TORO  , a

town of Spain, in the province of Zamora, on the right bank of the river Duero (Douro), and on the Zamora-Medina del Campo railway . Pop . (1900), 8379 . Toro is an ancient fortified town, with picturesque narrow streets, among which are many medieval churches, convents and palaces, besides modern schools and public buildings . A fine bridge of twenty-two arches spans the river . The cathedral church is Romanesque; it dates from the 12th century but has been partially restored . The palace of the niarquesses of Santa Cruz was the meeting place of the Cortes of 1371, 1442 and 1505, which made Toro and its code of laws celebrated . Toro is first mentioned in documents of the loth century . It played an important part in the development of the kingdoms of Leon and Castile and in the reconquest of Spain from the Moors .