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Mesta Seasonal Transhumance System

Type Object Region Castile Time 1273–1836

A privilege granted by the Crown of Castile to the shepherds' guild regulating the seasonal transhumance of millions of merino sheep between plateau …

Timeline

  1. 1273–1400Castile · CastileThe Crown granted the Mesta privileges to cross cultivated land, collect tolls, and arbitrate droving-road disputes, forming a network of cañadas (sheep tracks) across the peninsula.
  2. 1531–1540Castile–León mountains and plateau · LeónMerino wool was shipped through ports such as Bilbao to Flanders and England; in the 1530s flock sizes and export revenues remained high, and the Mesta's influence in local politics was significant.
  3. 1600–1836Spain · SpainThe expansion of cultivated land, inflation from American silver, and competition from the textile industry reduced shepherding profits, flocks dwindled sharply, and the liberal reforms of 1836 finally abolished the Mesta's privileges.

Sources