Editing Astorga, Spain (section)

=== Modern Age ===
[[File:AyuntamientoAstorga.jpg|thumb|240px|Town hall of Astorga.]]In 1528 [[Hernán Cortés]] brought Mexican [[Cacao bean]] to Spain. In the museum of [[chocolate]] in Astorga, 16th-century hot chocolate mugs are displayed. One sees Astorga chocolate all over the region. The Marquisate of Astorga, the Diocese and the Maragato muleteers made Astorga a pioneer in the elaboration of chocolate from the 17th century. In 1914 there were 49 chocolate manufacturers in town.

In 1747 Antonio Martín's book contains the recipe [[Mantecadas]] de Astorga (a mantecada is a muffin-sized cake similar to [[pound cake]] French madeleine cakes). The European Union designated them an historically and geographically significant part of Spanish [[cuisine]]. References indicating that the recipe originated with a nun from the [[Holy Spirit Convent]] in Astorga, who later left the convent and popularized the product. In the [[Official Journal of the European Union]] UNE-EN 45011 Regulatory Board, through the Certification Committee, established standards for Mantecadas de Astorga. Astorga's Chamber of Commerce reports the amount of mantecadas de Astorga carried by the Spanish railways in 1930 (the Spanish Northern and Western railway company) was 208 tons. A high percentage of the product is sold to tourists along with the well known Hojaldres de Astorga ([[puff pastry]] of Astorga).

During the [[Peninsular War]], Astorga was besieged by the French Napoleonic troops. Astorga was the farthest town in the Iberian Peninsula in which the Emperor [[Napoleon]] resided. The Siege of Astorga in 21 March – 22 April 1810 was an attempt by French forces to capture Astorga, Spain, in a campaign of the Peninsular War. Astorga was located on the flank of the French invasion of Spain and Portugal, and was meant to be used as a headquarters during the campaign.

Because of its location, Astorga was a place for [[pilgrim]]s to rest and get ready to climb the mountains in the west or to rejuvenate after climbing east. Astorga had 21 hospices. Today, there is the [[Hospital de las Hermana de la Caridad]] which is a medical facility in front of the cathedral that was built after the destruction of the 12th-century hospital that was consequently destroyed in 1756.

Camino de Santiago ("St. James's Way") is a {{convert|485|mi|km|order=flip|abbr=on}} pilgrimage to the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela where the remains of the apostle Saint James are buried. This has been the third-largest pilgrimage in Christianity for more than 1,000 years, and it comprises a stop in Astorga. The movie [[The Way (2010 film)|''The Way'']] is an inspirational film of 2010 starring [[Martin Sheen]] and [[Emilio Estevez]] walking the [[Camino de Santiago]].

During the second half of the 19th century, Astorga enjoyed the arrival of the railway and development of the current city, which expands outside its Roman walls. Astorga is again the nexus of a significant network of road connections, and it recovered the social and economical vibrancy, which has tourism as one of its main focal points.