Somide

Somiedo (in Asturian, Somiedo or Somiedu) is a council in the autonomous community of Asturias, in northern Spain. It limits to the north with Belmonte de Miranda, to the east with Teverga, to the west with Tineo and Cangas del Narcea and to the south with the municipalities of Villablino, Cabrillanes and San Emiliano, all three in the neighboring province of León.

It is the second municipality with the lowest population density^{[citation required]}. The entire council is part of the Somiedo Natural Park, having been declared a Biosphere Reserve.

History

Somiedo City Council

Cores

Lago del Valle

The first historical vestiges found on Somiedo soil correspond to the Bronze Age stage, although it is believed that the territory was already colonized in Neolithic times. Several castro settlements were found in the vicinity of Trascastro and La Pola, which are thought to have been built by pre-Roman communities. Several Iberian denarii dating from the I century BC have been found in Gúa and Coto de Buenamadre.

From the passage of Romanization through the council, various place names remain, as well as remains of roads and fortresses strategically located for their defensive position. Within these we have the fort of Remonguila in the vicinity of La Riera, the castle of Alba near La Pola, or the fortress of Saliencia. Thanks to the Roman people, the old route of the pass to the plateau through the Camín de la Mesa, of great later importance, both with the Muslim conquest and the expansion of the Asturian kingdom, was improved and defined.

During the Late Middle Ages, the monastery of Gúa, belonging to the Cistercian order, became important. It was founded by King Ferdinand II and his wife, Doña Urraca, who later granted the Gúa preserve to said monastery. Other donations made to the Ovetense church were the monastery of Santa María de Lapedo, the church of San Miguel de La Llera, the monastery of Villanueva de Carzana or that of San Andrés de Cogega in Veigas.

In the Middle and High Middle Ages, the council was marked by the great influence that the Belmonte monastery exerted on it in the Pigüeña valley. In this valley is one of the best brañas in the council. The villages of Villaux, Villar de Vildas, Pigüeces, Santullano, Pigüeña, Orderias, Las Morteras, La Riera and some others belonged to the monastery.

This situation lasted until the monarch Alfonso X of Castilla, in his desire to repopulate, granted the Town Charter to the municipality, initially establishing itself in Agüera de Belmonte, where it would remain for a while until it moved to the current location of the pola. In 1277, several towns from western Asturias, including Somiedo, met in La Espina and signed the Brotherhood charter that will guarantee order in the area. During the 15th century, the Quiñónes lineage exercised power over all lands until the Catholic Monarchs in 1496 eliminated all their privileges to incorporate the council to the royal engo. Despite this, in the XVI century, the Miranda, Flórez and Omaña lineages held some power in the council. The Miranda family gave rise to the change of the place name from Belmonte to Belmonte de Miranda.

Throughout the Middle Ages and the Modern Age, Somiedo suffered disputes between monasteries, families, peasants and the herdsman population for control of the land, emerging a minority of free peasants and owners; This situation ended with the suppression in 1827 of the stately regime, integrating the preserves of Clavillas and Valcárcel, Gúa and Caunedo and Aguino and Perlunes to the territory of Somiedo. In the 1797 census it is said that "there are 3,139 peasant owners compared to 54,141 tenants".

Within this context, the vaqueiros are appearing as a group of forces, that transhumant population whose sole and common interests are the care and protection of cattle. This group was forming their own cabin and developing the procedure of enclosing pastures, building stone fences and creating scythe or cutting meadows, which was not easily achieved as they always had opposition and pressure from the nobles who tried to impose favorable laws for their own livestock interests.

In the Spanish War of Independence, Somiedo welcomed in 1810 the withdrawal of the Asturian defending troops who were fleeing because of the advance of the French army led by General Bonet. In the Carlist wars there are also incursions of troops in the council. Already in 1934 and at the time of the revolution, the army mutinied for a year in Somiedo, a strategic place between the sources of Laciana and Grado. At the beginning of the Spanish Civil War, the front stabilized in El Puerto, until October 21, 1937, when the Republican troops lost the city of Gijón and with it the last bastion in northern Spain. In the mountainous areas of Asturias, especially those bordering León, there were maquis that fought and formed part of the anti-Franco resistance until approximately 1948, when the repression against them intensified.

