Celis is a town located in the province of

Cantabria Cantabria (, also , , Cantabrian: ) is an autonomous community in northern Spain with Santander as its capital city. It is called a ''comunidad histórica'', a historic community, in its current Statute of Autonomy. It is bordered on the east ...

northern Spain Spain is a country located in southwestern Europe occupying most (about 82 percent) of the Iberian Peninsula. It also includes a small exclave inside France called Llívia, as well as the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, the Canary Isla ...

History

After Romulus founded the city of Rome in 753 BC, he expanded his empire through his private army made of 300 fierce, well-trained

Etruscans The Etruscan civilization () was developed by a people of Etruria in ancient Italy with a common language and culture who formed a federation of city-states. After conquering adjacent lands, its territory covered, at its greatest extent, rou ...

. Led by Romulus' Lieutenant Celer, the cavalry was called the "Celeres". Throughout the centuries, Emperors were choosing the new Celeres Warriors from sons of the wealthy, and the newly made Patricians. When the Roman Empire fell in 476 AD, the Celeres warriors and their families left Rome and went west to the Valley of Rionansa in

, Spain. The small village, and the surnames of the people who lived there, were named Celis.''Celis y Rubín de Celis''.
Gure Arbasoak Nuestros Ancestros. (Spanish) Retrieved 9 May 2014. The sunny valley, which often receives rain, is a few kilometres from the

Cantabric Sea The Cantabrian Sea; french: Mer Cantabrique, gl, Mar Cantábrico, ast, Mar Cantábricu, eu, Kantauri. is the term used mostly in Spain to describe the coastal sea of the Atlantic Ocean that borders the northern coast of Spain and the southwest ...

. For generations the Celeres married the locals creating new families with local roots. The ex-soldiers only work on the land and with the cattle, they also help on a small castle which was used by the villagers to defend against attack. The new Cantabric and Etruscan blood have shown loyalty to the "Order of Santiago", and to the "Real Chancellery of Valladolid", and because of that, all Celeres were included in the Spanish Heraldry.

Gallery

File:Celis Iglesia de San Pedro.jpg, Church of San Pedro, Celis, Spain

References

Populated places in Cantabria {{Cantabria-geo-stub