Cantabrian stelae

Barrels' wake in the Parque de las Estelas de Barros.

Second Stela of Lombera in the Museum of Prehistory and Archaeology of Cantabria.

The Barbecue, based on the design of the Barros cloak, is a contemporary interpretation of the former military standard called Cantabrum.

The Cantabrian stelae are monolithic stone discs of different dimensions, the first examples of which were carved in the centuries before the Romanization of Cantabria. In its usual ornamentation there are swastikas, trisquels, crosses, propellers, blades, warriors or pre-Roman funerary representations. The most famous is the so-called Estela de Barros which can be seen in the Parque de Las Estelas in the town of Barros, in Los Corrales de Buelna (Cantabria). This stela is part of the current coat of arms of Cantabria and the meaning of the tetrasquel is related to the lunar cult. In the Parque de las Estelas, in addition to the famous Estela or Rueda de Barros (how it is known in the area), we can appreciate another stela larger. The Estela de Barros is a giant discoid stela, a type that attracts a lot of attention and which, precisely because of its size, represents one of the greatest differences with stelae found in other places in northern Spain.

Other stelae found are on display at the Museum of Prehistory and Archeology of Cantabria in Santander (MUPAC). These are two stelae found in Lombera known as the First and Second Stela of Lombera, another found in Zurita that bears iconographic decoration (on one of its faces we can see how a vulture pounces on a fallen warrior) and another one from the vicinity of the castro de la Espina del Gallego. In turn, fragments of other Cantabrian stelae have been found, such as the third one from Lombera, and that of the Stela de San Vicente de Toranzo, where a Cantabrian warrior on horseback appears on one of its faces, in addition to other minor ones.

The Cantabrian stelae are the most important testimony of the pre-Roman Cantabrian peoples and one of the most representative signs of current Cantabria, and they continued to be used in Cantabria during the Middle Ages and even during the Baroque period, similar to the ancient ones, but losing its discoid shape in part and replacing the central solar motifs with crosses. Medieval and modern discoid stelae were also typical of other regions of the north of the peninsula, finding numerous specimens, in addition to Cantabria, in the Basque Country, and several in Navarre.

Current impact

This is Zurita.

The stelae have an important symbolism in present-day Cantabria. The Shield of the Community represents a stele and also a contemporary interpretation of these stelae gives rise to the Lábaru, a flag widely used in Cantabria. In the same way, stonemasons and artists from many places in Cantabria reproduce old stelae or create other new ones similar to those, carved in stone or wood, which sometimes serve as decorations for new constructions. In the same way, reproductions of stelae, in wood or metal, are common in pendants and small figures, all of which gives an idea of their importance as a regional symbol.

Cantabrian stelae from the pre-Roman - Roman period

Although the ancient Cantabrians produced many stelae, the best known are the giant stelae, of which five are known, four of which have been discovered in the Buelna valley. They are usually dated between the I century BC. C. and the I century d. C., although there are divergences and some could even be from the V century or VI a. c.