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Memory · glossary

Words of the trades

Each trade had its own language. These 150 words come from the memory stories of the Serranía. The words stay in Spanish, with their meaning in English; tap the story to read them in context.

A

Adobo
A piece of engineering the front company built out of the logs themselves to get past a drop or a difficult passage. The gancheros of the Escabas and the Guadiela
AGLA
Agrupación Guerrillera de Levante y Aragón: an anti-Franco guerrilla organisation active in the mountains of Cuenca, Teruel, Castellón and Valencia. It was called AGL until November 1947. The guerrilla in the Serranía de Cuenca
Agostadero
Summer pasture in the mountains for transhumant livestock. Everyone's woodland
Albacara
A walled enclosure beside the castle where livestock and people could shelter in an attack. Moya, a town on the boundary of three kingdoms
Alberca
At the saltworks, each shallow pan where brine was left to evaporate. Those in Valsalobre were lined with wood and stone slabs. The Valsalobre saltworks
Alcaldes de ánimas
Carnival characters in Campillos-Paravientos who ran the celebration, with hats and cudgels; they were not real mayors. Carnival for the ánimas and San Juan night
Almenara
A holder for the resinous splinters used to light the house: one tall, on a tripod, and another with a handle fixed beside the fireplace. The hearth, school and the road to Valencia
Almoneda
A public sale to the highest bidder. Everyone's woodland
Arca
A chest where clothes were kept; at San Juan it was opened and the clothes taken out into the sun. Carnival for the ánimas and San Juan night
Arriero
Someone who carried goods between villages with trains of mules or donkeys. Buying themselves
Arte esquemático
Painting that reduces people and animals to signs: dots, lines, zigzags, suns, idols. Painting and burial: the first traces
Arte levantino
Naturalistic painting: people and animals in hunting, war or dance scenes, almost always in fine red lines. Painting and burial: the first traces
Asensio
An Artemisia hung up for protection. Plants with names: the ethnobotany of the Serranía
Atroje
A partitioned compartment in the attic where each kind of grain was stored. The hearth, school and the road to Valencia

Á

Ánimas
Souls in purgatory: donations collected in their name were auctioned or given to the parish for masses. Carnival for the ánimas and San Juan night

B

Baleo
A broom made with stems from the hills, used to sweep fine salt from the pans and also to sweep threshing floors. The Valsalobre saltworks
Balsa o alberca
A shallow pan where the sun evaporates the brine until the salt sets. The salt of the Serranía: from royal privilege to the last saltworks
Barrasco
Resin that remains stuck to the trunk and is scraped off at the end of the season. Resin, pitch and charcoal: what the hills gave to the fire
Basílica
A forum building for justice and business. Valeria's has been described as a judicial basilica. Valeria and its territory
Biblioteca de misión
A collection of about a hundred books left in the village by the mission, usually in the teacher's care. A total of 5,552 were distributed throughout Spain. The Misiones Pedagógicas in the Serranía Alta
Botijo
A vessel with a handle and drinking spout. Dark ones were used in winter and white ones in summer because they kept the water cooler. Bread, water, clothes and pig slaughter in Valsalobre

