An alley is a very narrow path that develops between buildings or elevations. The concept can be used as a synonym for calleja.
For example: “I recommend you not to walk down this alley at night: it is very dark”, “The Ecuadorian artist will perform tomorrow at the alley theater”, “The museum is at the end of the alley”.
According to DigoPaul, the alleys arose a long time ago. In medieval times, they were frequent in European cities and even constituted a kind of network to circulate through the center of towns. The alleys were also indispensable in the Arab neighborhoods known as medinas. During the colonial period, many American urbanizations resorted to the alleys to make possible the transfers.
The medinas were neighborhoods that were in the nucleus of certain Arab cities, and there the Alcaicería, the Madrasa, the Mosque and the souk were located, among other buildings of great importance. The UNESCO recognized as World Heritage medina of Fez, the principal Moroccan Islam.
The presence of alleys in the central areas of certain European cities gives them a very particular mysticism, since it allows pedestrians to momentarily move away from the rigidity of modern avenues to move along less regular, less predictable paths. Of course, if we do not know the city, entering these networks of alleys can make us lose ourselves, something that can be as fun and exciting as it is counterproductive, depending on the situation and the character of each one.
The narrowness of the alleys protects passers-by from the action of the wind and helps to minimize the sensation of heat on days of high temperature. In any case, urban development and the growth of the automobile fleet mean that alleys are less and less frequent today, although many are still preserved due to their historical or cultural relevance.
Depending on the region, the idea of an alley may refer to a street that has no exit; to a short street, although not always narrow; to a rural road that forms between the rows of crops; or even to certain constructions.
The expression “dead end”, on the other hand, refers to a matter whose resolution is impossible or, at least, very complex: “I am in a dead end: tomorrow I have to repay the loan and I have no money”, ” The words of the club president left the coach in a dead end “.
This expression can be understood as a synonym for “between a rock and a hard place” depending on the context, since both lead us to think about a decisive situation, from which it is not possible to get out easily and which requires whoever must live it. of a decision of great importance and very committed. In fact, in both cases there is an exit, although the first expression tries to denote the opposite; the problem is that it is on the side of danger, where they are pointing the sword at us.
As a proper name, we find this term in the surname of the soccer player José María Callejón Bueno, born in Granada in 1987. In the sports environment it is known simply as Callejón. His position is that of midfielder or winger and he plays in the S. SC Napoli team of the Italian Serie A. His twin brother, Juanmi Callejón, is also a footballer and works for the Arab team Al-Ettifaq.
In 2002, a metalcore musical group called Callejón was founded in the city of Düsseldorf, Germany. Despite the current trend of most bands worldwide, which consists of trying to reach the North American market, Callejón’s repertoire is mainly in German.