Cantabrian Mountains

The western Cantabrian Mountains rise between Asturias and León, a landscape of steep valleys, high pastures and wooded slopes. Ancient glaciers shaped the mountains and left lakes in their hollows. In Somiedo, the vaqueiros de alzada moved with their cattle between summer settlements in the high country and winter homes in lower districts such as Miranda and Salas. Their seasonal journeys linked the mountain pastures with the milder lands to the north.