Extremadura

Extremadura has undergone the most varied influences of diverse cultures since ancient times. Human beings have been in this area since the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic, as demonstrated by the cave paintings in the Maltravieso cave in Cáceres and many other examples of the art of early civilisations found in Granadilla, Mérida, and Alange.
Also numerous are the findings uncovered in Extremaduran districts bearing witness to human activities in Neolithic times (dolmens, stelea, idols, arms and ceramics). Several pre-Roman tribes (Tartessians, Celts, Lusitanians and Vettons) settled in the geographical space of the Extremadura, leaving their cultural and ethnic imprints.

Until the beginning of the 6th century B.C., there is evidence of Carthaginian penetration on the peninsula after the fall of the kingdom of Tartessos. In the period of Hannibal (3rd to 2nd century B.C.), Rome conquered the region, fighting its Lusitanian and Vetton habitants. After the death of Viriatus and the breakdown of the Lusitanian resistance, the region fell under the control of Rome. The Roman civil wars of the 1st century B.C. brought with them a new confrontation with Lusitanian troops. To fight them, camps were installed at strategic point, and thus emerged the centres of Medellinum (Medellín), Vicus Caecilius (Baños de Montemayor), Norba Caesarina (Cáceres), and above all Augusta Emérita (Mérida).
The Pax Romana meant stabilisation and prosperity for the region, with urban development and legal organisation. The capital of Lusitania was established in Mérida, and it grew into the main city of Roman Hispania and one of the ten most important cities in the Roman Empire. The Roman period has left us an important legacy of monuments, such as the theatre and amphitheatre of Mérida, the bridge of Alcántara, the Cáparra Arch (Cáceres), the thermal installations of Alange, and many other important constructions such as routes, bridges, aqueducts, towns, temples and theatres, which are still very well-preserved today.

Beyond the fortified walls of these historic cities, you’ll find vast tracts of unspoilt countryside which attracts flocks of bird lovers from all over Europe and beyond. One of the most extraordinary sights in the whole of Spain is that of the region’s large population of storks which build their huge nests on top of everything from palaces and telegraph poles to church spires and convent roofs. The region is believed to be home to more than 11,000 storks along with many rare and protected bird species which flourish in Extremadura’s nature reserves.

Monfrague National Park is one of the important raptor reserves in Europe and is the best place in Spain to go for a glimpse of black vultures and the rare Spanish Imperial eagle. The park is a hikers' paradise and has been declared a protected zone by UNESCO because of its rare flora and fauna, including the endangered Iberian Lynx.

The vast extension and the low demographic density of the Extremadura region have as a highly positive consequence the conservation of the nature environment almost untouched, fact that can be said of little territories in Spain. Extremadura is recognised as an ecological region with the most wide, interesting and unique group of nature spaces in old Europe. It is a region of contrasting landscapes, including base-level plains, prairies and fertile plains, with extensive and varied vegetation mainly formed by forests, live oaks and cork-oaks, while the highest points are covered in brushwood, heath, rockrose and “tovisco” bushes.

Its relief includes three mountain ranges going from east to west. The relief in the north forms part of the Central System, which branches off to the south from Gredos (the location of the community’s maximum elevation, the Calvitero peak, which measures 2,401 metres) by the mountain ranges of Sierra de Tormantos and Tras la Sierra.

The centre is crossed by the spurs of the Montes de Toledo, represented by the mountain ranges of Altamira, Guadalupe, Montánchez, and San Pedro. The mountains to the south and southeast belong to the Sierra Morena: they are the Sierras del Pedroso, Hornachos, Tudía, and Frenegal. These three mountain ranges demarcate two depressions formed by the basin of the Tajo and Guadiana rivers, which cross the region from east to west, weaving a large fluvial network that feeds the regions.

A total of 54 nature spaces are distributed all over the region of the Extremadura. Some of them have already been recognised officially as Nature Parks or Nature Reserves, suchlike those of the Cynegetic Reserve of Cíjara, Cornalvo's Nature Park or Monfrague’s Nature Park, the Nature Reserve of Garganta de los Infiernos and the Nature Monument of Los Barruecos.

Other areas that are worth mentioning are the “Dehesas” of Los Llanos de Cáceres, La Serena, La Campiña Sur, and Los Llanos del Guadiana. The most impressive mountainous areas are the Sierra de Gata, Las Hurdes, La Vera, and the valleys of the Jerte and the Ambroz, all located north of Cáceres.

It is no surprise that Extremadura is the place with the greatest concentrations of major species of European fauna, including many threatened with extinction (grey wolf, lynx, black vulture, imperial eagle and water vole) as well as large mammals (wild boar, mountain goat, roe deer, stag and buck deer) and almost all of the winged carrion-eaters and carnivores.

Another remarkable feature of the Extremadura is the overwhelming presence of storks. Everywhere you look you will find storks that have built their nests in the most impossible places like church towers and electricity towers. Their all over presence have made them to be the symbol of Extremadura, and sometimes it seems that with the ticking of their beaks, they welcome the visitors.

The Spanish Imperial Eagle (Aquila adalberti):-
The world population of only some 150 breeding pairs is confined to Iberia and a third of them occur in Extremadura. The main populations can be found in Monfrague (10 pairs) and the Sierra de San Pedro (15-20 pairs).

The Black Stork (Ciconia nigra):-
Is one of the most endangered species in Western Europe where Spain possesses the largest population, of some 200 pairs. Extremadura has a minimum of 150 pairs, 75% of the Spanish total.

