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>>> History...(Cangas)

Vestiges of Roman and Iron Age Culture..                                   

During the Roman occupation of Galicia, the Peninsula of Morrazo belonged to the administrative area of Braga and the population who inhabited the territory between the Lerez river and the ria of Vigo belonged to the tribe of the Helleni, whose name mustn’t induce us to think that they were a people of Greek colonization.

These natives lived in settlements called “castros”, the settlements of the pre-Roman and Roman period, that were circular or elliptical walls made of stone and earth built in high places and inside of which there were houses..

In Cangas we can highlight the “castros” of O Castelo in Darbo, Liboreiro in Coiro and O Facho in Hío.
 

In these “castros”, they were found pottery and altar stones devoted to native gods.

*Among all them it deserves special attention for being unique not only in Galicia but also in the Iberian Peninsula  "O Facho en Hío."

The place called Pipín and three pools found in Pinténs beach for salting the fish date from the Roman period.

The Birth of the Village..

In the first half of the XVth century, a lot of inhabitants from the adjacent parishes of Darbo and Coiro settled in the sea front and that is why we can find some references about how they lived and practised their job of seafarers at Cangas harbour. Their inhabitants reached to be more than the ones of the parish of Darbo, creating then a growing urban centre where two quarters highlighted: O Señal and O Costal, original centre of the village.

In 1467 and due to a climate of politic anarchy and the constant abuses of the nobility, Cangas got immersed in great popular and antinoble disturbances known as the second “irmandiña” war. It was when the rebels knocked down the Fortress of Darbo, belonging to the archbishopric of Santiago.

Our village started to be quoted as “villa” from the XVIth century, when the church, which became in collegiate church in 1545 was erected. At the same time, other important buildings, such as the Hospital, were built, and Cangas was constituted as the centre of the administrative area of Morrazo, provided with council, notary, town clerks and judges designated by the Archbishop of Santiago. Cangas depended on it from this moment and the Archbishop was paid half tithe by mean of its own “faithful” (tax inspectors).

The highest splendour period was the second part of the XVIth century, based on fish export to Portugal and harbours of Andalucia and the Cantabrian coast. At the same time, Cangas became the centre of the wine import from Andalucia and Rivadavia which was consumed in the village and exported to harbours of the Cantabrian coast. This activity was practised by a large group of middle-class people acting as merchants and exporters of salted and dry fish (sardine and octopus respectively).

At the beginning of the XVIIth century, this prosperous economy started to be in crisis after the "Piratas Berberiscos" invasion in 1617.

Shortly after, a great number of people were accused on being witches, among them María Soliña.

In 1702, local people saw frightened an Anglo-Dutch squadron entering the ria of Vigo, pursuing a Franco-Spanish fleet coming from America shipping an immense fortune. In order to prevent, the highest richness had been moved to other villages and nearby places, but this time Cangas escaped from the pillaging. Whereas other villages of the ria (such as Redondela) were sacked by the enemy, after the Anglo-Dutch victory in the Battle of Rande.

PShortly after, a great number of people were accused on being witches, among them "María Soliña".

In 1702, local people saw frightened an Anglo-Dutch squadron entering the ria of Vigo, pursuing a Franco-Spanish fleet coming from America shipping an immense fortune. In order to prevent, the highest richness had been moved to other villages and nearby places, but this time Cangas escaped from the pillaging. Whereas other villages of the ria (such as Redondela) were sacked by the enemy, after the Anglo-Dutch victory in the "Batalla de Rande".

Between the XVIIth and the XIXth centuries, the village continued to be the head of the administrative area of Morrazo, whose main activity continued to be controlled by the powerful association of the seafarers. This activity was the support of an impoverished and increasing population of fishermen. In the parishes, the fundamental activity was agriculture, where the newest crop was corn, introduced at the beginning of the XVIIth century and that took the place of millet, coexisting with other cereals such as rye and wheat. The corn was the responsible to feed, although precariously, a dense population that reaches the high density of more than 100 inhabitants/km2.

The farming population cultivated lands that belonged directly to the ecclesiastic and noble sector and paid taxes for them that were received by the low nobility who leased land to the peasants.

After 1750, salting industrial activity started with Catalan businessmen, who settled in Bueu and erected factories in Aldán and Hío..

At the beginning of the XXth century, salting activity started to give way to canning factories, which was the most important industrial activity, and after 1939 they settled in Cangas the great canning complex of Massó, which reached to have more than 1000 workers and that started to be in crisis in the 1980s until its disappearance.

Today the village is an urban centre that depends economically from Vigo area, although the service sector is the main activity. Fishing sector is still very important having a seamanship that fish in the fishing grounds of Gran Sol and Africa. We expect our future to be based on Tourism and the high development of the real-state sector because its climate, beaches, nautical sports and gastronomy make it be the second home of a great number of visitors.

The Name of Cangas..

The name of cangas appears for the first time in history in a 1160 document in which same king Fernado donates the herdad of Cangas, located in the shore from the sea to certain Varela, presumably a horseman.

Ours localidade begins to be mentioned like villa to apartir of century XVI when the church is constructed that would happen to be colegiata as of 1545. Then construyent other important buildings as the Hospital and is formed like head of the jurisdiction of the Morrazo