Puntos de Interés
Municipality
Villadiegua de la Ribera
Villardiegua de la Ribera (derived from the Latin villare, meaning "farm," and de yegua, meaning "of the mare") is a municipality and locality in the province of Zamora. It is on the left bank of the Duero River, where the Arribes del Duero begin and where it separates the Autonomous Community of Castile and León from Portugal.
Like numerous other settlements in the Sayago region, Villardiegua de la Ribera is likely to have been established during the repopulation of the Christian Kingdom of León in the 12th century. The earliest documented reference to Villaryegua, as it was known, is a concession, dated 1175, granted to the monks of Peleas in this locality, concerning a canal and two courts.
The lands that today comprise the municipality of Villardiegua de la Ribera have been inhabited by various cultures since ancient times. This is partly due to the climate of the region, but also to the abundance of resources in the area. Furthermore, these sites are situated in a border region that, during the Iron Age, separated the pre-Roman cultures of the Asturians, Lusitanians and Vetons. The latter left their mark on this side of the Duero. The hillfort of San Mamede, situated on a ledge of the Duero River approximately 4 km southwest of Villardiegua, is of this period and has been identified as a site of pre-Roman, Roman and Visigoth remains.
The Peña Redonda site contains what may have been an ancient chapel and the remains of a residents known as the hermit's residence. The ground floor of this structure remains, while the upper levels have been destroyed. The stones that made up the military structures were reused in the construction of the buildings in Villardiegua. Of the archaeological remains brought to the new settlement, none is more emblematic than the Vetón bull, which rests next to the church of the Natividad de la Virgen. This stone boar is commonly referred to as La Yegua or La Mula, a misinterpretation of its sex and species that may have contributed to the etymology of the village's name.
There are numerous Roman stelae, presumed to originate from Castro de Mamede itself. One notable example is a stela with a bull's head and a sun carved on its upper part. The zoomorphic figure is situated on the exterior wall of the final private residence, situated immediately prior to the point at which the road diverges from the main route towards the neighbouring municipality of Villadepera. This has been a common practice among humans throughout history, particularly in periods where there was no awareness of the value of historical heritage. This raises the question of the numerous monuments and archaeological remains that have been lost because of this practice.
Villardiegua pays homage to its patron saint every year during the last week of August: San Mamed, sometimes also referred to as San Mamede or San Mamés. For a period of seven days, the Galuchos engage in a series of activities, including attending mass, participating in various card and sports tournaments, and dancing until the early hours of the morning. These activities are enlivened using verbenas and charangas. Furthermore, as a municipality with a longstanding agricultural heritage, Villardiegua commemorates San Isidro on 15 May, invoking the saint's intercession for a bountiful harvest.