After the end of the war and the post-war period, the area experienced a strong process of autarchy and self-subsistence economy, as in the rest of Spain, Somiedo unlike other nearby areas such as Laciana or Cangas del Narcea did not experience such a strong period of industrialization, maintaining the agrarian economy, and consequently, many inhabitants left the council for these industrial centers and the center of the region in search of better opportunities. At present this process continues to affect the entire southwestern area of Asturias, Somiedo championing a reconversion towards rural, nature and adventure tourism.

Álvaro Flórez Estrada was born in Somiedo, a prominent economist and politician, who was one of the great figures of the Enlightenment movement that emerged in Asturias.

Geography

From a geographical point of view, the territory is located in a unit known as the Somiedo Mantle, in which the entire Asturian Paleozoic stratigraphic series is represented, from slate, sandstone, quartzite to limestone. The lithological inequality originates a different competition that determines a differential relief that has modified the current hydrographic network that makes its way between the hard levels digging several gorges along its course.

Topography

Teitos en la Braña del Pornacal

The topography is one of the most rugged in the entire Principality of Asturias, having important heights, frequently occurring along the surface, elevations and depressions. The mountains start from the Cantabrian mountain range in a south-north direction. Of this mountain range, the Cornón peaks stand out with 2194 meters and the Orniz rock with 2190 meters. In the western part of the council, on the border with Tineo and Cangas, is the Sierra de la Serrantina, which continues with the Sierra de la Cabra. Parallel to La Serrantina we see the Sierra de Perlunes joined to the south with the Páramo. Further east of the Perlunes mountain range, we distinguish Peñavera, Peña de Valdepuerco, Brañeta and Palomar. In a more eastern and more central area we find Peñalba, Condiellas and Llampaza. On the border with Teverga we have the cordals of La Mesa and Cueiro. In the southeastern part are Bobia, Tarambico and Camayor and in the northern part we find the Sierra de la Buestariega. All this succession of cordales delimit the immense valleys of the municipality and which are these: The Somiedo Valley, the Pigüeña Valley, the Lake Valley, Saliencia and Las Morteras.

Hydrography

The Somiedo hydrographic system is represented by the rivers that give rise to the name of the Valleys, having the particularity that a part of the land that they drain, will pour its waters through the stream of the port, into the Atlantic Ocean. The Saliencia, Las Morteras and del Valle rivers originate in the northern part of the Cantabrian mountain range and give their waters to the Somiedo river, which in turn flows into the Pigüeña. Almost the entire Somiedo hydrographic network is used for its transformation into electricity at the La Riera, La Malva and Miranda power plants.

During the Quaternary, it was an area of glaciers that left lakes and high lagoons as well as valleys whose structure dates back to the Cambrian and Paleozoic periods. There were twelve glaciers throughout the region, eight of which were in the Somiedo area. The valleys were formed by the five rivers that bear the same name: Saliencia, Valle, Somiedo, Perlunes and Pigüeña. They are mountain rivers that have made their way through the limestone, leaving a karstic landscape.

Climate

The Coto

Regarding its climate, it should be noted that it is oceanic, with plenty of mist, humidity, and rain. The high average altitude of the council gives it some characteristics of continentality, being able to affirm that it is in a zone of transition between the temperate climate of Asturias and the continental one of the plateau. An important element of Somiedo is the permanence of the snow during a large part of the winter season.

Vegetation

Its vegetation is one of the richest in the entire Principality, showing beech forests at 1500 m, with a height that can reach up to 30 meters; They occur in the shady areas of the slopes and among which are included protected species such as the holly that serves as food for various animals in the winter and the yew. We can also see patches of oaks, birches in the highest areas and holm oaks. In the less rainy siliceous areas we observe the rebollares and in the alluvial of Las Vegas the alders. In addition to all these species of trees, the appearance of scrub is frequent in the highest parts of the mountains, where there is no place for richer plant life and of brooms, which is the plant used to build the roofs —teitos— of the cabins..

