boletín viaprata n5 para pdf.FH11 - Asociación de Amigos Vía da ...

I will go on talking about this Land of Frieiraswe are going through, as previously promised.Two Councils belong to this mentioned Land:A Mezquita and A Gudiña. Both of themoccupy a unique situation on the South-Eastcorner of Ourense Province, neighbouringthe Portuguese region Tras os Montes andthe province Zamora. At this same point iswhere the Macizo Central (Central MountainRange) and Serra Segundeira (SegundeiraMountain Ridge) on the North and Sierra deCulebra (Snake Mountain Ridge) on the East.The first one (Macizo Central) belongscompletely to Ourense. The second oneseparates Ourense and Zamora from PeñaTrevinca (Trevinca Crag), in the North-Westvertex. The third one, in Zamora, ends onthe opposite extreme, on the Meseta(Plateau).All along it, or surrounding it through thevast and extensive riverside, we go up toLas Portelas, of O Padornelo and A Canda.These are the only possibilities to make one’sway between the River Sil and SierraZamorana (Zamorana Ridge). Then we mustgo up the steep slope of Mountain Marabón,on whose occidental slope meets A Mezquitaon the Azureira side.THE MOZARAB ROUTE IVfollowing on it: CAPITO SEVER (I) ARA (M)PONO SANCT (E) DEANE, which means:Capitón, son of Severo, I here place this altarstone to Saint Diana.Through all this rough space of the CentralMountain Range you can find plenty of thetypical fauna -bears, stags, roe deers, andwild boars– and the enemy of all of them:the wolf. Many of the names of thesurrounding villas in San Mamede Ridge comefrom the names of the typical animals of thearea: Pala da Osa (2), A da Osa, Fonte doOso, Corga da Osa, Ladeira da Osa, A Fragada Osa (place names related to Bears=Oso/a),As corzas, Ladeiras das Corzas, As Corcerizas,Val de Cáparo, O Cáparo, O veado, O Cavancodo Veado, (place names related to roe deers),O Chan do Porco, A fonte da Porca (placenames related to pigs)… and to hunt themall and also the wolf: A Armada (The Army),Chan da Armada, O Forco (in A Gudiña),O Forco dos Lobos –Lobo means wolf–. (InCádavos da Mezquita), O cortello dos Lobos(in Lubián).In Galician, The name ”Azureiras” comesfrom the original activity of the area (AsFrieiras) through the centuries –it was a biggame hunting area. On this slope there is aplentiful supply of goshawk (Azor, inGalician)– bird of prey and hunting assistantwhen trained. This predator was used by theLords who were skilled in falconry. In fact,the whole Central Mountain Range was veryfamous due to big game hunting, so famousthat in the XIV century the King Alfonso XIemphasizes in this book Libro de Montaríathat this are was really good for bear hunting:Teixido and Río Sanmamede, (River Maogoes down to Montederramo), Cascaros deConso, (Over Vilariño de Conso) and RiverDiabredo in O Pereiro. A vows altar stonewas found in Mount Azureira which is todayin Ourense’s Museum. It was devoted by agrateful hunter to Diana (hunting goddess)in the Romans period. You can read theCruceiro de Seixalvo7