Ethnography
Cultural heritage and landscape
This territory not only has constructions and vestiges of different types of architecture, but also a rich cultural heritage, which has been passed down from generation to generation, allowing various handicraft activities to continue to this day.
The remainstumuli and dólmenes are especially abundant and are scattered throughout the Biosphere Reserve, along with numerous sets of castreña culture. In addition to these vestiges, there is an important religious and civil architectural heritage. Religious architecture has a deep-rooted tradition, reflected in the ancient monastic foundations that existed, as well as in an extensive group of chapels, churches and hermitages, mainly from the 14th to the 19th centuries. These buildings, distributed throughout the territory, house a great diversity of carvings, sculptures and altarpieces. On the other hand, the civil architecture houses a great number of manor houses and pazos.
There are two routes of the Camino de Santiago that cross the region: the Coastal Route and the Primitive Way.
The ethnographic heritage also occupies a prominent place, represented by a variety of constructions typical of the traditional rural culture. The mountainous landscape is dotted with elements such as pallozas, hórreos, cabazos, dovecotes, trobos, cortizos, cortines (structures to protect the beehives from predators) and corripias or ouriceiras (used to store harvested chestnuts and dry their hedgehogs). In addition to this valuable material legacy, there is also an oral cultural heritage, folklore and traditional activities.