Valladolid , city (1990 pop. 333,680), capital of Valladolid prov., N central Spain, in Castile-León, at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers and on the Canal de Castilla. A communications and manufacturing center, Valladolid is also an important grain market. The city has played an important role in Spanish history. Of obscure origin (its name is derived from the Arabic), it was conquered by the Christians from the Moors in the 10th cent., rose to prominence in the 12th and 13th cent., and largely replaced Toledo as the chief residence of the kings of Castile in the 15th cent.... Read more