Human Environment

History

A bit of history

Archaeological studies carried out in the natural area have brought to light evidence confirming the presence of human settlements in the very distant past. Remains of Achelense industry (Lower Palaeolithic) have bee found in Villárdiga, San Martín de Valderaduey and Cañizo (Benito, L. et al, 1986), chisels in Otero de Sariegos (Fernández Manzano, J., 1985) and "Soto de Medinilla" type dwellings used by peoples who lived from growing wheat and barley between 700 and 133 BC in Revellinos (Romero Carnicero, F., 1985).

Roman remains, some Visigothic items and other archaeological evidence from almost all historical periods have been found in Villafáfila.

During the Reconquest the area was occupied and resettled by Alfonso II (866-910), and several villages grew up around the saltworks, their growth being tied to exploitation of that valuable resource. The saltworks declined when trade increased with the Kingdom of Portugal, which exported salt at a better price and quality than those available locally.

In the eighteenth century, there was a new attempt to work the salt mines. A saltpetre factory was built in Villafáfila called the "Royal Saltpetre Factory of the Town of Villafáfila", but the company was not very profitable and soon closed and the idea of working the salt mines has not arisen since then.

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Municipalities in the SPA

The action area covers the following 11 municipalities: Cañizo, Cerecinos de Campos, Manganeses de la Lampreana, Revellinos, San Agustín del Pozo, San Martín de Valderaduey, Tapioles, Villalba de la Lampreana, Villafáfila, Villárdiga and Villarrín de Campos.

Unlike the rest, which only have one locality in the area, the municipality of Villafáfila includes two towns. Besides Villafáfila itself, there is Otero de Sariegos, which has been virtually uninhabited for years.

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Population

In the second half of the twentieth century, the area underwent severe depopulation similar to the process that took place in most villages and small towns in the rest of Zamora province, one that was exacerbated by the mechanisation of the countryside.

As a result, the number of inhabitants in the SPA fell to 4,245, roughly the same number as at the beginning of the century.

Otero de Sariegos, one of the villages inside the SPA, has been abandoned for several years now.

Municipality	Number of inhabitants
	1845-1850	1960	1991
Cañizo	462	807	392
Cerecinosde Campos	818	1.205	460
Manganesesde la Lampreana	732	1.718	920(*)
Revellinos	352	724	342
SanAgustín del Pozo	116	413	195
SanMartín de Valderaduey	386	324	101
Tapioles	480	447	216
Villafáfila	1.158	1.686	623 (*)
Otero	102	97	-
Villalbade la Lampreana	426	717	322
Villárdiga	255	365	123
Villarrínde Campos	854	1.713	551
TOTAL	6141	10.216	4.245(*)
* Since1970, Manganeses de la Lampreana has included the district of Riego del Camino, while Villafáfila has included the district of Otero de Sariegos since 1991.

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Economic Resources

The economy of the towns located inside the SPA is mainly based on agriculture and livestock farming.

The increase in the amount of farm machinery brought with it a considerable rise in cereal farming, which now accounts for over 80% of arable land.

Cereal is grown on a rotation system due to the terrain and lack of irrigation. The most common types are wheat (Tricitum aestivum) and barley (Hordeum vulgare), followed by lucerne, also known as alfalfa, (Medicago sativa).

Irrigation has not prospered due to the high salinity of the local water, which impoverishes the soils.

Livestock rearing is important, particularly of sheep. The 43, 850 head of sheep are generally kept in semi-free-ranging conditions, but the cattle are kept inside.

Industry is restricted to several small-scale operations: two factories producing ewe?s cheese in Tapioles and Vilarrín de Campos, a workshop manufacturing woollen garments, also in Vilarrín de Campos, a furniture factory in San Agustín del Pozo and a textile co-operative in Manganeses de la Lampreana. The inability of these small factories to absorb the surplus labour force from farming has led to large-scale emigration, mainly to Madrid, the Basque Country and Valladolid.

At present, the services sector is undergoing a considerable turnabout and is growing thanks to the strong boost provided by the area?s natural attractions. The implementation of a Leader II programme, managed by the ADRI-Palomares Local Development Association, has brought about an increase in the number of hotel and catering businesses, including the recent opening of a guest house and the imminent opening of other establishments in the sector.

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Traditional Dovecotes

Dovecotes are the most characteristic feature of the traditional architecture in this natural area, and they give it its identity. The dovecotes are very hermetic constructions. Not counting the small holes to allow the pigeons to come and go, the single door is the only opening to the outside.

Their undoubted interest in architectural terms merits a brief description of how they are built. Mostly constructed with mud and straw, the walls are of ?tapial? (a mixture of pressed mud and straw) and adobe (sun-dried bricks of mud and straw) standing on foundations or stone ?lizares?. The upper part of the dovecote is crowned with baked mud Arab tiles set on a mesh of wooden beams. Wood is also used for the door and loading platform.

Inside the dovecote, parallel to the edges of the outer wall, there are several inner walls housing the pigeon holes, where the pigeons lay their eggs. Starting about one metre above ground level, there are around five pigeon holes per square metre of wall.

There are over 180 dovecotes in the SPA, Villarrín de Campos and Villafáfila being the richest municipalities in this regard with 68 and 42, respectively (Yanes, J.E., 1997).

Nowadays, many dovecotes are in ruins due to the fact they are not profitable and that they require regular maintenance. There are two programmes in progress aimed at promoting their renovation. One is part of a Life Programme that came into effect in 2000, and the other is financed by the Castilla y León Regional Government (Regional Environment Ministry, Regional Ministry for Agriculture and Livestock Farming, Regional Development Ministry), ADRI Palomares and the European Union.