Maragatería
Encyclopedia
La Maragatería or País de los Maragatos, Tierra de Maragatos in Leonese language
Leonese language
The Leonese language is the endonym term used to refer to all vernacular Romance dialects of the Astur-Leonese linguistic group in the Spanish provinces of León and Zamora; Astur-Leonese also includes the dialects...

, is an ancient historical region
Historical region
Historical regions are delimitations of geographic areas for studying and analysing social development of period-specific cultures without any reference to contemporary political, economic or social organisations....

 or traditional comarca in the landlocked Province of León, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

. It borders with La Cepeda
La Cepeda
La Cepeda is an ancient historical region in the landlocked Province of León, Spain. It borders with La Maragatería, El Bierzo, Omaña and La Vega del Órbigo. It is a traditional comarca without administrative recognition.- Municipal terms :...

 comarca in the north, La Valduerna in the south, with the comarcas of El Bierzo
El Bierzo
El Bierzo is a shire in the province of León, Spain. The valley has the administrative status of comarca and its capital is the town of Ponferrada. Other major towns are Bembibre and Villafranca del Bierzo, the historical capital.- History :...

 and La Cabrera in the west and southwest, and in the east with La Vega del Tuerto and La Valduerna.

La Maragatería encompasses lesser comarcas, like the Alta Maragatería, Baja Maragatería and the Somoza Comarca. Its inhabitants are known as "Maragatos".
Leonese language
Leonese language
The Leonese language is the endonym term used to refer to all vernacular Romance dialects of the Astur-Leonese linguistic group in the Spanish provinces of León and Zamora; Astur-Leonese also includes the dialects...

 is widely used in this shire.

Municipalities

The main municipalities making up the comarca are:
  • Astorga, the main town
  • Brazuelo
    Brazuelo
    Brazuelo is a municipality located in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2010 census , the municipality has a population of 321 inhabitants....

  • Lucillo
    Lucillo
    Lucillo is a municipality located in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2010 census , the municipality has a population of 406 inhabitants....

  • Luyego
    Luyego
    Luyego is a municipality located in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2010 census , the municipality has a population of 780 inhabitants....

  • Santa Colomba de Somoza
    Santa Colomba de Somoza
    Santa Colomba de Somoza, whose name is in Leonese language, is a municipality located in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 498 inhabitants....

  • Santiago Millas
    Santiago Millas
    Santiago Millas is a municipality located in La Maragatería, province of León, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 335 inhabitants.- Villages :* Barrio de Abajo* Morales de Arcediano* Oteruelo...

  • Val de San Lorenzo
    Val de San Lorenzo
    Val de San Lorenzo is a municipality located in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 674 inhabitants and a density of 12,89 hab/km²....


Culture

The Maragatos form a small ethnic and cultural community with distinctive customs and architecture. The Maragata women used to wear a striking regional dress that made them stand out when they travelled to other parts of Spain.

Cocido Maragato (Cocíu maragatu in Leonese language
Leonese language
The Leonese language is the endonym term used to refer to all vernacular Romance dialects of the Astur-Leonese linguistic group in the Spanish provinces of León and Zamora; Astur-Leonese also includes the dialects...

) is a traditional local soup dish with meat.

Tierra de Maragatos has its own traditional way of building stone houses with large doors. Some of them have been preserved.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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