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64-535: The district was under control of military orders following the 12th-century Christian reconquest of the area from the Moors . It also had a significant role in the 19th century Carlist Wars and the 20th century Spanish Civil War . After many years of decline the area is undergoing some re-vitalization, helped by funding from the European Union and tourism. The earliest signs of human habitation date back to

128-593: A first Aiguabarreig between the towns of La Granja d'Escarp, Massalcoreig and Torrente de Cinca, a few kilometers downstream they converge with the waters of the Ebro, already in the municipality of Mequinenza , forming one of the largest river confluences of the entire Iberian Peninsula. Aragon, occupying the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula has served as a bridge between the Mediterranean Sea ,

192-545: A halt to economic decline in the region and the injection of European Union funding has led to the development of heritage centres and cooperatives providing training in practical crafts. Agriculture, including pigs, poultry, sheep, goats and smallholdings predominate in the valleys. In 1995, Ken Loach 's award winning film about the Spanish Civil War, Land and Freedom , was filmed in the Maestrazgo. Life in

256-711: A military order; the Military Order of Loyalty ( Spanish : Orden Militar de la Constancia ) was founded in 1946 by the Spanish protectorate in Morocco . Awarded to both Spanish and Moroccan military officers and soldiers , the single-class order was abolished in 1956. Aragon Aragon ( / ˈ ær ə ɡ ən / ARR -ə-gən , US also /- ɡ ɒ n , - ɡ oʊ n / -⁠gon, -⁠gohn ; Spanish and Aragonese : Aragón [aɾaˈɣon] ; Catalan : Aragó [əɾəˈɣo] )

320-718: A paradise for biodiversity. Territorially, the Aiguabarreig is at the center of the Middle Depression of the Ebro. It borders to the west with the Monegros, to the east with the Tossals de Montmeneu and Almatret and to the south with the tail of the Ribarroja reservoir. This space is named with Catalan word of origin that designates the place where two or more water streams meet and form one. The Segre and Cinca form

384-614: A rich geopolitical and cultural history from its pre-Roman , Celtic and Roman days, four centuries of Islamic rule as Marca Superior of Al-Andalus or kingdom (or taifa ) of Saraqusta , as lands that once belonged to the Frankish Marca Hispanica , counties that later formed the Kingdom of Aragon , and eventually the Crown of Aragon . The area of Aragon is 47 720  km of which 15 636  km belong to

448-474: A site near Morella. The animal was believed to have lived in the early Cretaceous period, approximately 120 million years ago. Funding from wind energy companies and the regional government has aided the excavations and will support a dinosaur museum to be opened at Morella. 40°10′34″N 1°6′34″W  /  40.17611°N 1.10944°W  / 40.17611; -1.10944 Military order (society) A military order ( Latin : militaris ordo )

512-581: A united Polish–Lithuanian army routing the Knights at Tannenberg in 1410. The Knights' state survived, from 1466 under Polish suzerainty. Prussia was transformed into a secular duchy in 1525, and Livonia in 1562 . These are military orders listed chronologically according to their dates of foundation and extinction, sometimes approximate due to scarce sources, and/or repeated suppressions by Papal or royal authorities. Presently active institutions are listed in consideration with their legitimacy according to

576-1007: Is a Christian religious society of knights . The original military orders were the Knights Templar , the Knights Hospitaller , the Order of the Holy Sepulchre , the Order of Saint James , the Order of Calatrava , and the Teutonic Knights . They arose in the Middle Ages in association with the Crusades , in the Holy Land , the Baltics , and the Iberian peninsula ; their members being dedicated to

640-742: Is a broad perpendicular corridor. Its best represented section is the Canal de Berdún , which limits on the south with the reliefs of San Juan de la Peña ( 1 552  m ) and Oroel Rock ( 1 769  m ), modeled on conglomerates of the Campodarbe Formation. The pre-Pyrenean outer ranges are in the Huescan foothills and constitute the southernmost unit of the Pyrenees; formed by predominantly calcareous materials, reach heights between 1 500 and 2 000 meters. The Sierra de Guara , one of