Pastures or brañas

The most characteristic vegetation is the meadow, the so-called brañas, made up of at least 250 plant species that constitute the essential component in the economy of the council. There are some brañas delimited by an old traditional fence, built of dry stone, called in Asturias corrada. either as regatu or as a source. Slopes are necessary to achieve adequate drainage.

Its existence has been documented since the XI century, with continuous exploitation throughout the Middle Ages. Some brañas became a permanent occupation and huts or shelters were built in them, as a demonstration of appropriation of the land, the same as the fences or enclosures.

In Somiedo there are about 3000 ha of pastures or brañas, some private and others for public use. Mowing pastures are those in which the grass is cut in the month of June and left on site awaiting its dehydration to collect it and store it when it is ready. The tooth pastures are those in which the cattle graze freely, favoring the oxygenation of the soil by the way they tear up the grass when eating and by trampling their hooves. Sometimes, when the grass is already mowed, all the animals are allowed to pass through; this is called loss. When several villages make use of communal pastures, it is called facería. When the cattle heads of all the neighbors come together under the care of a single shepherd or cowboy, it is called vecera.

• Braña de La Pornacal in the parish of Villar de Vildas which is located in the lower part of the valley of the river Pigüeña. It supposes one of the most important brañas of the council of Somiedo; most of it belongs to the community, although there are also private farms.

Wildlife

Urogallo

Bears brown

Its fauna is also one of the largest in the entire Principality of Asturias, with the entire park having one of the largest reserves of brown bears, which since the late 1990s has expanded to other areas and is experiencing a slight increase.

Its populations of wolf and Cantabrian capercaillie also stand out, although the latter is in clear decline. Other easier-to-observe mammals are the Cantabrian chamois, which usually moves in herds through the higher areas of the park, deer and roe deer, in wooded areas, and wild boar and fox. The badger, the marten, the dormouse, etc. are also common.

Regarding birds, we can highlight the golden eagle, the buzzard, the black woodpecker or the peregrine falcon. Groups of griffon vultures are occasionally observed.

Parishes

Church of the Morthers

The council of Somiedo is divided into 15 parishes:

Demographic evolution

Somiedo demographic evolution figure between 1842 and 2016

The evolution followed in Somiedo throughout the 20th century, follows the same path as the rest of the mountainous councils of the principality, that is, progressive loss of the population, especially from the 1940s, although here the three The opposite happened in the first decades, the population increased, despite emigration to overseas, and went from 5,006 inhabitants at the beginning of the century to 5,558 in 1940. From this date on, the decline was unstoppable, producing a decrease in the number of up to 70% until leaving it in 1544 today, with a density of 5.55 inhabitants/km², which makes it the second lowest in Asturias. The main cause of this reduction is mainly due to the strong emigration towards the most industrialized areas of the region. Lately, and since the declaration of the council as a natural park, this sharp fall has been slowed down by the appearance of new dynamic elements of the municipal economy.

All these causes give us abruptly altered demographic structures, presenting a pyramid where the population over 50 years of age is the most abundant within the council, having one of the strongest aging rates in the entire Principality. Most of the human concentration takes place at the bottom of the valleys, especially in Villar de Vildas, La Riera and La Pola, with some of the mountain villages having almost no presence.

Economy

Asturian valleys

The economic activity of the council revolves around the primary sector, since it is the one that employs the most with 67.45% and the one that produces the greatest wealth, generating 40% of the gross domestic product. The cattle farms of Somiedo work mainly with the bovine herd, presenting it an orientation towards the meat sector mainly, showing one of the most important herds of the Asturian breed of the valleys. This council has a large number of brañas that offer important pastures for raising cattle and feeding them. A variety of cereals is also planted, highlighting the spelt.

