Traditional crafts

As an eminently agricultural and mountain locality, Alameda del Valle had a series of traditional trades that characterized daily life, and with the performance of these trades, man modified the environment that surrounds him.

Carbonero: Until the 60's, coal has been made in our town because played a very important role in the local economy, as it gave work to many inhabitants of the municipality. the final destination of said coal was the stoves and boilers of Madrid. Charcoal was obtained by burning oak wood. To do this, the firewood was placed well stacked and covered with leaf litter and dirt. Once the furnace was set fire, the expertise of "the fabriqueros", also known as charcoal burners, was to perfectly master the process of subjecting the wood to slow combustion and transforming wood into charcoal. Every ten years a bushel was cut, which was auctioned and from which 20,000 arrobas of coal were obtained.

Porquero: Formerly in all the houses one, two or more pigs were raised and from these animals depended the survival of each family in the harsh winter. Every year, in the new year, the figure of the swineherd went out to auction, that in exchange for grain or money, as agreed, he took the pigs every day to eat at the mountains of the town. This work culminated with the killing, a time that united family and friends around the death and elaboration of the meat of this animal. 

Livestock: Alameda del Valle based part of its economy on livestock, Almost all families had one or two cows that provided milk and calves to sell, They also had several cows or oxen for plow yachts or to pull the carts . Some families also had flocks of sheep, but not for the production of lamb meat, but for the production of wool, which formerly had a lot of value, only when the sheep were old they were taken to the butcher.

Miller: One of the activities that characterized the life of yesteryear was that of the miller. In addition to grinding the wheat and rye necessary for human consumption, in the mill the different cereals were milled for the consumption of the animals, because these can not digest well the cereals without crushing. In Alameda there were two mills, one to the north and municipal property and another particular to the south.

Aguador: Another of the trades of yesteryear was that of aguador, a key activity since in our municipality there was a large quantity of potatoes and beans whose destination was the markets of the capital. The water carriers were responsible for organizing shifts to irrigate the orchards, give the time and control the risks, ensuring the proper use of water.

Other trades, such as the cowherd, the blacksmith, the caller, the farmer or the shepherd, characterized a way of life based on the rational and sustainable exploitation of the resources of the area, whose management has resulted in the configuration of the territory as such. as we know it today.