain Contreras?

Alonso de Contreras was born in Madrid on 6 January 1582 into a very poor family. At just fourteen or fifteen he enlisted in the army under his mother's surname, Contreras. He joined the tercios — Spain's elite infantry units — of Sicily and Naples, rising quickly to the rank of captain. The years that followed took him to Flanders and Italy, and then to Puerto Rico, where he fought English privateers. He also sailed waters contested by the Ottoman Empire, saw combat in Crete, Tunis, and at La Mámora in Morocco. Late in life he became a Knight Hospitaller of the Order of St. John (a Knight of Malta), which explains the title "Frey" on the plaque.

Why did he write his memoirs?

Toward the end of his life, Contreras wrote his autobiography, "Vida, nacimiento, padres y crianza del capitán Alonso de Contreras, natural de Madrid" — reportedly at the urging of his friend, the playwright Lope de Vega. The manuscript went unpublished for centuries and only appeared in print in 1900, in an edition prepared by Manuel Serrano y Sanz. Historical research has confirmed that Contreras's account is scrupulously accurate on military and political details, making it a rare surviving first-person record from a common soldier of the Spanish Habsburg era, rather than a nobleman or officer of high rank. An English translation appeared in 1926, and a later edition, "The Adventures of Captain Alonso De Contreras: A 17th Century Journey," was published by Paragon House in 1989.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the plaque located? On the facade of the building at Plazuela de San Ginés 12, in the Centro district, next to the San Ginés church, a short walk from Puerta del Sol.

When was the plaque installed, and by whom? In 1991, as part of Memoria de Madrid, the city's documentation program that marks building facades connected to significant figures and events in Madrid's history.

Was Captain Contreras a real historical figure or a legend? Fully historical. Researchers have verified the accuracy of his memoirs regarding military and political facts of his time, even though his life of battles, imprisonments, and voyages reads like fiction.

What else is worth seeing nearby? The San Ginés corner is one of Madrid's oldest spots: the San Ginés church, the Pasadizo de San Ginés passage with its secondhand bookshops, and the Chocolatería San Ginés, an ideal stop for traditional chocolate con churros after visiting the plaque.