More than 1,200 sheep and 200 goats paid a Sunday visit to the heart of Madrid, including Plaza Mayor, seen above, in an annual event that’s meant to remind Spain, and especially its government, of the country’s dependence on agriculture.
The Fiesta de la Trashumancia marks the annual seasonal movement of livestock between summer and winter pasture lands. It’s a familiar practice in many European regions, but since 1994 the drama in Madrid has taken on extra meaning.
A 1994 law confirmed the herders’ medieval rights to use traditional cattle trails, ravines and other paths through woodland and grazing space. While the law remains in effect, herders use the occasion to point out that urbanization is taking up more and more of the traditional routes, and to demand more financial help for livestock farmers.
This year’s parade started as usual at the Casa de Campo, a former royal hunting ground that is Madrid’s largest park, and then followed a path through the city’s main squares. At Madrid’s City Hall, following tradition, the chief herdsman handed over 50 ‘maravedies’—an 11th-century copper coin—as payment for the crossing.
