Maragatería

The Maragatería is a Spanish region located in the central area of the province of León, in the autonomous community of Castilla y León.

Toponymy

Typical maragatas constructions in Valdespino de Somoza

The inhabitants of the region call it País de los Maragatos, and previously it was called La Somoza. Several hypotheses have been put forward regarding the origin of the name maragato:

• Initially it was thought that it derived from the Latin expression mauri capti (hots captured, captives), referring to a supposed Berber origin.
• Other traditions sought to establish a certain relationship between the maragato name with King Mauregato, perhaps because a Muslim or Arab origin has also been assumed for the famous Astur king.
• The professor at the University of León, Laureano Rubio, argues that, in fact, the name of maragato comes from the days of the arrival, when the Somozanos became famous as fish merchants. The transport of salted fish products from Galicia (the sea) to Madrid (los Cats) offers a more plausible explanation, albeit unbelievable. So, the name would mean from the sea to the catsIt's a small one.

Limits

It limits to the north with the region of La Cepeda, to the south with the region of La Valduerna, to the west with the region of El Bierzo and Cabrera, and to the east with La Vega del Tuerto and La Valduerna.

Municipalities

Typical maragatas constructions in Valdespino de Somoza

The municipalities that make up the Maragatería are the following:

• Astorga
• Brazuelo
• Lucillo
• Luyego
• Santa Colomba de Somoza
• Santiago Millas
• Val de San Lorenzo

Its economic capital is the city of Astorga. The capital of the Alta Maragatería is currently in Santa Colomba de Somoza, while the capital of the Baja Maragatería is in Santiago Millas. The religious capital lies in Luyego de Somoza, where the patron saint of the maragatos, Nuestra Señora la Virgen de los Remedios, is located, although the bishopric is in the city of Astorga.

History

The territory of Maragatería has been populated since ancient times. Recent discoveries of megalithic petroglyphs, dated by experts at more than 5,000 years, are allowing a better understanding of the region's prehistoric cultures. In addition, they have revolutionized theories on Megalithism in Spain, since this part of the province of León was not within the area of megalithic cultures. Among other megaliths, a menhir was discovered in June 2009.

The first people that inhabited these lands whose name we know were the Astures. More specifically, it was the gens of the Amacos, linked to the sacred mount of Teleno, which during Roman rule was worshiped as Mars Tilenus.

The conquest of the Asturian territory after the Cantabrian Wars led to a new reorganization of the Asturian territory, in which the Maragatería became the center of the Conventus Asturum due to the founding of Asturica Augusta , the future Astorga. It was created from an old Roman military camp and became the convent capital. The situation of the rest of Maragatería during this period is little known, but the remains found of a Roman villa in the area of El Soldán (Santa Colomba de Somoza) allow us to speak of organized agricultural exploitation. The existence of several castros has also been verified, linked to the gold exploitation of this area of the foothills of the mountains of León, and which was one of the pillars of the economy of the time. There are several archaeological testimonies of these gold extractions in Fucochico (Luyego de Somoza) or in Tabuyo del Monte, which are part of the Teleno mining complex.

Culture

Chifla or maragata flute

The chifla or maragata flute is the most representative traditional instrument of the region of La Maragatería, although its use is widespread throughout the province.

The chifla is linked in its use to the tamboril, and its learning is focused above all on the family tradition or the drummers of the region. In recent years, the León City Council has offered chifla and tamboril courses.

In many regions of the province of León, the chifla has been pushed aside by other instruments such as the dulzaina or the accordion in traditional festivals.

Linguistics

The predominant language is Spanish, but with a significant influence and presence of Leonese in the local variety known as maragatu. Despite being in danger of disappearing, there are various initiatives that the administrations of the region are carried out to preserve and revitalize the traditional speech of the area, such as courses or story contests.

Gastronomy

Among the varied gastronomy of the area, the maragato stew is undoubtedly remarkable. It is a stew that traditionally fed field workers in a single meal for a hard day's work. The Cocido Maragato consists basically of the elements of the field, soup, cabbage, chickpeas and seven types of meat. It is a very celebrated dish in Astorga or the towns of its region such as Castrillo de los Polvazares, Santiago Millas or Santa Colomba de Somoza. One of the most outstanding characteristics of this stew is that, in the three turns, it is served 'upside down', so that the meats of the stew go first, then the vegetables, and it ends with the soup.

Another gastronomic product typical of the region is cecina: most of those included under the cecina de León label are produced there.

Literature

• Espina, Concha (2007). The sphinx maragata. Leonean editions. ISBN 978-84-400-1451-1.