Galicia, a land of culture and tourism

Galicia is made up of the provinces of A Coruña, Lugo, Ourense and Pontevedra. The city of Santiago de Compostela is the capital, located in the province of A Coruña.

Galicia and its ancient history

The history of Galicia goes back to very ancient times. There are archaeological sites, such as the Eirós Cave, where the presence of Neanderthals was reported. There are also reserves from the Paleolithic era in Baixo Minho and Ourense. However, the first major culture identified was in the Megalithic (5000 BC).

It was characterized by construction and architectural capacity, along with some spiritual and religious sense. It is estimated that this society was organized in a type of clan structure. Thousands of tombs were identified throughout the territory, as they had a burial chamber known as Dolmen.

Celtic Galicia

The Celtic culture, very evident to present day, came in the second half of the Iron Age (11th century BC). They brought the use of iron, imported from the East through the migration of Indo-European tribes. From 1,200 BC they began to arrive in Western Europe, remaining until the Roman Empire.

The first Celtic people to invade Galicia were the Saefes, in the 11th century BC. The Celts mainly influenced religion, political organization and maritime relations with Britain. Furthermore, it was said that they were the most difficult to overcome in all of Lusitania.

The mix with Castro Culture: The Castros

They built circular fortified enclosures, provided with one or more concentric walls. They were generally preceded by a moat, and were located at the top of the hills and some coastal ones.

Among the Castros in the interior, those of Castromao and Viladonga can be mentioned. Among the coastal ones, those of Fazouro, Santa Trega, Baroña and O Neixón stand out. Common to all of them is the fact that man adapts to the terrain and not the other way around.

The Galaicos: the greatest resistance against the Romans

These Celtic-Castro tribes were called Galaicos by the Romans. The designation celebrates the strong resistance given by this people to the Romans and extended to the remaining tribes of the northwestern peninsula. The first historical reference to the Galaicos is made after the Roman Empire noted the difficulty of defeating those people.

The first time that a defeat for the Galaicos was recorded was in the confrontation with Décimus Júnio Bruto, who, due to his feat of defeating them, took the nickname “The Galaico”. The administrative division of Gallaecia was then created, which had limits with the Douro, the Atlantic and Tarraconensis.

Gallaecia was divided into three conventus: Lucense, Bracarense and Asturicense and its capital was Braga. The division corresponded to the division made to the tribes that comprised it: the Artabrians, the Grovians and the Astures.

With the arrival of the Suevi from central Europe in the 5th century, Gallaecia ceased to be a Roman province and finally became a kingdom with the court based in Braga. After the battle of Vouillé in 507, the Visigoths were expelled from Gaul by the Franks, under the command of Clovis I.

Muslims in the Iberian Peninsula

Muslim expansion occurred from the 8th century onwards. Islamic troops from North Africa, under the command of General Tárique, crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and defeated Rodrigo, the last king of the Visigoths of Hispania, in the battle of Guadalete.

In the following centuries, Muslims expanded their conquests on the peninsula, taking the entire territory designated in Arabic as Al-Andalus, which they ruled for almost eight hundred years. The Muslims were unable to occupy the mountainous region of Asturias, where many refugees resisted.

Then Pelagius of Asturias would appear, and at the head of the refugees, he would win a cowardly battle, with only 10 soldiers remaining. A movement to reconquer the lost territory immediately began. The Reconquista was the name given to this Christian movement, beginning in the 8th century, to recover the lands of the Visigoths.

The Holy War emerged, over the Christian cross, at the time of the Crusades (1096). The reconquest of the peninsular territory lasted around 8 centuries. In 1492 it ended with the seizure of the Muslim kingdom of Granada. In Portugal, it ended with the conquest of Silves by the forces of Afonso III, in 1253. Some consider Portuguese maritime expansion a continuation of the Reconquista.

The evolution of Galician geopolitics

Several designations came, derived from Hispania and Galécia, during the Middle Ages. In the 12th century, it began to fragment:

• In 1108 Portugal gained independence;
• Leon (with Asturias, Extremadura) and Castile became kingdoms;
• At the end of the century, Galicia, Leon, Castile and Portugal were already different kingdoms.