Maize and potato

Asturian corn with extension to save the corn

The introduction of these two crops from the XVII century had enormous significance in the economy of agriculture throughout the Principality. Maize, in particular, became such a highly valued crop that it became a symbol of agrarian culture, giving rise to an important change in the structure of the traditional granaries, which were expanded with larger chambers with greater capacity. The strings of ears of corn hung in the corridors became part of a landscape that soon became traditional. The festivities that took place on the occasion of the shelling of the ears, the so-called esfoyada, also became traditional. The grain served and serves as food for poultry and to make borona bread; the stem mixed with the grass was fed to cattle in the winter. The heart of the shelled ears —the tarucos— served for a long time for the construction of partitions and also to stoke the fire. The large leaves of the plant were used to make beds in the shelters of the brañas shepherds. The cultivation of potatoes introduced in the 18th century was essential for the basic diet of the herdsmen.

In the secondary industrial sector, it should be noted that it only employs 2.94% of the active population, although for such a small number it has a considerable share of the council's GDP. Previously, it had a much stronger participation in economic activity, but the loss of jobs that occurred with the closure of the La Cueva iron mine and the reduction carried out in the electric companies mean that very few people currently depend on this branch. of the economy. Construction is the activity that offers the largest number of jobs.

Where there has been a positive evolution is within the tertiary sector, especially since the declaration of the council as a natural park on June 10, 1988, and which currently employs 29.61% of the assets, a figure that will possibly grow over time.

Administration and politics

The council of Somiedo, is a traditionally socialist council, since 1979 this party has been the one that has governed the council, always with an absolute majority. (See list of mayors of Somiedo). The current socialist mayor is Belarmino Fernández Fervienza.

Architecture

Church of Saint Peter, Pola de Somiedo

Monuments and places of interest

Much of the artistic wealth disseminated by the council has been lost over time, as a result of theft, abandonment, fire and destruction. Within the religious architecture that is still preserved in Somiedo we have the church of San Pedro de La Riera, built in the XVIII century, with a nave structured in the shape of a Latin cross, with a barrel vault topped by a bell tower at the foot of it.

The parish church of San Pedro is also preserved in La Pola, also from the XVIII century and which uses ashlar to the façade and belfry which gives it a higher quality touch. It can also be seen how it preserves a coat of arms of the Flórez-Estrada family.

In the town of Endiga we find the church of San Salvador, founded in the XVII century and which houses inside Baroque altarpieces of great importance. One of the most interesting constructions is the church of Santa María de Gúa, as it is built on the remains of the medieval monastery of the same name, occupied by Bernardine nuns.

Within its civil and popular architecture, it is common to see various palaces and mansions throughout the council, such as the Flórez de Estrada palace, located in the vicinity of La Pola, which was built from a cubic tower from the late 16th century or early 17th century. In the chapel, added in the XIX century, portico and semicircular arch over the access door. Part of this fenced building is destined to Casa de Aldea.

In Caunedo is the palace of the family of the same name. Built on a building from the XV century, and which underwent subsequent changes. Also noteworthy in Villarín is the palace of the Count of Torata from the late 19th century, which has a profusion of openings to seek light, lightness and elevation. Another palace is in Las Morteras, where the now abandoned Renaissance palace of the couple formed by María Meléndez and Diego Flórez Valdés is located, which shows a great quality of its stone construction. Other important constructions apart from the palaces or mansions are the ruins of the castle of Alba near Pola, of which remains of a circular tower and walls are still preserved, and also the existence of a medieval bridge located in La Riera.

In addition to all these constructions, Somiedo also stands out for its teito de broom constructions and its brañas, being in its territory the most famous in all of Asturias, highlighting the teito cabins of La Pornacal (braña located in the parish of Villar de Vildas) and Mumian, and the false vault circles in Sousas and La Mesa. Finally, it must be mentioned that in the capital, there is the reception and interpretation center of the natural park, as well as the ethnographic museum.

