My Rural Travelogue (XXVII): "Peasants" in rural northern Portugal

I have been reluctant to use the word "peasants" on the blog or in my more formal writing because it seems pejorative, but the word is increasingly being revived in scholarly settings, and in international development ones as well.  I have to admit that the word "peasants" came to mind as I hiked through the villages of Arga de Cima and Arga de Baixo a few weeks ago.  They are neighboring villages in the municipality of Caminha, not far north of Ponte de Lima, the oldest chartered town in Portugal.  I had the occasion to pass through when I participated in REI's adventure trip, Camino de Santiago--the Portuguese Way (which, by the way, I highly recommend).

Our guides told us we would be passing through villages where people live subsistence lives, and one could believe it based on what we saw.  As we approached the outskirts of the Arga de Cima, the first thing we saw was an elderly couple repairing a stone wall.  Our guide asked them how old the wall was, and the man replied that his father's father didn't remember when it was built--that it had been built before he was alive.  We also walked along a path with much larger stones (second photo below), elevated over a marshy area where animals walked alongside the stone path.

Outskirts of Arga de Cima
(c) Lisa R. Pruitt 2019

A short distance on, we saw this sign, as we entered an area of a few homes.  Our guide translated as "rural center" of the area Reconco.

The photos that follow are of that village. 

Roosters, Arga de Baixo
(c) Lisa R. Pruitt 2019

Woman cleaning barnyard area, Arga de Cima
(c) Lisa R. Pruitt 2019  

Cows on the "main drag" of Arga de Cima
(c) Lisa R. Pruitt 2019 

Communal post boxes for Arga de Cima
(c) Lisa R. Pruitt 2019

An older home in Arga de Cima
(c) Lisa R. Pruitt 2019

Grain storage, typical of region
(c) Lisa R. Pruitt 2019

A stone fence, with typical corn crops behind.
(c) Lisa R. Pruitt 

After we passed through Arga de Cima, it was onto Arga de Baixo, which seemed a bit larger and slightly more modern--at least it had a few more homes of more recent construction.  Our guide explained to us that historically, homes in this region were built with living quarters on the second floor, over a ground floor barn for the animals.  We also saw this newer home in Arga de Cima, which our guide suggested had been financed from work abroad.

When is the last time you saw one of these?
Arga de Baixo
(c) Lisa R. Pruitt 2019

Honey for sale, atop gas cannisters, Arga de Baixo
(c) Lisa R. Pruitt 2019

Finally, here are two perspectives on a fascinating and lovely piece of public statuary in nearby Ponte de Lima, which depicts the area's agrarian foundations.  

Ponte de Lima (c) Lisa R. Pruitt 2019

Ponte de Lima, Portugal
(c) Lisa R. Pruitt 2019