Economy
Pure commerce
The most important economic activities in the Valley were always agriculture, livestock, and mining.
Agriculture:
People used to grow basic products for daily subsistence, such as corn, rye and potatoes. Also they grew vegetables and fruits, which were necessary to feed both, people and animals.
Livestock:
It was a very important source in the diet of the people in this area. Because of this, they used to breed cows, pigs, sheeps, goats and chickens, in order to use the meat, the wool, the eggs, the milk… in their daily life. The indigenous breed of cows in the Valley is vaca de los Valles.
Mining:
It started to be the main economic resource in the area at the beginning of XXth century. A company called Minero Siderúrgica de Ponferrada (MSP)
opened some mines in this zone and built a railway line between Villablino and Ponferrada (the length of this line was 70 km and it was built in only 11 months). In the 70s, open pit mining began, affecting to the Valley’s landscapes. In the 80s and 70s, there was a demographic explosión, due to the immigration of people who came looking for a job in the mines. Most of these immigrants came from Portugal and Cape Verde. From the 90s decade, it started de decline of mining. Currently, there isn’t any working mine.
After the end of mining in Laciana, our economy is based in small companies and tourism.
The first multilanguaje page about our valley