704-528: Is an autonomous community in Spain , coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon . In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to south): Huesca , Zaragoza , and Teruel . Its capital is Zaragoza . The current Statute of Autonomy declares Aragon a historic nationality of Spain. Covering an area of 47 720  km ( 18 420  sq mi),

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768-594: Is derived from the word maestre (English meaning - master) as these territories were historically under the jurisdiction of the Grand Masters of the military orders of the Knights Templar , St John of Malta and Montesa . In 1838, during the Carlist Wars , the military district of la Comandancia General del Maestrazgo was created by Ramón Cabrera . During the Spanish Civil War the area

832-686: Is presence of Phoenician , Greek and Etruscan products. In the 6th century BCE there are six groups with different social organization: Vascones , Suessetani , Sedetani , Iacetani , Ilergetes and Citerior Celtiberians . They are Iberized groups with a tendency towards stability, fixing their habitat in durable populations, with dwellings that evolve towards more enduring and stable models. There are many examples in Aragon, among them Cabezo de Monleón in Caspe , Puntal of Fraga , Roquizal del Rullo or Loma de los Brunos. The type of social organization

896-733: The Biosphere Reserve of Ordesa-Viñamala and is cataloged as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO . In addition there are 4 other natural parks: the Moncayo Natural Park with an extension of 11 144  ha , the Sierra y Cañones de Guara Natural Park with 47 453  ha and 33 286  ha of peripheral area of protection, the Posets-Maladeta Natural Park with 33 440 .6 ha and 5 920 .2 ha of peripheral area of protection, and

960-533: The Bronze Age by Pyrenees until reaching the Lower Aragon area, supposed an important ethnic contribution that prepared the way to the invasions of Iron Age. The Mediterranean contributions represented a commercial activity that will constitute a powerful stimulus for the iron metallurgy, promoting the modernization of the tools and the indigenous armament, replacing the old bronze with the iron. There

1024-758: The Cervera Mountains , Serra del Turmell , Serra de l'Espadella , Moles de Xert and the Benifassà Mountains , form the Mediterranean end of the Sistema Ibérico . The highest point is the 1,831 metres (6,007 ft) high Penyagolosa , located at the southern end of the region. At the base of the mountain is the important pilgrimage destination of Sant Joan de Penyagolosa. In the Castellón province administrative divisions,

1088-696: The Hungarian nobility swear loyalty to him. Shortly thereafter, the Order of the " Knights of the Band " was founded in 1332 by King Alfonso XI of Castile . Both orders existed only for about a century. The original features of the military orders were the combination of religious and military ways of life. Some of them, like the Knights Hospitaller , the Knights of Saint Thomas , and the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus also had charitable purposes and cared for

1152-570: The International Commission on Orders of Chivalry . They are divided into international and national according to their adherence, mission, and enrollment, disregarding the extent of eventual gradual geographical distribution outside of their region of concern. Thus when being recognized, the Pope allowing only the " Order Of Christ " a Portuguese order and its Papal branch Supreme Order of Christ can claim to have any descent from

1216-668: The Knights Templar in 1118 provided the first in a series of tightly organized military forces for the purpose of opposing Islamic conquests in the Holy Land and in the Iberian Peninsula — see the Reconquista — as well as Islamic invaders and pagan tribes in Eastern Europe which were perceived as threats to the Church's supremacy. The first secularized military order was the Order of Saint George , founded in 1326 by King Charles I of Hungary , through which he made all

1280-498: The Muslim sect of Assassins . In 1820, José Antonio Conde suggested they were modeled on the ribat , a fortified religious institution which brought together a religious or hospital way of life with fighting the enemies of Islam. However popular such views may have become, others have criticized this view, suggesting there were no such ribats around Outremer until after the military orders had been founded. The role and function of

1344-736: The Normans . In response to the Islamic conquests of the former Byzantine Empire , numerous Catholic military orders were set up following the First Crusade . The founding of such orders suited the Catholic church's plan of channeling the devotion of the European nobility toward achieving the Church's temporal goals, and it also complemented the Peace and Truce of God . The foundation of

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1408-755: The Pleistocene era, 25,000 years ago. Cave paintings have been discovered in many locations and they have been designated by UNESCO as part of the Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula World Heritage Site . Occupation by the Ilercavones , a tribe of Iberians , Romans and the Moors followed, but the identity of the region was first established following the Reconquista when