C

Cámara
The upper floor of the house, used for storage; some villagers took refuge there that night. The Mira flood: a night of water and a year of building work
Cántaro
An earthenware vessel for carrying water from the spring, on the head with a cloth ring underneath. Bread, water, clothes and pig slaughter in Valsalobre
Carbonera
A woodpile covered with branches and earth, burnt slowly with little air to make charcoal. Resin, pitch and charcoal: what the hills gave to the fire
Cardo cardador
Teasel, whose heads were used to card wool. Plants with names: the ethnobotany of the Serranía
Carlanca
An iron-spiked collar worn by mastiffs to protect them from wolves. Shepherds of the Serranía: from shepherd boy to the last drove road
Carrastoliendas
A popular form of carnestolendas, the carnival days, in Tejadillos. Carnival for the ánimas and San Juan night
Casco
An earthenware pot placed below the cut in the pine to collect resin. Those used in Valsalobre came from Priego. The hills provide a living: resin, firewood, lavender and asphodels
Castro
A hilltop settlement with walls and terraces. Archaeologists call the process by which people gathered on these fortified hills «castrificación» (the formation of hillfort settlements). Hillforts, oppida and sanctuaries of the Serranía
Cata
A sector of the excavation with its own name, such as Magenta. Las Hoyas, from a wall to a fossil site
Catastro de Ensenada
An inquiry of 1750–1754 in which each Castilian village answered forty questions about its territory, people and income. Buying themselves
Censo de población
A count of inhabitants conducted by the INE, generally every ten years. The legally resident population is used here. The Serranía in the 21st century
Centralita
In Valsalobre, the telephone in a council-owned house that other villages called to pass on messages; its operator relayed them to the recipient at an agreed time. When the telephone, electricity and running water reached Valsalobre
Chozo
A round hut of stone and branches in the winter wood pasture, with the hearth in the centre. Shepherds of the Serranía: from shepherd boy to the last drove road
Clon resistente
An elm propagated in a nursery from trees that survived Dutch elm disease. It has greater resistance but is not immune. Trees with names in the Serranía
Cobre gris
Copper ore containing some silver, produced by the Santa Filomena vein. The Serranía Baja mining rush
Colegio libre
A school that taught classes without being an official secondary school; examinations were set by teachers from a secondary school. Studying in Landete: grants, a residence and three hundred students
Colegio menor
A student residence providing accommodation, meals and activities, separate from the school where classes were taught. Studying in Landete: grants, a residence and three hundred students
Collación
A parish and the neighbourhood organised around it in medieval towns. Santa María la Mayor in Moya is mentioned in 1222. Moya, a town on the boundary of three kingdoms
Columna estratigráfica
The order of layers from bottom to top, which makes it possible to establish what is older. Las Hoyas, from a wall to a fossil site
Comunal
Woodland or pasture used jointly by the inhabitants of a village. Everyone's woodland
Conservación excepcional
Fossils that preserve soft parts such as skin, feathers or muscle, as well as bones and shells. Water against limestone: how the Serranía was formed
Coprolito
Fossilised dung. Analysis can reveal what an animal ate. Las Hoyas, from a wall to a fossil site
Coquera
A hollow in a tree trunk. Trees with names in the Serranía
Coracha
A wall running down from the enclosure to protect access to water. Moya's reached the Torre del Agua, beside the spring. Moya, a town on the boundary of three kingdoms
Costear
A way of paying the shepherd: the stockbreeder kept about thirty or fifty of the shepherd's sheep with his flock, and their offspring belonged to the shepherd. Shepherds of the Serranía: from shepherd boy to the last drove road
Cretácico
The last period of the Mesozoic, between about 145 and 66 million years ago; the time of the last dinosaurs. Water against limestone: how the Serranía was formed
Cuajaleches
A name given to plants used to curdle milk when making cheese; it is not always the same species. Plants with names: the ethnobotany of the Serranía
Cuartillo
A measure of wine. At the mayos, bids were made in cuartillos: whoever offered most danced with the young woman. May songs, conscripts and dancing in Valsalobre
Cubero
A carpenter who made and repaired the wooden barrels in which resin travelled. Resin, pitch and charcoal: what the hills gave to the fire
Cucos
Apricot stones kept for playing gua. The hearth, school and the road to Valencia

D

DC-3
A twin-engined propeller aircraft, the most common on Spanish airlines in the 1950s. The aircraft on flight 42 bore the registration EC-ABC. Flight 42: Collado Bajo, 29 April 1959
Decantación
Letting the water settle in a tank before sharing it out among the pans. The salt of the Serranía: from royal privilege to the last saltworks
Dehesa
Enclosed land, usually pasture and woodland, with a defined owner and use. Everyone's woodland
Dehesa
In Valsalobre, the woodland near the village reserved for cattle and working mules. Sheep and goats were not allowed in. The dehesa and livestock of Valsalobre
Denuncia de escorial
An application to exploit heaps of slag from old smelting works, with a view to resmelting them. The Serranía Baja mining rush
Depósito de carga
A basin above the station where the channel ends. It regulated water flowing down pipes to the turbines; at the Salto it had to be requested about three hours beforehand, the time it took to arrive from Uña. El Salto de Villalba: a hundred years of light on the Júcar

