Armorers

Panoramic of Armenteros with the Sierra de Narrillos, at the bottom

Armenteros is a Spanish municipality and town in the province of Salamanca, in the autonomous community of Castilla y León. It is integrated into the region of Tierra de Alba. It belongs to the Béjar judicial district and to the Aguas de Santa Teresa and Alto Tormes communities.

In addition to Armenteros itself, its municipality is made up of the neighboring towns of Íñigo Blasco, Navahombela, Revalbos, Pero Fuertes and Revilla de Codes, the last two being uninhabited. The entire municipal area occupies a total area of 38.93 km² and according to the demographic data collected in the municipal register prepared by the INE in 2017, it has a population of 209 inhabitants.

It borders to the north with Galinduste; to the east with Horcajo Medianero; to the south with Narrillos del Álamo; and to the west with Pelayos and La Tala.

Geography

It is located under the slopes of the Sierra de Narrillos; making border with Ávila. The southern zone is very mountainous; full of hills and small mountains; where making the border with Narrillos del Álamo, is the hill of Cogorrillo, with a height of 1151, roof of the municipality; where tectonic folds are found. In the north, it is completely flat, crossed by the Revilla river.

The Charco or Blasco Sancho stream crosses the southern part of the municipality. It is born in the hamlet of Mercadillo, in Narrillos del Álamo; and then, it surrounds the town of Armenteros, crossing an area of meadows until it ends up flowing into the Santa Teresa Reservoir. The municipality sits on very old volcanic soil; with abundance of gneiss as abundant rock. The gneiss was created from the accumulation of these volcanic rocks with metamorphic rocks; due to said volcanic activity; like granite.

The prevailing climate is continental Mediterranean; with very cold winters, and very mild summers; It usually rains at times and the winds blow from the northwest, northeast and south. Holm oak groves abound in the municipality.

Symbols

Shield

The heraldic shield that represents the municipality was approved with the following coat of arms:

"I listen to a perpendicular line from the head to the tip, resulting in two twin barracks one right or the main and another sinister or secondary. Right quarter: Left as contemplated, by its position it holds the main weapons. On a siple field, sword-mandoble with the tip of it looking at the boss, naked, silver. Sinister Quartet: Right as contemplated, by its position it holds secondary weapons. On azur field, three waves of silver assorted by three silver fish in a stick. To Timbre, royal crown closed»

Flag

The city council has not yet adopted a flag for the municipality.

Demographics

The demography is really variable, since it attends to a physical-spatial pattern anchored in the area, that is, the La Inmaculada boarding school, located in the westernmost part of the town, has a large number of students that triple the total number of registered inhabitants.

Graphic of demographic evolution of Armenteros between 1900 and 2022

Source: Spanish National Statistical Institute - Graphical development by Wikipedia.

Population centers

The municipality is divided into several population centers, which had the following population in 2019 according to the INE.

History

Panorama.

The origin of the current population dates back to the Late Middle Ages. However, there are megalithic, pre-Roman and Roman remains within the term and in the surroundings.

In what is currently the municipality of Mercadillo, exactly in the vicinity of its current cemetery and on the border with that of Armenteros, there is a Roman city. Its name is unknown. Material remains have appeared and above all a treasure of coins that is preserved in the Museum of Salamanca.

In what is now the Pero Fuertes farm, there was a Visigothic or late Roman monastery, always in relation to the nearby sanctuary of Valdejimena. On that farm there existed, until its disappearance as a consequence of the confiscation, a monastery of a certain importance, which could originally have been a Templar commendation. What is certain is that there was a Templar commendation in the municipality.

The origin of the name comes from its founder, a certain Godumer Armentero.

Armenteros, like the surrounding towns, formed part of the Community of Villa y Tierra de Ávila, sexmo de Serrezuela, from the moment of its repopulation. It was repopulated, like all the land of Ávila, by people from the north, especially from Castilla itself and even from the rest of the Land of Ávila, since Armenteros is located in the southern area, which was repopulated later.

Finally, the creation of the current provinces in 1833 framed Armenteros in the province of Salamanca and the Leonese Region, a territorial assignment that it maintains today. Ecclesiastically, however, it maintained its dependency in Avila until 1959, when it became part of the diocese of Salamanca.

Monuments and places of interest

• Church of Our Lady of the Rosary; with a bell tower very similar to that of the Church of Saint John Evangelist in Herreros de Suso
• Typical houses, some with more than four hundred years, made in stone, with constructive and ornamental elements of the time.
• Cottons and springs lined in granite stone labrada, among which the cany of Íñigo Blasco, built in granite, dates back to 1903 with modifications in the fifties, after which it consists of a source of which constantly flows drinking water, abbavage, with several pipes still used for the cattle, also built in granítica stone, and last two pipes that constituted the

Culture

Parties

• Our Lady of the Rosary: first Sunday of October.

Economy

The residents of the place are dedicated to agriculture and livestock; they grow cereals, legumes and vegetables; and tend cows, sheep and horses.

There are small food industries in the area; specialized in the creation of plastic containers for food and beverages.

Administration and politics

Municipal elections