Cantina Mustallar

The Ancares

The Sierra de Os Ancares is located between the provinces of Lugo, León and Asturias.Ancares The origins of the term are uncertain: at the beginning of the twentieth century was known only as Ancares was a valley belonging to the municipality of Candín, in Leon, which extends from Porto to Porto Ancares Lumeiras. For some reason the term was gradually extended, first to the entire mountain and then step to name the counties.

Some say that the term was extended to the Galician side because of a very large firm, who worked at City Hall bringing wood Cervantes in the 30s, and was called Ancares Company.

Today is also difficult to define what we mean by Ancares, the term now encompasses aroused interest and territories that have little to do with the mountains and the countryside that gives recognition. In the Galician side Ancares a district called to the east of the province of Lugo formed by the municipalities of Becerrea, the Nogais, Barrall, Cervantes, Navia de Suarna and Pedrafita do Cebreiro

On the slopes Leonesa Ancares known as a territory formed by the valleys of Balboa and rivers that make Burbia, Ankara, Cua and Fornela (about 50 sites scattered between the towns of Balboa, Justo de la Vega, Villafranca del Bierzo, Faber, Páramo del Sil, Palacios del Sil, Villablino, Peranzanes and Candín). The ridge continues into Asturias and extending, sometimes, the name of Ancares places of municipalities of Asturias and Degaña Ibias.

The most important mountains of the Sierra are: Cuiña (1978 m.), Mustallar (1924 m.), Miravalles, Blonde Pena, Pena Longa, Three Bishops Penedois Os …

Ancares is a natural area due to its good state of preservation and the wealth of natural and ethnographic heritage deserved a lot of institutional protection statements (some of them covering the entire territory and other any part thereof): Protection Zone natural values (SPA, April 2004), Special Protection Area of the brown bear, Site of Community Importance (SCI) national game reserve, picturesque landscape (since 1970) and Biosphere Reserve. It also has been discussed for many years the need to declare Ancares natural park of Galicia but … What is certain is that all these statements are not contributing to the conservation and improvement of the environment, and as the years pass we see the places are more abandoned farms are not cultivated, there are fewer cattle … should facilitate the retention of young people in the area through the creation of services (Internet, public transport, …) to stop the abandonment of villages and the deterioration the environment that this entails.

As for the flora is important native forests formed by Rebol, chestnut, birch, holly, Sorbus, Texeira … and, highest point, scrubs: UCESA, deeds, carpanzos, arandeiras …

This varied and abundant flora provides shelter and sustenance the fauna also rich and interesting brown bear, Urogale, wolf, deer, robeža, mountain goat, deer, otter, eagles, partridges …

The most significant element of architecture is popular but there are other palloza construccions unique as churches, bridges, fountains … And we can not stop talking about the wisdom and cultural heritage of great value (own folklore, tales and legends, customs existing in the mountains …), but in danger of disappearing due to aging and depopulation.