CUENCA, capital of the Spanish province described above; I 25m. by rail E. by S. of Madrid. Pop. The pic turesque old town of Cuenca rises like a pyramid up a rugged height, crowned with a castle, which is separated from the sur rounding Serrania de Cuenca by the deep gorges of the Jficar and Huecar rivers which unite at its foot. An iron bridge, built in 1906, replaces a 15th century structure across the Huecar gorge to the convent of San Pablo. The modern well-built quarter, with factories and the terminus of the Aranjuez railway, occupies flat ter land below the Huecar. Cuenca, a Moorish fortress, was captured by Alphonso VIII. of Castile in 1177. Shortly after wards created an episcopal see, it became famous for its learning and industries, especially of wool and silver. Many of its con vents and churches and the Gothic cathedral, celebrated for its sculpturing and for its beautifully carved 16th century wooden doorway, date from this period of prosperity. Its decline, begun in the 1 7th century, was hastened by its partial destruction by Napoleonic troops, and later by Carlist rebels in 1874. Its chief trade is now in timber from the pine forests; its industries are furniture, pottery, paper and leather manufacturing.