Tour of the Casas de Indianos (Indian Houses)

In Viniegra de Abajo you can find good examples of "casas de indianos", built in the 1920's by emigrants to Argentina... All the houses are located on both sides of the road that runs through the village, in the surroundings of the Plaza de Argentina. Here you can see the houses of Pedro Montero Montero, built in 1921 on his return from Argentina; the house of Nemesio Sangrador Bernalded in 1922, after staying several years in Argentina; the house of Miguel Montero, who emigrated to Buenos Aires and built it on his return in 1931; the house of Pedro Juan Manzanares Llorente (born in Berceo but married to a woman from Viniegra de Abajo) who emigrated to Argentina and built his house in 1926; the house of Domingo Sangrador Bernalded, who lived in Buenos Aires and built this house on his return in 1929... The decline of the wool trade provoked an emigration in search of new ways of life. This was mainly oriented to Argentina where an enterprising and prosperous colony of Viniegreses was formed. Those pioneers who never forgot their origin provided the municipality with essential services: schools, paving, running water, medical aid and pharmacy. Today, beautiful public and private buildings and a careful urban planning remind us of their passing.