1472-684: The Valles Occidentales Natural Park with 27 073  ha and 7 335  ha of peripheral area of protection. There are also three nature reserves, five natural monuments and three protected landscapes. At the confluence of the Segre and Ebro rivers, the Aiguabarreig Ebro-Segre-Cinca is a space with great natural wealth and a great variety of ecosystems that range from Mediterranean steppes to impenetrable riverside forests, making this space

1536-495: The grand master at the top. The Knights Templar, the largest and most influential of the military orders, was suppressed in the early fourteenth century; only a handful of orders were established and recognized afterwards. However, some persisted longer in their original functions, such as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and the Order of Saint John , the respective Catholic and Protestant successors of

1600-447: The province of Huesca , 17 275  km to the province of Zaragoza and 14 810  km to the province of Teruel . The total represents a 9.43% of the surface of Spain, being thus the fourth autonomous community in size behind Castile and León, Andalusia, and Castile-La Mancha. It is located in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula , at a latitude between 39º and 43º'N in the temperate zone . Its boundaries and borders are in

1664-716: The Acheulean industry that found its best weapons in the hand axes of flint or the cleavers of quartzite . In the Upper Palaeolithic appeared two new cultures: Solutrean and Magdalenian. The Epipaleolithic was centered in Lower Aragon , occupying the epoch between the 7th and the 5th millennium. In the first half of the 5th millennium BCE , Neolithic remains are found in the Huescan Outer Ranges and in Lower Aragon. The Eneolithic

1728-633: The Cave del Moro of Olvena , the Masada del Ratón in Fraga , Palermo and the Cabezo de Monleón in Caspe . From the metallurgical point of view there seems to be a boom given the increase in foundry molds that are located in the populations. The Iron Age is the most important, since throughout the centuries it is the true substratum of the Aragonese historical population. The arrival of Central Europeans during

1792-917: The Ebro River, the Tagus River (which originates in the Sierra de Albarracín range), and the Júcar , which has as its main river in this community the Turia . In Aragon, protected natural spaces are managed through the Red Natural de Aragón , an entity created in 2004 to protect all elements with ecological , landscape and cultural value and at the same time coordinate and establish common standards that contribute to their conservation and sustainable use. In this entity are integrated national parks , natural parks , nature reserves , biosphere reserves and other protected natural areas that have been declared by

1856-589: The Germans' and Danes' conflict with the pagan Wends was a holy war analogous to the Reconquista; he urged a crusade until all heathens were baptised or killed. The new crusaders' motivation was primarily economic: the acquisition of new arable lands and serfs; the control of Baltic trade routes; and the abolishment of the Novgorodian merchants' monopoly of the fur trade. From the early 13th   century

1920-921: The Holy Land to the Baltic. Between 1229 and 1290, the Teutonic Knights absorbed both the Brothers of the Sword and the Order of Dobrzyń, subjugated most of the Baltic tribes and established a ruthless and exploitative monastic state . The Knights invited foreign nobility to join their regular Reisen , or raids, against the last unconquered Baltic people, the Lithuanians . These were fashionable events of chivalric entertainment among young aristocrats. Jogaila , Grand Duke of Lithuania , converted to Catholicism and married Queen Jadwiga of Poland resulting in

1984-529: The Knights Hospitaller, alongside the Order of the Holy Sepulchre , which remains active under the Pope's sovereignty. Those military orders that survive today have evolved into purely honorific or ceremonial orders or else into charitable foundations. In 1053, for the Battle of Civitate , the Knights of Saint Peter ( Milites Sancti Petri ) was founded as a militia by Pope Leo IX to counter

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2048-620: The Maestrazgo is divided into Alt Maestrat and Baix Maestrat . The historical territory does not exactly match these boundaries including also parts of Alcalatén and Plana Alta . In Aragon , Teruel Province there is a comarca officially called Maestrazgo since 1999, but historically locations in other districts were also part of the Maestrazgo. The region has formed a Mancomunidad, a free association for cooperative purposes, between fifty five municipalities. Major settlements include Vilafranca , Cantavieja , Morella and Alcañiz . The Maestrazgo Cultural Park has been established to protect

