The cabaña pasiega is a type of mixed popular architecture (housing-livestock building called a

housebarn A housebarn (also house-barn or house barn) is a building that is a combination of a house and a barn under the same roof. Most types of housebarn also have room for livestock quarters. If the living quarters are only combined whith a byre, where ...

), typical of the

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 ...

n mountains, above all, from the upper valleys of Asón and Pas, whose contrasted origin dates back to the 16th century.

Typology

Usually it is a warehouse buildings, divided into two levels, with support in the perimeter walls and in one or two pillars of the watershed of the roof. Are built on good-sized

masonry Masonry is the building of structures from individual units, which are often laid in and bound together by mortar; the term ''masonry'' can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are bricks, building ...

, with

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

of the place, with roofs of slate

flagstone Flagstone (flag) is a generic flat stone, sometimes cut in regular rectangular or square shape and usually used for paving slabs or walkways, patios, flooring, fences and roofing. It may be used for memorials, headstones, facades and other co ...

s. The access to ground floor, used as a stable for animals, is made directly from the field level by a door with wooden lintel. The upper floor, usually entitled to housing or warehouse, usually accessed through a Patín, consistent, in the most ancient examples, in a step ladder of slab, with a terrace or landing, which is usually covered with an extension of the

eave The eaves are the edges of the roof which overhang the face of a wall and, normally, project beyond the side of a building. The eaves form an overhang to throw water clear of the walls and may be highly decorated as part of an architectural styl ...

s cover. Sometimes, when the cabin is on steep slope, is made from the side access located in the high altitude, although it is not usual. Holes in the walls are scarce and small in size, as a defense against the cold.

Character

These cabins were always linked to a livestock farm, and to the Pasiego system of transterminance called ''mudas'' between low areas and ''urbanizadas'' in the valleys, and high grasslands. In the warm season, the cattle were taken to these high fresh meadows, called branizas, for the summer, the family moved to the cabin during that period. By autumn, returning to the lowlands. Very rarely, the cabins were occupied throughout the year, in which case it could be the coexistence of two or more buildings in a single

payment A payment is the voluntary tender of money or its equivalent or of things of value by one party (such as a person or company) to another in exchange for goods, or services provided by them, or to fulfill a legal obligation. The party making the ...

, and in recent times (19th and early 20th centuries), only were moved the younger members of the families.García Alonso & Bohigas Roldán: ''op. cit.'', pag.60 This character connected to a livestock farming, causes usually have attached a fence, closed by low

stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

wall A wall is a structure and a surface that defines an area; carries a load; provides security, shelter, or soundproofing; or, is decorative. There are many kinds of walls, including: * Walls in buildings that form a fundamental part of the sup ...

, known as ''fincas'' or ''llave''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cabana pasiega Culture of Cantabria Agricultural establishments Vernacular architecture House types