Casas de Monleón

Casas de Monleón is small town in the southeast corner of the province of Salamanca, autonomous community of Castilla y León, Spain.

History

Casas de Monleón came into being several hundred years ago (c. 1200) when settlers from the north of Spain repopulated the central ranges after the Reconquista expelled the Moors; interestingly, the surname Navarro is quite common.

A short walk from the town are some Celtic ruins, mainly tombs hewn out of flat rocks, which folk culture, however, attributes to be their own ancestors' wine presses. Further up the hill from the town there is an old Roman Catholic Church that has fallen into ruins.

Government

Casas de Monleón was formerly an entity in itself; however, as a result of the sharp decline in the number of residents over the past three decades, it has been annexed to the nearby town of Endrinal de la Sierra. Consequently, it has no mayor, but rather a councilor that serves with two additional councilors of Endrinal under the mayor of Endrinal.

Local Culture

The majority of the population is composed of farmers. Locals tend their own cows, pigs, and gardens, although they do shop out of town for other necessities.

The town celebrates its patron saint the second week-end in August. The extended family of residents usually comes from the cities and enjoys the concerts and dancing in the plaza at night; the children have organized games; and everyone meets together on Sunday to eat paella, a rice dish, also in the town plaza.

Castilian Spanish (Castellano) is spoken, with various local colloquialisms influenced by Portuguese, such as inserting the definite article before a possessive pronoun (e.g. la mi casa, instead of only mi casa).

Geography

Casas de Monleón is in the Tajo (Tagus) river system with the stream Santa María passing nearby and flowing into the Alagón, a major tributary of the Tajo.

It is at the base of the Sierra de las Quilamas, a minor mountain range between the Candelario and the Peña de Francia mountain ranges, themselves being ranges in the Sistema Central. It is situated 48 km (30 mi) south of Salamanca (city) and 80 km (50 mi) east of Ciudad Rodrigo. Nearby towns include Endrinal de la Sierra, to which it is annexed, Monleón, Los Santos, Linares, and the major meat-processing center for Jamón serrano, Guijuelo.

Climate and Life Forms

Casas de Monleón has warm, balmy summers with little rain, very dull and rainy winters, and fickle springs and autumns; year-round precipitation is about 750 mm (30 in.), typical of its mountainous continental Mediterranean climate.

The vegetation in the area consists of a mix of Atlantic and Mediterranean continental plant forms including such tree species as holm oak, pyrenean oak, chestnut, black poplar, ash, and various pines. The fauna comprises various species of snakes, lizards, perching birds, small mammals, and an occasional wild boar (known as jabalí).

ee also

*Castilla y León
*List of municipalities in Salamanca
*Mediterranean Climate
*Salamanca
*Spain
*Spanish language

References

*Google Earth
*Guía de los Árboles y Arbustos de Castilla y León (Oria de Rueda, Diez)
*Guía de los Árboles de España (Moro)
*Aves de la Península Ibérica (Masó)