2112-520: The Templars, which is now used for Honorary State merits in Portugal and preserved as such. In 1609, King Henry IV of France linked it in France administratively to the Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel to form the Royal Military and Hospitaller Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem united , which remained listed as of royal protection in the French Royal Almanac until 1830. England Chivalric and/or military orders that could qualify depending on definition. A few of

2176-427: The area and much of its history is described vividly in Jason Webster 's 2009 book Sacred Sierra - A Year on a Spanish Mountain . Efforts have been made to halt de-population by attracting immigrants from South America and Romania . This has had some success, helping keeping village facilities alive. In 2008 palaeontologists discovered an intact specimen of a previously unknown species of sauropod dinosaur at

2240-421: The area was dominated by military orders . Local stories persist that a group of Cathars , led by the perfectus Guillaume Bélibaste escaped from Carcassonne and took refuge in the Maestrazgo, living with a small community near Morella for about ten years, before being betrayed by a spy in the service of the Inquisition . Bélibaste was taken to Carcassonne and burnt at the stake there. The name Maestrazgo

2304-414: The area were rebelling, except for the Ilergetes who negotiated peace with Cato. There were different uprisings of the Iberian peoples against the Romans, in 194 BCE sees a general uprising with elimination of half of the Roman army, in 188 BCE Manlius Acidinus Fulvianus , praetor of the Citerior, must confront in Calagurris ( Calahorra ) with the Celtiberians , in the 184 BCE Terentius Varro did it with

2368-457: The autonomous community, the Ramsar Convention or the Natura 2000 . Within the protected areas is the only national park of Aragon: the Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park , the second national park created in Spain , in 1918, it is found in the Pyrenees in the comarca of Sobrarbe , occupies an area of 15 608   ha , a part of the 19 679  ha of the peripheral area of protection. It also enjoys other figures of protection like

2432-422: The central areas. In mountain areas winters are long and rigorous, average temperatures can be up to 10 °C lower than in the valley. The two most important winds of Aragon are the cierzo and the bochorno or levant . The first is a cold and dry wind that crosses the Ebro Valley from northwest to southeast and that can become quite strong. The second is a warm wind, more irregular and smooth, coming from

2496-446: The community has as the central axis the Ebro valley (with heights between 150 and 300 meters approx.) which transits between two foothill areas, the Pyrenean and the Iberian, preambles of two mountain formations, the Pyrenees to the north and the Sistema Ibérico mountain range to the south; the Community has the highest peaks of both mountain ranges, the Aneto and the Moncayo respectively. The Aragonese Pyrenees are located in

2560-405: The community in two. Of the tributaries of the left bank of the river, the ones originating in the Pyrenees, the Aragón River stands out. Its headwaters are in Huesca, but it ends at the community of Navarre, the Gállego and the Cinca , which joins the Segre just before emptying into the Ebro at the height of Mequinenza . On the right bank, the Jalón , Huerva and Guadalope stand out. In

2624-405: The entire community. From the High mountain Alpine climate of the central Pyrenees to the north, with perpetual ice (glaciers), to the Humid subtropical climate (which is very common in Huesca 's lower altitude areas) to the steppe or semi-desert zones , such as the Monegros Desert , passing through the intense continental climate of the Teruel-Daroca area and the Mediterranean climate in

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2688-439: The highest peaks like: the Aneto ( 3 404  m ), Maladeta ( 3 309  m ) and the Perdiguero ( 3 221  m ). The inner Pre-Pyrenees, composed of more modern rocks (limestones) also has large mountains such as Monte Perdido ( 3 355  m ), Collarada ( 2 886  m ) and Tendeñera ( 2 853  m ). The main Pyrenean valleys are formed by the rivers that are born there, which are: The intrapirenaic depression

2752-405: The institutions survived into honorific and/or charitable organizations, including the papal orders of knighthood . While other contemporary Catholic societies may share some military organizational features and ideology, such as the Society of Jesus , they differ from the medieval military orders in the absence of military purposes or potential. Modern orders may still be founded explicitly as