The Black Vulture (Aegypius monachus):-
Has suffered an extensive reduction of its global range and population. Extremadura accommodates almost 500 pairs, about half of the Spanish population. The world's largest colony is at Monfrague Natural Park (over 225 pairs). The colonies at the Sierra de San Pedro (almost 100 pairs) and the Sierra de Gata (42 pairs) are also important.

The Great Bustard (Otis tarda):-
Has a global population of 22,000-25,000 individuals, spread widely across Eurasia. Spain, with half the total is the most important area for this species and about 6,000 of the birds inhabit Extremadura. Indeed, as bustard expert Dr Nigel Collar of the ICBP has said "in no other place on earth is there a better opportunity for the continued survival of this species".

The White Stork (Ciconia ciconia):-
Has suffered a severe decline in Europe during the past century, from which it has only recently begun to recover. Spain, with more than 17,000 pairs, has the largest population. A census carried out by Adenex in 1994 revealed 6,800 pairs in our region.

The Montagu's Harrier (Circus pygargus):-
Is the raptor whose European population has suffered the largest decrease in recent years. Its habit of nesting on the ground in crops has made it vulnerable to changes in cropping regimes. A third of the European population, of 1,500 - 2,000 pairs, breeds in Extremadura.

The Little Bustard (Tetrax tetrax):-
Is rapidly and unexpectedly dissappearing from its strongholds in North Africa and Eastern Europe. Only the Iberian Peninsula retains a significant population, much of it within Extremadura.

Grey or Mythical Wolf (Canis lupus):-
Currently estimated at only 35-40 pure-bred individuals. Its presence gives the fauna a touch of mystery and exoticism which has been lost forever in most other areas of our countries.

The Iberian Lynx (Lynx pardellus):-
The most endangered European mammal still inhabits the remaining natural habitats, the Mediterranean forests, and scrublands. Its situation can only be described as critical, given ongoing changes in its habitats and the marked decline in the Wild Rabbit population.

The Otter (Lutra lutra), Mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon), Genet (Genetta genetta), Polecat (Putorius putorius), Beech Marten (Martes foina) and Weasel (Mustela nivalis) are very common. The Wild Cat (Felis sylvestris) also occurs but its declining numbers are a cause for concern.

Extremadura has an extremely rich community of bat species. It also boasts the Wild Goat (Capra pyrenaica) in the Extremaduran part of the Sierra de Gredos; this species was originally made known to science by a specimen from Madrigal de la Vera (Cáceres).

Extremadura is the least populated area of Spain. Compared with an average of 170 inhabitants per km2 in the rest of the EU, and 75 inhabitants per km2 in Spain, Extremadura has 27 inhabitants per km2. This could explain why the Extremeños feel very close to the ever surrounding nature.
The Extremeños are looked upon as hard working, loyal people. They take pride in protecting the land and environment on which they usually depend for their income and recreation. They love their traditions and are extremely welcoming to any visitor; they enjoy sharing all their Fiestas, history and nature.
Most Fiestas are a mixture of historical and human elements. Everybody in society - whether old or young, rich or poor – takes part in these Fiestas which can be anything from a horse-race to a bullfighting festival, the yearly Carnival or Easter Week, or a celebration of a Christian Holiness.
If you would ever like to find out the meaning behind a certain fiesta, just ask the first Extremeño you see, and you will probably get a very detailed explanation together with an invitation you simply can not refuse!

Extremaduran cuisine is simple, and based on high-quality products. The main feature is Iberian pork, fed with the acorns of the region’s numerous oak-forests. This pork produces the region’s greatest product: Pata Negra Iberian ham, acorn-fed and “sudado” (literally sweated’ or steamed), an exquisite delicacy for the most discriminating palate. However, Iberian pork also produces other delicious cured meats, such as chorizo sausage, dry cured pork loin, white sausage, and blood sausage. Every part of the pig is used, and this custom is reflected in many popular dishes, the most characteristics of which are potatoes with flanks, tail with tomatoes, and battered ear (!).

Lamb and kid meats are also prominent in the cuisine of the Extremadura: dishes such as “caldereta” (casserole), “frite” (fried lamb with garlic, onion, lemon, and paprika), lamb with “andillas” and sautéed kid meat with leeks are examples of the exquisite, extensive variety of its gastronomical offerings. Other typical dishes include delicious “sopa de Obispo” (bishop’s soup) and the various types of gazpacho, as well as stews and scrambled dishes of asparagus or mushrooms. All these are topped off with exquisite desserts such as “perronillas”, “técula-mécula” (rich almond cake), “corazones de monjas” (nuns’hearts) and doughnuts.

This gastronomical overview would not be complete without a mention of the cheeses of the Extremadura. The region produces goat’s, sheep’s and cow’s cheeses using the traditional processes that give them very special aromas and flavours. The main cheese-producing areas are La Vera, Casar de Cáceres and La Serena. The cheese from Casar de Cáceres, called “Torta de Casar”, was rewarded as “best local cheese of Spain” in 2003.

The climate of the Extremadura is generally continental, softened in the west by proximity of the Atlantic and including a wide variety of nuances depending on altitude, mountain orientation and the relative proximity or distance of the Atlantic coasts. South is approximately south of Mérida - North is approximately north of Mérida Rainfall is high in the north of the province of Cáceres and in the zone of Guadalupe, and gets progressively lower further to the south.