E

Economato
A company shop selling basic goods at cost price. At the Salto orders were placed in a notebook and the amount deducted from wages. El Salto de Villalba: a hundred years of light on the Júcar
Encambrar
To stack the logs for a season so that they released their sap and resin and floated better. The gancheros of the Escabas and the Guadiela
Enlace
A villager who helped the guerrilla with food, information or shelter. Memoria Democrática recounts a Guardia Civil raid in Santa Cruz de Moya in which about fifty were arrested. The guerrilla in the Serranía de Cuenca
Escorial
A heap of smelting waste. In Talayuelas there are Roman examples, such as that at Campo de las Herrerías, and others perhaps medieval. The Serranía Baja mining rush
Escriño
A straw basket used to carry bread to the oven. Bread, water, clothes and pig slaughter in Valsalobre
Escuela de niñas
A classroom separate from the boys'; in the afternoon, girls learnt to sew. When the telephone, electricity and running water reached Valsalobre
Espliego
An aromatic plant from the hills used to distil an essential oil. In Valsalobre it was cut in late summer and paid for by the arroba. The hills provide a living: resin, firewood, lavender and asphodels
Estación
In rock art, each shelter or group of painted panels at the same location. Painting and burial: the first traces
Etnobotánica
The study of what people know and do with plants: not only remedies but also food, objects, games and beliefs. Plants with names: the ethnobotany of the Serranía

F

Farol
A lamp enclosed in glass so the wind would not put it out in the street. Used alongside the oil lamp and candle. When the telephone, electricity and running water reached Valsalobre
Foëhn
The effect of moist air that cools as it rises up a slope and leaves its clouds there. Here, the clouds that become trapped against the almost vertical eastern slope of the Sierra de Valdemeca and suddenly cover it. Flight 42: Collado Bajo, 29 April 1959
Foro
The Roman city's public square, surrounded by porticoes, with the basilica, curia and temples. Valeria and its territory
Foso
A trench dug in front of the wall. At Sobrarias it was cut into rodeno, and the stone extracted was used to build the wall. Hillforts, oppida and sanctuaries of the Serranía

G

Gamón
A plant whose dried roots were boiled with pumpkin, potatoes and bran to feed pigs. The hills provide a living: resin, firewood, lavender and asphodels
Ganchero
A man who drove logs down the river. The name comes from his only tool, the gancho. The gancheros of the Escabas and the Guadiela
Gancho
A hazel pole two or three metres long, with a spear point and a curved spur of tempered iron. Those made in Priego were famous. The gancheros of the Escabas and the Guadiela
Grafiosis
A disease of elms caused by a fungus carried by beetles; it kills the tree within a few years. Trees with names in the Serranía

H

Hornero
A villager appointed by auction to run the communal oven for one or two years, paid with a loaf. Bread, water, clothes and pig slaughter in Valsalobre

Í

Ídolo oculado
A figure reduced almost to two large eyes. Found painted in rock shelters and engraved on bone, stone or pottery. Painting and burial: the first traces
Ídolo placa
A slate plaque engraved with a highly schematic human form, characteristic of Copper Age burials on the Iberian Peninsula. Painting and burial: the first traces

I

Iguala
An annual agreement with the barber (or doctor): the whole year's services were paid for in one go, in grain from the harvest. The hearth, school and the road to Valencia

J

Jurisdicción
The right to have local justice: mayors, a jail and lawsuits in the village, without going to the city. Buying themselves

K

Karst
A landscape formed when water dissolves soluble rocks such as limestone: torcas, shafts, caves, karren and stone cities. Water against limestone: how the Serranía was formed

L

Laja
A thin slab of limestone that splits naturally; in those of Las Hoyas fossils remain as if between the pages of a book. Las Hoyas, from a wall to a fossil site
Ley de fugas
Killing a detainee while claiming they were trying to escape. According to Memoria Democrática, this was applied to some of the supporters arrested in Santa Cruz de Moya. The guerrilla in the Serranía de Cuenca
Lezda
A tax levied on goods passing through. Moya, a town on the boundary of three kingdoms
Llares
An iron chain hanging in the fireplace to hold cauldrons over the fire. The hearth, school and the road to Valencia

