The first pilgrimage

Its hard to really determine when St James was canonized. I would think that reappearing a couple of times in the heat of battle to turn the tide towards the " good" should do it.  But it actually happened by popular acclaim after his death in the year 44. And not to jump back and forth but the name Santiago was shouted as a battle cry by  Spaniards going into battle from then on.  Obviously not to be confused with, "Rember the Maine and to Hell with Spain" that was shouted during the Spanish-American wars.   Further studies indicate that the first pilgrimage to Santiago and the tomb of St James was in 950 by a Bishop Gotescalco.  By 1072 Alfonso VI recognize the importance of this treck and abolished all tolls for pilgrims traveling into Galicia.  By the 12th and 14th century the Santiago de Compostela grew so much in importance that at times it even was more popular then the Pilgrim routes to Jerusalem and Rome.

So......obviously I have left out volumes of information and I do mean volumes but I am running out of time and in order for me to tell you how and why I got involved/enthused as to the same I need to jump ahead in time, way ahead.  Just know that pilgrimages to Santiago never stopped from the first time in the year 950 until present. Not even during WW1 and W11 was  the trail totally vacant with 180K pilgrims at least making some effort to complete the same in 2012.......to be continued.