San Esteban de la Sierra

San Esteban de la Sierra (Santisteban or simply only San Esteban in local dialect) is a village and municipality in the province of Salamanca, western Spain, part of the autonomous community of Castile-Leon. It is located 65 kilometres from the provincial capital city of Salamanca and has a population of 385 people.

History

San Esteban has written historic records since the 12th century,^[1] when some families came to this place looking for water to move their mills. Those families settled here and founded a Jewish quarter; the Christians refounded the Christian village upon the site of the old Jewish quarter emptied after the expulsion of the Jews and the Muslims in the 15th century.

Geography

San Esteban de la Sierra rests on a mountainside and is surrounded by several mountains, of which the mount Tiriñuelo stands out for giving its name to the local wine awarded with the 'Silver Ear' (a widely recognized prize for wines)in 1997.

The village owns a surface of 22.4 km². Much of terrain is devoted to wine growing. San Estebán de la Sierra boasts about their wine quality, whose production is the main industrial local activity.

The lower part of the town is crossed by the river Alagón, which meanders through the mountains and finally flows into the Tagus. Its altitude is 623 metres above the sea level.

Language

The locals of San Esteban de la Sierra and the neighbouring village of Santibañez de la Sierra ^[2] used to speak a dialect of Leonese, however this dialect is nowadays extinct. Despite this fact, people keep some Leonese traits in their Spanish speaking. For example, some dialect traits people still keep in their speaking are: -e after /d/ or /t/, the palatization of l- and n-, the preservation of the consonant group -mb-,the aspiration of the Latin initial /F/ to convert it into /h~x/ (it is similar to the English /h/) -ḥelechu (fern)-, the loss of the ending /R/, when an infinitive is before an enclytic pronoum - bebelu (drink it), the addition of the article before the possessive adjective -la mi casa (my house)-. the preservation conditions of these traits are blurry and uneasily perceptible in common speech. Perhaps, the most perceptible traits are the deaf velar fricative aspiration and the implosive /s/, these ones are the most characteristic and contrast with the rest of the province of Salamanca's speech. People still retain some words dating from the Middle Ages and having Mozarab and Basque origin. Due to these dialect's southern traits, it is considered to belong to the Extremaduran dialects stemming from the old Leonese language.

Demography

According to the population census of 2011, there are 365 inhabitants, of which 187 are men and 178 are women in an area of 20.83 km².

In spite that the population has been dwindling throughout time because of the mass emigration to larger urban areas, the village multiplies its population in holidays and feasts like Christmas, the Holy Week and the summer holidays.

Feasts

Saint Agatha (February 5)

This is the most important feast in the village. Some men are chosen as 'butlers' and they form couples that make use of local products to make traditional sweets and cakes like perronillas and sacatrapos, and drinks like anisette. These products are offered to the neighbours in the eve of the feast day, whereas the 'butlers' go round the streets making requests to the saint and reciting poems telling the life of Saint Agatha. On February 5, there is a mass, and the 'butlers' in traditional costumes parade along the streets in procession; once the procession ends, 'the butlers' hold a banquet. Next day, the 'butlers' have lunch at the town hall, where a traditional dish called 'limón' (lemon) is offered to the 'butlers'. The locals love this dish whose ingredients are lemon, orange, roasted meat, chorizo, fried egg, boiled egg, oil, pickle and wine.

Saint Stephen (August 3)

This feast is celebrated in tribute to the local patron saint giving the name to the village (San Esteban in Spanish) and used to be the primary local celebration; however this feast lost popularity because its date coincides with the reaping season- tremendously important for a primarily agricultural community. For this reason, the 'Feast of Christ' replaced this feast for being celebrated in September, just after the end of the wine harvest.

This feast is being preserved thanks to the local winery cooperative company, which commemorates its foundation by organizing a banquet open to all the neighbours and the tourists with parties and music afterwards. It is a 'small' feast, but it is becoming more and more popular thanks to the tourists spending their summer holidays in this village.

The feast of Christ (September 4)

This is the most important feast in the village. People of all ages form 'peñas' (party groups) and gather in rented or owned premises to feast and open their doors to the visitors so that they can have some drinks or have banter. The feast starts with the proclamation of the Queens of the feast and her maids and the “Quema del Castillo” (literally the burning of the Castle). This tradition dates from the Middle Ages and is a game in which the youngmen climb up to the top of a branchless tree to stay hung on the top; in the meantime some bonfires with tall flames are burning below. The prize for the winner is smoked ham. People can enjoy parties, banquets, plays, orchestra music and activities of all sorts for five days. On the last day, a parade with floats is celebrated, and later in the evening a bullfighting show is held at the Main Square.A final party is celebrated until beyond the midnight with wine, local products and music.