Until the 19th century, it was divided into seven provinces: Mondoñedo, Lugo, Ourense, Tui, Santiago, A Coruña and Betanzos. Then they were reduced to just four. It had its own governing bodies, namely the Junta da Galícia (Xunta de Galiza) and the Galician Parliament. Portugal has been a migratory destination for Galicians since the time of the Reconquista.

Cultural heritage and Galician culture

The official languages are Galician and Castilian. In several regions of Leon and Asturias, Galician is also spoken. These regions were separated from Galicia in the 18th century and are claimed to belong to the Galician nation.

Galicia asserts the total distinction between Galician and Portuguese, however, in 2003, a reference to Portuguese was made in the official documents of the Real Academia Galega. There is a reintegrationist movement that defends the thesis that the Portuguese language and Galician never really separated.

Variants or dialects of the same language:

• Portuguese from Portugal and Portuguese from Brazil;
• Galician, Galician-Portuguese, Portugalician, Portuguese from Galicia

The region has Celtic and Roman influence, however, unlike the rest of Spain, the Arabs did not leave any marks. The anthem of Galicia, for example, written by Eduardo Pondal, refers to the place as the nation of Breogán, who was a Celtic hero. Breogán (Celtic mythology) credited with building the mythical tower said to have connection with the famous Tower of Hercules. Other accounts cite him as the founder of the city of Brigantium, which is present-day A Coruña.

The Tower of Hercules

The Tower of Hercules is located approximately 1.5 km from the city center of A Coruña. A national monument, it is the oldest, most illustrious and representative of A Coruña. It is the only Roman lighthouse that exists in the world and that continues to fulfill its function. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Galician gastronomy

The region is predominantly rural, with family farms, many hills, livestock, some forest reserves and eucalyptus plantations and vineyards. Many Galicians had to leave their native region, as there was no profitable work. Those who remained kept traditions to the letter, both Celtic and popular beliefs.

The Galician land is sacred to its inhabitants, the extractive products are considered as belonging to everyone and must be taken care of. For Galicians, culinary abundance makes them forget the hardness of life and brings joy. Among the main dishes from this region, we can highlight the Galician broth, the Galician cocido, the pulpo (Galician-style octopus) and the empanada.

The Santiago Pie

As a dessert, the great icon of Galician cuisine is the Torta de Santiago. It is not certain why it is named after the apostle. What is certain is that, for many centuries, it has been a ground almond pie with the cross of the order of Santiago made with sugar on its surface.

Types of tourism in Galicia

Galicia attracts tourists from all over the world. Among the main motivations is Religious tourism, due to the huge number of Pilgrims who walk to Santiago de Compostela every year. Find out more about Santiago de Compostela and its paths.

Due to its rich and evident cultural heritage, Galicia also attracts a lot of historical tourism. Due to its exuberant nature and adequate natural attractions, it has more recently started to receive a great demand for adventure tourism and active tourism.

Obviously, with the gastronomy and being a predominantly rural region, rural tourism is also very evident. But it doesn’t stop at sun and beach tourism. Beach tourism attracts a huge number of people, with a greater focus on the regional public.

The Museum of the Galician People

Located in Santiago de Compostela, it is a synthesizing center for Galicia’s museums and anthropological collections, a definition given by the Xunta de Galicia itself. Find out more about the Museu do Povo Galego on its official website.

The Wall of Santiago de Compostela

One of the most important Catholic sanctuaries in the West is in Galicia. The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Bishop Sisnando II was the one who ordered the Santiago Cathedral to be surrounded with a wall.

Crescónio, in the middle of the 11th century, replaced it with another that covered the Compostelense burgh. In the 14th and 15th centuries, the gates of Algalias, San Fiz and Souto were opened.

Today only the Mazarelos gate remains. Supposedly, part of the section on the side of the Monastery of San Martiño Pinario, close to the Convent of San Francisco do Val de Deus, is also preserved.