Cavy (Burgos)

Cavia parish
Castillo de Cavia
coat of arms	Map of Spain
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Castile and Leon
Province :	Burgos
Comarca :	Alfoz de Burgos
Coordinates	42 ° 17 ′  N , 3 ° 51 ′  W Coordinates: 42 ° 17 ′  N , 3 ° 51 ′  W
Height :	805  msnm
Area :	12.98 km²
Residents :	242 (Jan. 1, 2019)
Population density :	18.64 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	09239
Municipality number  ( INE ):	09063
administration
Website :	Cavy

Cavia (rarely also written Cabia ) is a place and a municipality ( municipio ) with 242 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019) in the province of Burgos in the northern Spanish autonomous region of Castile-León .

Location and climate

Cavia is located in the Castilian plateau ( meseta ) at the confluence of the Río Ausín in the Río Arlanzón at an altitude of about 805  m and is about 18 km (driving distance) in a south-westerly direction from the city of Burgos . The neighboring town of Cayuela is only about 3 km to the south-east. The climate is temperate to warm; Rain (approx. 550 mm / year) falls over the year.

Population development

year	1857	1900	1950	2000	2017
Residents	471	478	464	244	233

The mechanization of agriculture and the abandonment of small farms have led to a shortage of jobs since the 1950s and, as a result, to a large part of the population moving to the cities ( rural exodus ). Due to the proximity to the city of Burgos, the number of residents has stabilized in the last few decades.

economy

The region has been shaped by agriculture for centuries, with self-sufficiency in the foreground in earlier times . Only durable or preserved foods such as grain , cheese , sausage, etc. could be sold in the markets of Burgos.

history

The first traces of human presence can be traced back to the Bronze Age . Roman and Visigoth traces are missing. After the conquest of central Spain by Islam, the area was largely deserted for centuries and was not repopulated ( repoblación ) until the end of the 9th century . The castle (castillo) , which still exists today, belonged to the local landlord family Los Rojas ; it dates from the 15th century and once secured the strategically important location of the place at the confluence of the Río Ausín and Río Arlanzón.

Attractions

• The pentagonal castle of Cavia (Casa fuerte de Los Rojas) stands in the center of the village and is built from precisely hewn stones that are laid in the wall bond; it is two-storey and has several round corner towers that provided the side protection. Several coats of arms are embedded in both the corner towers and the outer walls. In the northeast corner of the courtyard area there is a square keep (torre de homenaje) , which can possibly be dated back to the 14th century.
• The parish church of San Pedro Apóstol stands on a hill on the outskirts. The building shows a late Gothic apse as well as Renaissance and Baroque elements . The multi-storey bell tower (campanario) dates from 1783 and is built in neoclassical styles. The interior of the church has three aisles; There are several altarpieces (retablos) from the 16th and 17th centuries and a Romanesque font (pila bautismal) with figures of the apostles within arcades , which is similar to the one in the neighboring town of Cayuela .
• A seven-arched bridge spans the Río Ausín. It is known as the “Roman Bridge” (puente romano) , but it probably dates from medieval times.

Web links

Commons : Cavia (Burgos)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Cavy - photos + info (wikiburgos, spanish)
• Cavy, castle and church - photos + information (Spanish)
• Cavy, Iglesia San Pedro Apóstol - photo

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Cifras oficiales de población resultantes de la revisión del Padrón municipal a 1 de enero . Population statistics from the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (population update).
2. ↑ Cavia - climate tables
3. ↑ Cavia - population development
4. ↑ Cavy History
5. ↑ Cavy History