Heritage

The village has experienced a diversification of its services in recent times. Some guesting houses have been set up and new bars and restaurants have opened as well as natural products shops too.

San Esteban has a range of different Romanesque medieval constructions just like the village's chapel and the Church of St Stephen. Furthermore, there is a medieval bridge upon the river Alagón known as 'the Roman Bridge'.

The village's current layout corresponds to the old Jewish quarter's layout. The traditional local architecture is formed by some old houses built in wood and adobe set in small streets interwining one another. Much of the town is downhill, what reveals the visitors how near the river they are.

San Esteban de la Sierra is located in a valley with thick chestnut and eucalyptus forests and olive and wine crops on the foothills. The local environment is one of the primary assets, because it attracts numerous hikers wishing to practise hiking across this valley.

The village is 20 km away from Sierra de Francia and is near other villages like San Martín del Castañar, La Alberca o Miranda del Castañar, Bejar and places like Peña de Francia.

See also

• Province of Salamanca
• Sierra de Francia
• Castile and León

References

Bibliography

• Cea Gutiérrez, Antonio (1988). Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, ed. "La Comunidad Judía en la Sierra de Francia" (PDF). Revista de Dialectología y Tradiciones Populares. XLIII (1). pp. 53–102. ISSN 0034-7981. 

External links

• Web oficial del Ayuntamiento de San Esteban de la Sierra (in Spanish)
• Diputación de Salamanca: Índice de municipios (in Spanish)
• Web no oficial de San Esteban de la Sierra (in Spanish)