M

Maderada
The timber drive, driving the logs downriver from the felling to their arrival in Aranjuez; also each expedition. It began in March and lasted between three and six months. The gancheros of the Escabas and the Guadiela
Magra del matador
The piece of pork reserved for the slaughterman. The hearth, school and the road to Valencia
Manso
A ram trained «a la piedra» (with a stone) to come when the shepherd called and lead the flock, for example when fording a river. Shepherds of the Serranía: from shepherd boy to the last drove road
Maravedí
A Castilian money of account; thirty-four maravedíes made one real. Buying themselves
Marcha Blume
A walk from Huerta del Marquesado to the cross and summit of Collado Bajo, on the last Saturday in April or the public holiday nearest the 29th. Flight 42: Collado Bajo, 29 April 1959
Masa madre
A piece of fermented dough kept from one batch to the next. Bread, water, clothes and pig slaughter in Valsalobre
Mayo
A song with which young men serenaded young women in spring, going from door to door, ending in an auction in measures of wine for a dance with her. May songs, conscripts and dancing in Valsalobre
Mayorazgo
An estate tied to a family that passed intact to the heir and could not be sold. Buying themselves
Misión Pedagógica
A travelling team of teachers, students and artists sent by the Republic to villages to bring books, cinema, music, theatre and exhibitions, mainly to adults. The Misiones Pedagógicas in the Serranía Alta
Monte de utilidad pública
Woodland owned by a town council or the State and included in an official catalogue, which cannot be sold and is managed with the forestry administration. Everyone's woodland
Morillos
Irons supporting firewood in the hearth. The hearth, school and the road to Valencia
Morquera o ajedrea
An aromatic herb used to season olives and other food. Plants with names: the ethnobotany of the Serranía
Mulero
A villager who watched over all the village's mules, sounding a conch shell in the morning. The work was awarded by auction and paid in wheat. The dehesa and livestock of Valsalobre
Museo Circulante
A travelling exhibition of copies of paintings from the Prado that accompanied some missions. The Misiones Pedagógicas in the Serranía Alta

N

Ninfeo
A monumental fountain dedicated to the nymphs. Valeria's has a 105-metre retaining wall. Valeria and its territory

O

Oppidum
A large fortified settlement that headed a territory. In the Serranía Baja the oppida covered between 2 and 4 hectares. Hillforts, oppida and sanctuaries of the Serranía
Oxalato
A thin mineral crust that forms on rock. Radiocarbon dating the crust below and above a painting provides a before and an after. Painting and burial: the first traces

P

Paridera
A pen in the hills where livestock were brought in, especially during birthing. One villager remembers ten or twelve in the municipality. The dehesa and livestock of Valsalobre
Parque Natural
A protective designation under natural areas legislation for large, little-altered territories where traditional uses continue. The Serranía in the 21st century
Peguera
A stone kiln where stumps and resinous splinters were burnt to extract pitch. Resin, pitch and charcoal: what the hills gave to the fire
Pertenencia
A unit of mining area: a square of 100 by 100 metres. The Serranía Baja mining rush
Pez
A black, sticky product from resinous wood, used to waterproof wineskins and mark livestock. Resin, pitch and charcoal: what the hills gave to the fire
Pino de Judas
The largest pine the young men cut in the hills and erected in the village; in the early hours of Easter Sunday they hung a Judas effigy from its tip. May songs, conscripts and dancing in Valsalobre
Portillo
A gap in a stone wall, blocked with thorn branches to keep livestock from passing through. The dehesa and livestock of Valsalobre
Pote
A container of earthenware, and later other materials, hung from the trunk to collect resin. Resin, pitch and charcoal: what the hills gave to the fire
Puerto seco
An inland customs post on the frontier between kingdoms. In Moya it was in the Torre de San Roque. Moya, a town on the boundary of three kingdoms

Q

Quinto
A young man who reached the age for military service. In Valsalobre he was seen off with a dance. May songs, conscripts and dancing in Valsalobre

R

Rambleta
The name used in Mira for the rambla that comes down from the mountains and carried water on the afternoon of 29 October. The Mira flood: a night of water and a year of building work
Rapaz
The youngest of the shepherding crew, a boy of twelve or thirteen given the worst watches. Shepherds of the Serranía: from shepherd boy to the last drove road
Rastro
A series of successive footprints left by the same animal. Las Hoyas, from a wall to a fossil site
Registro minero
An application to the Civil Government to explore or extract a mineral on land measured in pertenencias. It was published in the province's Official Gazette and opened a 60-day period for objections. The Serranía Baja mining rush
Remasa
Collecting resin from pots into tins and from tins into barrels. Resin, pitch and charcoal: what the hills gave to the fire
Remasar
To collect resin from the pots with a paddle, putting it in a tin and from there into a vat. The hills provide a living: resin, firewood, lavender and asphodels
Rento
A farmstead with houses and land, scattered across the municipality. Moya, a town on the boundary of three kingdoms
Repunta
A short timber expedition, made until the 1960s, when the trade had already ended. The gancheros of the Escabas and the Guadiela
Reserva de la Biosfera
A UNESCO designation within the Man and the Biosphere programme for territories combining conservation and local life. The Serranía in the 21st century
Resinación a vida
Extracting resin from a pine that stays alive, opening a new wound each year, unlike the older practice of burning stumps. Resin, pitch and charcoal: what the hills gave to the fire
Resinero
The person who extracted resin from pines. In Valsalobre, the trade of five villagers, each working between two thousand and three thousand five hundred pines. The hills provide a living: resin, firewood, lavender and asphodels
Rimero
A heap of firewood from communal pruning, allocated to families by lot. Everyone's woodland
Rodal de reserva
An area of woodland left unfelled to see how the forest develops on its own. Trees with names in the Serranía
Royo
A stream (arroyo), in the speech of the sierra: the Royo de las Salinas in Huélamo recalls another salt that has disappeared. The salt of the Serranía: from royal privilege to the last saltworks