2816-464: The interior. In the territorial distribution that Rome made of Hispania , the current Aragon was included in the Hispania Citerior . In the year 197 BCE, Sempronius Tuditanus is the praetor of the Citerior and had to face a general uprising in their territories that ended with the Roman defeat and the own death of Tuditanus. In view of these facts the Senate sent the consul Marcus Porcius Cato with an army of 60 000 men. The indigenous peoples of

2880-464: The military orders extended beyond their military exploits in the Holy Land , Prussia , and the Baltics. In fact, they had extensive holdings and staff throughout Western Europe. The majority were laymen. They provided a conduit for cultural and technical innovation, such as the introduction of fulling into England by the Knights Hospitaller, and the banking facilities of the Knights Templar. In 1147 Bernard of Clairvaux persuaded Pope Eugenius III that

2944-406: The military orders provided garrisons in Old Livonia and defended the German commercial centre, Riga . The Livonian Brothers of the Sword and the Order of Dobrzyń were established by local bishops. The Sword Brothers were notorious for cruelty to " pagans " and converts alike. The Teutonic Knights were founded during the 1190s in Palestine, but their strong links to Germany diverted efforts from

3008-425: The most important mountain ranges of the Spanish Pre-Pyrenees , stands out; its summit, the Guara Peak , reaches 2 077 metres. The Mallos de Riglos , near the town of Ayerbe , stand out for their beauty. The Aragonese central depression includes a wide lowland area, which is also the central part of the Depression of the Ebro . North of the river there is the Sierra de Alcubierre ranges ( 811 m ) one of

3072-432: The north of the province of Huesca and are arranged longitudinally in three large units: High Pyrenees, Internal Depressions and Outer Ranges. The Aragonese High Pyrenees contains the maximum heights of all the Pyrenees mountainous chain. The High Pyrenees is formed in turn by the axial Pyrenees and the Inland Ranges. In the axial Pyrenees are the oldest materials: granites , quartzites , slates and limestones and

3136-453: The north with France (the regions of Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Occitanie ), in the west with the autonomous communities of Castile-La Mancha (provinces of Guadalajara and Cuenca ), Castile and León ( province of Soria ), La Rioja and Navarre , and in the east with the autonomous communities of Catalonia (provinces of Lérida and Tarragona ) and the Valencian Community (provinces of Castellón and Valencia ). The orography of

3200-463: The peninsular center and the coasts of the Cantabrian Sea . The human presence in the lands that today form the autonomous community date back several millennia, but present-day Aragon, like many of the current historical nationalities, was formed during the Middle Ages . The oldest testimonies of human life in the lands that today make up Aragon go back to the time of the glaciations, in the Pleistocene , some 600 000 years ago. This population left

3264-464: The population of Aragon was 1 326 261 , with slightly over half living in the capital city, Zaragoza . In 2020, the economy of Aragon generated a GDP of €34 687 million, which represents 3.1% of Spain's national GDP, and is currently 6th in per capita production behind Madrid, Basque Country , Navarre , Catalonia and La Rioja. In addition to its three provinces, Aragon is subdivided into 33 comarcas or counties. All comarcas of Aragon have

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3328-414: The protection of pilgrims and Christians , as well as the defence of the Crusader states . They are the predecessors of chivalric orders . Most members of military orders were laymen who took religious vows , such as of poverty, chastity, and obedience , according to monastic ideals. The orders owned houses called commanderies all across Europe and had a hierarchical structure of leadership with

3392-454: The provinces of Zaragoza and Teruel . It is a set of hills without a clear structural unit, which can be divided into two zones: Sistema Ibérico del Jalón and Sistema Ibérico turolense. In the first, the Moncayo stands out with 2 314  m , formed by Paleozoic quartzites and slates , partly covered by Mesozoic limestones . The second is formed by elevated terrain (from 1 000 to 2 000  m in general), but flattened and massive. To

3456-432: The region's terrain ranges diversely from permanent glaciers to verdant valleys, rich pasture lands and orchards, through to the arid steppes of the central lowlands. Aragon is home to many rivers—most notably, the river Ebro , Spain's largest river in volume, which runs west–east across the entire region through the province of Zaragoza. It is also home to the highest mountains of the Pyrenees . As of January 2021 ,