Municipalities in the province of Salamanca
Abusejo Agallas Ahigal de Villarino Ahigal de los Aceiteros Alaraz Alba de Tormes Alba de Yeltes Alconada Aldea del Obispo Aldeacipreste Aldeadávila de la Ribera Aldealengua Aldeanueva de Figueroa Aldeanueva de la Sierra Aldearrodrigo Aldearrubia Aldeaseca de Alba Aldeaseca de la Frontera Aldeatejada Aldeavieja de Tormes Aldehuela de Yeltes Aldehuela de la Bóveda Almenara de Tormes Almendra Anaya de Alba Arabayona de Mógica Arapiles Arcediano Armenteros Añover de Tormes Babilafuente Barbadillo Barbalos Barceo Barruecopardo Bañobárez Beleña Bermellar Berrocal de Huebra Berrocal de Salvatierra Boada Bogajo Brincones Buenamadre Buenavista Béjar Bóveda del Río Almar Cabeza del Caballo Cabezabellosa de la Calzada Cabrerizos Cabrillas Calvarrasa de Abajo Calvarrasa de Arriba Calzada de Don Diego Calzada de Valdunciel Campillo de Azaba Candelario Canillas de Abajo Cantagallo Cantalapiedra Cantalpino Cantaracillo Carbajosa de la Sagrada Carpio de Azaba Carrascal de Barregas Carrascal del Obispo Casafranca Casillas de Flores Castellanos de Moriscos Castellanos de Villiquera Castillejo de Martín Viejo Castraz Cepeda Cereceda de la Sierra Cerezal de Peñahorcada Cerralbo Cespedosa de Tormes Chagarcía Medianero Cilleros de la Bastida Cipérez Ciudad Rodrigo Coca de Alba Colmenar de Montemayor Cordovilla Cristóbal de la Sierra Dios le Guarde Doñinos de Ledesma Doñinos de Salamanca Ejeme El Arco El Bodón El Cabaco El Campo de Peñaranda El Cerro El Cubo de Don Sancho El Manzano El Maíllo El Milano El Payo El Pedroso de la Armuña El Pino de Tormes El Sahugo El Tejado El Tornadizo Encina de San Silvestre Encinas de Abajo Encinas de Arriba Encinasola de los Comendadores Endrinal Escurial de la Sierra Espadaña Espeja Espino de la Orbada Florida de Liébana Forfoleda Frades de la Sierra Fresnedoso Fresno Alhándiga Fuenteguinaldo Fuenteliante Fuenterroble de Salvatierra Fuentes de Béjar Fuentes de Oñoro Gajates Galindo y Perahuy Galinduste Galisancho Gallegos de Argañán Gallegos de Solmirón Garcibuey Garcihernández Garcirrey Gejuelo del Barro Golpejas Gomecello Guadramiro Guijo de Ávila Guijuelo Herguijuela de Ciudad Rodrigo Herguijuela de la Sierra Herguijuela del Campo Hinojosa de Duero Horcajo Medianero Horcajo de Montemayor Huerta Iruelos Ituero de Azaba Juzbado La Alameda de Gardón La Alamedilla La Alberca La Alberguería de Argañán La Atalaya La Bastida La Bouza La Cabeza de Béjar La Calzada de Béjar La Encina La Fregeneda La Fuente de San Esteban La Hoya La Mata de Ledesma La Maya La Orbada La Peña La Redonda La Rinconada de la Sierra La Sagrada La Sierpe La Tala La Vellés La Vídola La Zarza de Pumareda Lagunilla Larrodrigo Las Casas del Conde Las Veguillas Ledesma Ledrada Linares de Riofrío Los Santos Lumbrales Machacón Macotera Madroñal Malpartida Mancera de Abajo Martiago Martinamor Martín de Yeltes Masueco Matilla de los Caños del Río Membribe de la Sierra Mieza Miranda de Azán Miranda del Castañar Mogarraz Molinillo Monforte de la Sierra Monleras Monleón Monsagro Montejo Montemayor del Río Monterrubio de Armuña Monterrubio de la Sierra Morasverdes Morille Moriscos Moronta Moríñigo Mozárbez Narros de Matalayegua Nava de Béjar Nava de Francia Nava de Sotrobal Navacarros Navales Navalmoral de Béjar Navamorales Navarredonda de la Rinconada Navasfrías Negrilla de Palencia Olmedo de Camaces Pajares de la Laguna Palacios del Arzobispo Palaciosrubios Palencia de Negrilla Parada de Arriba Parada de Rubiales Paradinas de San Juan Pastores Pedraza de Alba Pedrosillo de Alba Pedrosillo de los Aires Pedrosillo el Ralo Pelabravo Pelarrodríguez Pelayos Peralejos de Abajo Peralejos de Arriba Pereña de la Ribera Peromingo Peñacaballera Peñaparda Peñaranda de Bracamonte Peñarandilla Pinedas Pitiegua Pizarral Poveda de las Cintas Pozos de Hinojo Puebla de Azaba Puebla de San Medel Puebla de Yeltes Puente del Congosto Puertas Puerto Seguro Puerto de Béjar Retortillo Robleda Robliza de Cojos Rollán Rágama Saelices el Chico Salamanca Saldeana Salmoral Salvatierra de Tormes San Cristóbal de la Cuesta San Esteban de la Sierra San Felices de los Gallegos San Martín del Castañar San Miguel de Valero San Miguel del Robledo San Morales San Muñoz San Pedro de Rozados San Pedro del Valle San Pelayo de Guareña Sanchotello Sanchón de la Ribera Sanchón de la Sagrada Sancti-Spíritus Sando Santa Marta de Tormes Santa María de Sando Santiago de la Puebla Santibáñez de Béjar Santibáñez de la Sierra Santiz Sardón de los Frailes Saucelle Sepulcro-Hilario Sequeros Serradilla del Arroyo Serradilla del Llano Sieteiglesias de Tormes Sobradillo Sorihuela Sotoserrano Tabera de Abajo Tamames Tarazona de Guareña Tardáguila Tejeda y Segoyuela Tenebrón Terradillos Topas Tordillos Torresmenudas Trabanca Tremedal de Tormes Valdecarros Valdefuentes de Sangusín Valdehijaderos Valdelacasa Valdelageve Valdelosa Valdemierque Valderrodrigo Valdunciel Valero Vallejera de Riofrío Valsalabroso Valverde de Valdelacasa Valverdón Vecinos Vega de Tirados Ventosa del Río Almar Villaflores Villagonzalo de Tormes Villalba de los Llanos Villamayor Villanueva del Conde Villar de Argañán Villar de Ciervo Villar de Gallimazo Villar de Peralonso Villar de Samaniego Villar de la Yegua Villares de Yeltes Villares de la Reina Villarino de los Aires Villarmayor Villarmuerto Villasbuenas Villasdardo Villaseco de los Gamitos Villaseco de los Reyes Villasrubias Villaverde de Guareña Villavieja de Yeltes Villoria Villoruela Vilvestre Vitigudino Yecla de Yeltes Zamarra Zamayón Zarapicos Zorita de la Frontera