{"id":39049,"date":"2025-09-10T16:28:37","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T14:28:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travesiapirenaica.com\/?p=39049"},"modified":"2025-09-10T16:28:41","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T14:28:41","slug":"livestockways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/travesiapirenaica.com\/en\/vias-pecuarias\/","title":{"rendered":"Livestock trails: history, uses and development"},"content":{"rendered":"

The livestock trails<\/strong> are traditional paths used for grazing and the movement of livestock since ancient times. Apart from their use in transhumance, they have also been used for trade, communication when there were no vehicles or recently for activities in nature, such as hiking or cycling. In Spain we have 125,000 linear km of roads, but we face a problem for their conservation and protection.<\/strong>. Let's get to know them a little better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Origins of these ancestral paths<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We have to go back to prehistoric times, as far back as the Palaeolithic our ancestors noticed that wild animals followed fixed routes on their routes. seasonal migrations<\/strong>to look for pastures or better climatic conditions. Along these \"pathways\", humans looked for shelters to spend the night or take shelter. Later, when animals such as goats, sheep and cows were domesticated, the same problem that the wild herds faced was repeated: a shortage of pasture in summer and cold winters, with little vegetation. To solve this problem, human populations moved with their livestock along these ancient nature trails. This is the birth of the transhumance<\/strong> and, it is believed, also from the domestication of the wolf\/dog for herding and guarding livestock. A little later, in ancient Iberia, shepherds encountered the problem of \"rights of passage\" and interaction with other Iberian tribes. There is documentation of commercial transactions and free movement between Iberian tribes, such as the Vacceans of the Duero basin, the Numantines or the Beribraces of the Valencian hinterland. These primitive livestock trails had natural shelters, river courses for water supply and fords, springs or watering places, accessible passes through mountain passes...<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the Carthaginians<\/strong> Hannibal's commanders reach the Iberian coast, they use local guides to move their armies quickly along these \"primordial transhumant routes\". The Romans <\/strong>They do the same a little later and also travel along these roads. Some of these roads are paved, transforming them into Roman roads<\/strong>. People, animals and manufactured goods, such as the precious Betic wool, travelled along these roads between the interior and the coast. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1273, Alfonso X, \"The Wise\", founded the Mesta<\/strong>. This group brings together shepherds from Castile and Le\u00f3n. One of the objectives was to establish demarcated paths to avoid negative interactions between shepherds and farmers who had occupied territory reconquered from the Arabs. Over the following centuries, the network of livestock trails was in good health until the 19th century. This was the beginning of the privatisation of the territory, the loss of uses and industrialisation. The rural exodus of the 50s, 60s and 70s created a vacuum of historical memory and the abandonment of many paths. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Current status of livestock trails<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Spain is the only country in the world with its own network of transhumant paths or cattle trails. The 125,000 linear kilometres cover an area of some 450,000 ha. To give you an idea, this is the equivalent of the surface area of the province of Pontevedra, a little more than half the surface area of Barcelona, or 1% of the entire national territory. These paths are public and their management depends on the different autonomous communities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Livestock trails are classified according to their width:<\/p>\n\n\n\n