Panticosa (Huesca) (0)

Did you know that... Panticosa

It is located in the Tena Valley in the Pyrenees, where the rivers Caldarés and Bolática converge, in the north of the province of Huesca, in the Alto Gállego region. Its municipality is made up of the towns of Panticosa, El Pueyo de Jaca and the Balneario of PAnticosa, village and kernel, is mentioned for the first time in the early fourteenth century, and even somewhat before that date, and then consisted of four neighborhoods, called vicos, the Santa Maria, San Salvador, Sus and Exena, of which the first three settled where the village is located today, the village of Exena disappeared or was annexed to another back in the fifteenth century, it is known that in Roman times Panticosa was already known, as coins have been found Roman Emperor Tiberius. Together with El Pueyo and Hoz, it formed one of the three historic quiñones into which the valley was administratively divided. In the 16th century the three vicos were united and a single nucleus was created. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, the term quiñón was used in some Spanish valleys in the Pyrenees, referring not only to agricultural matters but also to the history of the geographical demarcation of the place. The quiñones were each one of the territories in which, grouping several municipalities, a valley or region was divided together and administratively. The Quiñón de Panticosa continues today and is formed by the towns of Hoz de Jaca, Pueyo de Jaca and Panticosa itself. At the present time the Pueyo de Jaca has joined administratively to the Town Hall of Panticosa, while Hoz de Jaca is a municipality with its own council.

To discover What to see in Panticosa?

Any time of the year is good to visit Panticosa and its wonderful environment that invites you to enjoy nature and the mountains through a varied number of excursions and hiking trails that run through this area of the Pyrenees. In addition, when walking through its steep streets you can discover a large number of Pyrenean style houses with their emblazoned facades and be surprised by the beautiful church of the Asunción Romanesque in its origin, thirteenth century and rebuilt in the sixteenth century in late Gothic style. Or, on the outskirts of the town centre, with the Caldarés bridge, or Old Bridge, with a single arch, and built in 1556 where there used to be a wooden one.

Festivities

Panticosa celebrates its patron saint festivities in honor of the Asunción and San Roque on August 15 and 16. The Pantival de Festicosa, is a festival of humour that is also held one weekend a year.

Traditions

In Panticosa a Medieval Market is traditionally held in July. For a whole weekend the town turns into a big market where traditional products are mixed with crafts, minstrels, jugglers... and a medieval atmosphere impregnates the place.

Curiosities

Occupying part of the Natural Monument of the Pyrenean Glaciers, Panticosa holds one of the best preserved varieties of the Aragonese language, the panticuto.

The Legend

The local people say that many, many years ago there was a giant living in these mountains surrounding Panticosa who had the population terrified to such an extent that between them and the giant a pact was formed, no villager would go up into the mountains to avoid disturbing him and he would not come down into the valley. But one year the winter came to settle in the mountains earlier than usual, covering them with a beautiful snowy mantle, but which the giant, catching him by surprise, left him unable to collect food to spend the season, forcing him to go down to the valley in search of cattle. He waited for the sun to go down before committing his misdeed, but when he reached the village he was so frightened that he fled, for in the village the villagers dressed in cadaverous masks were celebrating the night of the dead. When they saw the giant's fright, they followed him with the intention of driving him out of their land. The giant hid in the highest mountains and there are those who say that today, on that night, he appears to anyone who dares to bother him by passing near his lair or trying to bathe in the nearby lakes.