THE MEDULAS
The Médulas is located 35 km
from La Portela de Valcarce, and is a great engineering work of the Romans,
which left a terrific amount of gold to Rome.
The Médulas was originally a Roman exploitation of open-pit gold, although
indigenous peoples had already exploited the pre-Roman site, washing mud and
sand. Surely the Romans started working in the area at the time of the emperor
Octavian Augustus, who personally directed the majority of shares between 26 and
19 years a. C. finally conquered the peoples of the north of the Iberian
peninsula.
It is worth noting the action of Mount Medulio, which verifies the Holocaust and
Asturians Cantabrians, preferring death to be delivered. However, the location
of Mount Medulio is still under discussion.
Pliny the Elder, who in his youth was mine manager, recounts that were extracted
annually 20,000 pounds of gold, which, taking into account the 250 years of
exploitation, would 5,000,000 pounds of gold, that is, 1635 000 kg. According to
the professor and archaeologist Antonio Garcia Bellido, land removed reach 500
million cubic meters, which, by calculating an average yield of 3 grams per ton
of soil, resulting in 1,500,000 kg.
As the number of employees, Pliny speaks of 60,000 workers manumitidos. Modern
studies, based on the earth, about 10,000 or 20,000 men, with suppliers, guards,
etc.. Pliny says in his writings hard work "is less brash and purple pearls look
at the bottom of the sea that make this land of gold."
The massive engineering work done for the extraction of the mineral was a great
destruction of the environment, but resulted in a grand and spectacular
landscape of red sand, perfectly integrated with the vegetation of chestnut and
oak, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997.
The Médulas chestnuts The Médulas Farallón Gallery in the Médulas Aerial view of the Medulas
The madrone in Médulas Eagle Peak Metallurgical Orellán town The Médulas from the road
Panoramic view