Soto en Cameros

Soto en Cameros municipality
Soto en Cameros - town view
coat of arms	Map of Spain
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Basic data
Autonomous Community :	La Rioja
Comarca :	Tierra de Cameros
Coordinates	42 ° 17 ′  N , 2 ° 26 ′  W Coordinates: 42 ° 17 ′  N , 2 ° 26 ′  W
Height :	720  msnm
Area :	49.05 km²
Residents :	89 (Jan. 1, 2019)
Population density :	1.81 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	26132
Municipality number  ( INE ):	26146
administration
Website :	Soto en Cameros

Soto en Cameros is a place and a municipality ( municipio ) belonging to the populous Serranía Celtibérica with only 89 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019) in the autonomous community of La Rioja in northern Spain .

Location and climate

The place Soto en Cameros is located on the middle reaches of the Río Leza a good 28 km (driving distance) south of the provincial capital Logroño at an altitude of about 720  m . Soria , the capital of the Old Castilian province bordering the Rioja to the south , is located a good 75 km south. The climate is temperate to warm; Rain (approx. 585 mm / year) falls mainly in the winter half-year.

Population development

year	1857	1900	1950	2000	2018
Residents	2,072	971	485	165	87

As a result of the decline in textile production, the mechanization of agriculture , the abandonment of small farms and the resulting lower demand for labor, the population of the mountain town has decreased significantly since the middle of the 19th century ( rural exodus ). The hamlet (pedanía) Trevijano , which was incorporated in the 1970s, also belongs to the municipality ; two others have since been abandoned (despoblados) .

economy

For centuries, the community was agriculturally oriented for the purpose of self-sufficiency , with livestock farming (milk, cheese, meat) in the foreground; Weaving products were made from the sheep's wool and could also be exchanged or sold. But fruit, vegetables and grain were also grown. Today holiday apartments (casas rurales) are rented out mainly in the summer months .

history

Celtiberian , Roman , Visigoth and even Islamic-Moorish traces of settlement were not discovered in the municipality. The high-lying area served as summer pasture for sheep and goats for centuries . A military reconquest ( reconquista ) by the Christians did not take place, but the place was gradually settled as part of the Repoblación . The place name Soto is first mentioned in a document from 1037. Since around 1040 the area belonged to García Sánchez III. created manor (señorio) of the Tierra de Cameros . In the Middle Ages the region was at times disputed between the kingdoms of Castile and Navarre ; In 1366, Henry of Trastamara bequeathed 40 villages to Juan Ramírez de Arellano, whose descendants, the Condes de Águilar and the Duques de Abrantes, remained landlords (señores) of the area for a long time in gratitude for services rendered . In the 18th century the place experienced an enormous boom because of its textile production. After the abolition of manorial lords in 1811, the Cameros area belonged to the Soria province and only came to the newly created Logroño province in 1833, from which the La Rioja region later emerged.

Attractions

Soto en Cameros - Ice Cellar

• The three-aisled Iglesia de San Esteban Protomartír was built in the 17th century on the site of a previous building. In the following period it was repeatedly restored due to damage; the last time the crossing dome collapsed was in 1990 . The floor was also renewed. The classical altarpiece (retablo) is one of the last in Rioja.
• The Plaza de la Constitución is the center of the place; In the vicinity there are several palaces (palacios) adorned with coats of arms and representative fountains (fuentes) .

Surroundings

• The Ermita del Cortijo , built in the 18th century, is located on a mountain slope opposite the village.
• At the beginning of the 21st century, an ice cellar (nevero) located a little above the village and still reasonably well preserved was restored.

Web links

Commons : Soto en Cameros  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Soto en Cameros - Photos + Quick Facts (Spanish)
• Soto en Cameros - photos + short information (wikirioja, spanish)
• Soto en Cameros - Photos + Quick Facts (Spanish)

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. ^ Soto en Cameros - population development
3. ↑ Soto en Cameros - History
4. ↑ Soto en Cameros - Church
5. ↑ Soto de Cameros - town center
6. ↑ Soto en Cameros - Ermita
7. ↑ Soto en Cameros - Ice Cellar