S

Saca
Each salt harvest. Under normal conditions, one a week during the summer. The Valsalobre saltworks
Salero
The name given in Salinas del Manzano to the whole saltworks. The salt of the Serranía: from royal privilege to the last saltworks
Salón o somarro
Meat from a ewe no longer breeding, boned, marinated and dried in the open night air. Shepherds of the Serranía: from shepherd boy to the last drove road
Salto
A drop in water level used to generate electricity, and by extension the station and its whole complex. In Villalba de la Sierra, «el Salto» names the station and its settlement. El Salto de Villalba: a hundred years of light on the Júcar
Sede episcopal
A city or territory that gives its name to a bishopric. Valeria's continued to exist after the city was abandoned. Valeria and its territory
Señorío
A settlement whose lord, a noble or an institution, collected rents and appointed officials. Buying themselves
Serón
A large esparto pannier loaded onto pack animals. The salt of the Serranía: from royal privilege to the last saltworks
Servidumbre de pastos
The right of some stockbreeders to graze in woodland belonging to someone else. Everyone's woodland
Sifón
A section where the channel descends and rises again across a hollow in the terrain. At Rollo Frío a metal aqueduct was built for timber to pass over. El Salto de Villalba: a hundred years of light on the Júcar

T

Taina
A dry-stone livestock shelter with a pen, shed and shepherd's hut; also called a tinada or paridera. Shepherds of the Serranía: from shepherd boy to the last drove road
Tapete microbiano
A layer of microbes on the mud that, when trodden on, helped harden and preserve the footprints. Las Hoyas, from a wall to a fossil site
Tea
A splinter of very resinous wood used for lighting or starting fires. Trees with names in the Serranía
Tierra de Cuenca
The territory dependent on the city of Cuenca after the conquest of 1177: its villages had no courts of their own. Everyone's woodland
Toba
Porous rock deposited when lime-rich water reaches the surface, often on mosses and plants. Water against limestone: how the Serranía was formed
Toma de un pueblo
An action in which a guerrilla band enters a settlement, gathers its authorities and inhabitants, holds a rally, distributes propaganda and obtains food or money. The guerrilla in the Serranía de Cuenca
Torca
The name used in Cuenca for a doline: a round hollow with vertical walls that opens when the ground collapses over dissolved rock. Water against limestone: how the Serranía was formed
Torques
A rigid metal neck ring. In the Roman army it was a decoration for centurions and soldiers of the rank immediately below. Valeria and its territory
Torvisco o matapollos
A shrub associated with protection against the evil eye in the Serranía Baja. Plants with names: the ethnobotany of the Serranía
Trasnochada
A winter evening gathering in relatives' or neighbours' homes, beside the fire. The hearth, school and the road to Valencia
Tribu Galeria
The Roman voting district to which Valeria's citizens belonged; it appears in their inscriptions. Valeria and its territory
Túmulo
A heap of stones over a cremation grave. There are whole fields of them at Pajaroncillo. Hillforts, oppida and sanctuaries of the Serranía

U

Uvala
A large hollow formed when two or more torcas merge. Water against limestone: how the Serranía was formed

V

Vaso caliciforme
A small goblet-shaped vessel left as an offering in Iberian cave sanctuaries. Hillforts, oppida and sanctuaries of the Serranía
Villa
A town with its own jurisdiction, unlike an aldea, which depended on another town or the city. Buying themselves

Z

Zona periférica de protección
A belt around a protected area that buffers what happens outside it. The Serranía in the 21st century