3520-729: The regional culture and landscape. The area lies between altitudes of 480 metres (1,570 ft) to 1,997 metres (6,552 ft) and is drained by the Guadalope and Turia rivers. The Maestrazgo supports a diverse section of plants and trees including thyme , rosemary , lavender , mint , pennyroyal , mountain tea , chamomile , black truffles , poplars , elms , ash , beech , holm oaks and black pine . Fauna includes ibex , muflón , wildcats , otters , pine martens , foxes , genets , goshawks , Bonelli's eagles , sparrowhawks , owls , vultures , and game and fish such as partridges , quails , hares , rabbits , wild boar , trout , and catfish . Tourism has in recent years brought

3584-406: The sick and poor. However, they were not purely male institutions, as nuns could attach themselves as convents of the orders. One significant feature of the military orders was that clerical brothers could be subordinate to non-ordained brethren. In 1818, orientalist Joseph von Hammer compared the Catholic military orders, in particular the Knights Templar , to certain Islamic models such as

3648-437: The south-east. The vegetation follows the oscillations of relief and climate. There is a great variety, both in natural vegetation and in crops. In the high areas there are forests (pines, firs, beech trees, oaks), bush and meadows, and in the central Ebro Valley , evergreen oak and juniper are the most common trees. Most Aragonese rivers are tributaries of the Ebro River, which is the largest river in Spain and divides

3712-400: The southern areas bordering Castilla La Mancha and the Valencian Community . The main characteristics of the Aragonese climate are: Temperatures are very dependent on the altitude. In the Ebro Valley the winters are relatively moderate, although the frosts are very common and the thermal sensation can decrease a lot with the cierzo . Temperatures in summer can exceed 40 °C in

3776-484: The southwest of the depression the summits of the Sierra de Albarracín range are reached above 1 800  m , southeast the 2 000  m are reached in the Sierra de Javalambre range and finally the Sierra de Gúdar range ( 2 024  m ) transitions to the Maestrazgo area in the Valencian Community . There are two main types of climate in Aragón, the Semi-arid climate and the Oceanic climate . Its irregular orography creates several microclimates throughout

3840-453: The stream bed of the Ebro river, near the border with Catalonia, the Mequinenza Reservoir , of 1 530  hm and a length of about 110 km; it is popularly known as the "Sea of Aragon". The small Pyrenean mountain lakes called ibones merit special mention. These lakes are very scenic, originating during the last glaciation , and are usually found above 2 000  m . The Autonomous Community lies within three hydrographic regions,

3904-414: The typical limestone plateaus of the valley. The Ebro Valley is a tectonic pit filled with sedimentary materials, accumulated in the Tertiary age in horizontal series. In the center, fine materials such as clays , plasters and limestones were deposited. To the south of the Ebro there are the limestone plateaus of Borja and of Zaragoza . The Aragonese section of the Sistema Ibérico straddles

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3968-469: Was based on the family group, consisting of four generations. Self-sufficient societies in which the greater part of the population was dedicated to agricultural and livestock activities. In the Iberian scope the power was monarchical, exercised by a king; there was a democratic assembly with participation of the male population. There were visible social differentiations and established legal-political statutes. The Romans arrived and progressed easily into

4032-420: Was characterized in the province of Huesca presenting two important megalithic nuclei: the Pre-Pyrenees of the Outer Ranges and the High Pyrenean valleys. The Late Bronze Age begins in Aragon around 1100 BCE with the arrival of the Urnfield culture . They are Indo-European people, with an alleged origin in Central Europe, who incinerate their dead by placing the ashes in a funeral urn. There are examples in

4096-510: Was intensively fought over, especially after the fall of Teruel . Republican guerillas of the Agrupación guerrillera de Levante y Aragón held out in the mountains of the Maestrazgo until the 1950s.(see Spanish Maquis ). The mountains in the Maestrazgo, like the Serra de la Creu , Serra d'En Segures , Talaies d'Alcalà , Serra de la Vall d'Àngel , Serra d'en Galceran , Serra d'Esparreguera , Serra de Sant Pere , Serra de Vallivana , Serra d'En Celler , Tossal de la Barbuda , Montegordo ,

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