Traditional teito somedana house

Teito located on the lake of the valley, in Somiedo

The traditional Somedana house is the house-stable, that is, the space shared between the family and the cattle owned. It is built with thick rectangular stone walls and topped with a broom roof. The interior is divided into two spaces, one with a larger area for stables or stables and the other smaller, for housing, with a bedroom and kitchen. Upstairs there is an area under the deck that serves as a storage for the hay and sometimes if necessary, as a bedroom.

In the part of the stable are the mangers that in the past were made with interwoven or basketry called sebe or xebe or sardu. This space is separated from the house by the buláu of boards or sebes with an access door. This separation evolved with the use of masonry partitions based on the original tables or sebes. In the house there is the lareira which is the place for the fire; Right in that box hang the chains or pregencias that hold the pot of food. Originally, this type of house did not have windows or a chimney, belonging to the group of "smoke houses", so the interior walls are very blackened. It had a single access door, although later the construction evolved with another direct entrance door to the stable. The small window of the haystack called boqueirón was also incorporated.

The old furniture consisted of a bed or bunk, a wooden bench called escano, the masera or trough for kneading bread, oil lamps for lighting, a chest for storing clothes and some other object more.

The roof of the Somedan house was always vegetal. In Asturias this type of roof is known as teito and by extension any construction that has a vegetal roof is called teito. The materials used in the Somedana house are stone for the walls, wood to form the roof structure and the broom placed on it. The roof is hipped, with enough inclination so that rain and snow can slide off. Sometimes the dyeing with broom is helped with heather scrub called gorbizo when it is low heather and uz when it is high heather, of a more penetrating green. The heather is uprooted for greater consistency, while the broom is cut with the sickle almost level with the ground and following some ancestral rites in which certain weather conditions occur. They are very old customs that always gave good results, the same ones that have been taking place in the Massif Central and in the Alps. it would invade them in an endemic way.

House with straw roof and zanca system in Gotland

The teito is built by first manufacturing the wooden frame, then covering it and in most cases with a layer of heather. On this layer the broom made of very thick branches is placed, from the bottom up, following a traditional technique, the same one that has been followed for centuries in other European teitos. The fact of placing the branches is called spectar. In these teitos the branch of the broom sticks downwards, leaving the stem upwards; the final thickness can reach up to half a meter, being even greater in the upper front part, which is called zarzaneira d'adelante, which is the area most exposed to inclement weather. The highest part called cume forms a transversal line with a flat surface on which some broom branches are deposited and held together along their lengths to form a thick bed. All this is held with beech or ash poles called llatas del cume which in turn support various holding techniques: by means of stringers —some logs— that hang astride from the cume along the roof, which are held with yokes. By means of gabitos or sticks in the shape of a fork, meter and a half long, which are inserted into the broom to hold the wheels, creating the appearance of a large crest on the cume. Through tapinos of grass or sods, which are very dense boxes of grass from the high meadows. They can reach 60 by 50 cm and 10 cm thick. The use of sods is quite common in European vernacular architecture. In Somiedo they are found in the architecture of corros and huts, especially in the Lake Valley and Pigüeña Valley.

Parties

Among their festivals are:

• San Antonio in Valcárcel, Valle de Lago, Villarín and La Rebollada the last three weekends of June.

• El Carmen in La Riera, Villar de Vildas and Caunedo, the third weekend of August and September.

• Our Lady in Corés and Pola de Somiedo, the second weekend of September.

• The Rosario in Clavillas, Crane, Santullano and Valle de Lago, the second weekend of October.

• Santiago Apostle in Santiago del Hermo, the last weekend of July.

Almost all the festivities that are celebrated in the council, take place in the summer season at the end of agricultural tasks, and in them you can enjoy all the traditions of the place, where you can never miss gastronomy, a fundamental ingredient in all they. In addition, various livestock fairs take place in the municipality, highlighting that of the Asturian breed of the valleys.

Personalities