From where you’re standing, you can climb up to the Alto de San Antón, one of the most unique spots along the Camino de Santiago in La Rioja. It is an obligatory stop on the route from the Ebro valley to the heart of the Najerilla valley. In Roman times, this may have been one of the stops on the road from Italy to Hispania, which led from Vareia, the last river port on the Ebro, to Tricio, the main pottery-making centre on the Peninsula. Small rural sites from the Roman period on both sides of the road support this theory. Some of the great thoroughfares that were used during the Middle Ages benefited from the Roman roads. Such was the case of the pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela, including the French Route to Santiago de Compostela, for example, as it passed through La Rioja. The Camino de Santiago, which linked Pamplona with Burgos via Briviesca, was relocated to Nájera by Sancho el Mayor in the early 11th century. The route may already have passed through La Rioja, a land with a more pleasant geography and climate, as early as the previous century. This stretch, which runs through Ventosa and the Alto de San Antón, was established by the Charter of Logroño in 1095. The creation of the Hospital de La Cadena on the Alto de San Antón, the highest point along the Camino de Santiago in La Rioja, also played a part in this. This hospital, which was under the authority of the Council of Calahorra Cathedral, has been documented from the early 13th century, caring for the poor, the sick, pilgrims and also serving as a leper colony. It remained in operation until 1791, when the Order of San Antón was abolished. Traces of the hermitage remained until the mid-20th century. Today, only the ruins of the Hospital can be seen to the left of the road. The first records of the existence of Ventosa date back to the 11th century, when it came under the jurisdiction of the Monastery of San Millán. The town is also mentioned in the charters of Nájera (1020) and Logroño (1095). It had 50 neighbours (around 250 inhabitants) in the population census of the Crown of Castile (16th century) and 771 inhabitants in 1842. Since then, the population has declined almost continuously until 2012 (164 inhabitants), although there has been a positive trend over the last decade. Although Ventosa is a small, mountainous municipality, it is strategically located along the main route from Navarre and the Ebro to the Castilian plateau. These reasons may have influenced the fact that, at least from the 17th century onwards, most of the men from Ventosa travelled along the roads plying their trade. During the town’s annual festival, the dance in honour of the Virgen Blanca (the White Virgin), one of the oldest dances in La Rioja that has remained unchanged over the centuries, is particularly noteworthy. The Danza a la Virgen Blanca (Dance of the White Virgin) is an ancient processional dance in honour of the Patron Saint of Ventosa. Traditionally, it was always held on 2 July. Today, however, it is held on the first Saturday of July, starting at midday at the door of the Church of San Saturnino. The dancers are always men, with no limit as to number or age. It is possible that there used to be only eight dancers in the past, plus the cachiberrio (the leader of the dance), because there is a record of the performance of troqueaos, a dance with sticks, which requires this number of participants. The dance’s originality lies in the fact that it is based on historical legends that refer to the border disputes between the kingdoms of Navarre and Castile throughout the Late Middle Ages. These legends are artistically captured first in the 17th-century altarpiece of the Virgen Blanca and, secondly, in an 18th-century votive tablet, both of which are housed in the parish church. There has also been an oral legend that claims that Navarrese thieves tried to steal the image of the White Virgin but, miraculously, it became so heavy that they were unable to drag it away. Three legends to explain the origin of a dance. The lyrics that accompany the music of the dance and the rite of the women and children who stand under the Virgin’s platform seeking her protection convey the universal symbolism related to fertility and the hope for a good harvest. The people from Ventosa are known throughout La Rioja and neighbouring countries by the nickname lechoneros (piglet dealers), because that is what their main economic activity has historically been: buying and selling suckling pigs. Almost all the men in seven families in this small town—the Bezares, Ceniceros, Ciria, Garrido, Nestares, Olarte and Rojo families—have been pig dealers. The historical research conducted to date has revealed that, at least as far back as the 17th century, men from Ventosa walked the old roads plying their trade. They were called trajinantes (peddlers) in the 18th century, arrieros (muleteers) a bit later, and tratantes (traders) in the 20th century. By the mid-18th century, 83 of the 109 inhabitants of Ventosa were muleteers. The products they traded were mainly wine, cloth, salt, fish, honey and, of course, pigs. It is a mystery why the inhabitants of this village specialised in trade. The explanation may be the combination of several circumstances: Ventosa is a very small and mountainous municipality, hardly suitable for agriculture; land ownership was poorly distributed; the strategic location of the village on the main thoroughfare from Navarre and the Ebro valley towards the Castilian plateau. And, of course, the weight of tradition: the work of a dealer is a trade that requires specific knowledge that can only be acquired from generation to generation, from father to son. This market has an ethnographic focus, based on the commercial past of the people of Ventosa: peddlers and traders. The people of Ventosa used to travel to different parts of La Rioja and the north of Spain to buy and sell products. Various stalls are set up around the Church of San Saturnino offering craft products, tastings (migas, crêpes, buns, roast pork), exhibitions and audiovisuals, workshops for children, art and traditional professions (stonemasonry, pottery, painting, archery), birds of prey, performances, parades, camping, etc. This year, as a new feature, visitors will be able to see Oscar Cenzano’s 1 Kilómetros de Arte piece called “Tratante” (Trader) and participate in the art workshop with David Azpurgúa. Guided tours, tastings, and multiple performances by the groups Sapo Producciones, Mon Teatro and a folk music concert by Illo Gronio round off a diverse programme for the whole family.A bit of history
VENTOSA TOWN COUNCIL
THE VENTOSA DANCE
PEDDLERS AND TRADERS
MERCADO DEL TRATO
