Sierra de Cuera ( ast, Sierra del Cuera), is a 30 km long mountain chain of the
Cantabrian Mountains
, etymology=Named after the Cantabri
, photo=Cordillera Cantábrica vista desde el Castro Valnera.jpg
, photo_caption=Cantabrian Mountains parallel to the Cantabrian Sea seen from Castro Valnera in an east-west direction. In the background, ...
.
The ridge's highest point is Pico Turbina (1315 m). This mountain range is located at 6 km from the sea and runs parallel to the coast. It lies within the
Cabrales
Cabrales is a municipality in the autonomous community of Asturias, northwestern Spain. It is situated between the Sierra de Cuera and the Picos de Europa, and is a region famous for its Cabrales cheese.
Important towns within the municipali ...
,
Llanes
Llanes (the ''Concejo de Llanes'', ''Conceyu de Llanes'' in Asturian language) is a municipality of the province of Asturias, in northern Spain. Stretching for about 30 km along the coast at the extreme east of the province, Llanes is bound ...
,
Peñamellera Alta,
Peñamellera Baja and
Ribadedeva
Ribadedeva (; Asturian and Cantabrian: Ribedeva) is a municipality in the Autonomous Community of the Principality of Asturias, Spain. To the north is the Cantabrian Sea, while to the south lies Peñamellera Baja, to the west Llanes and to the ea ...
municipal terms.
Recent history
The mountains of the Sierra de Cuera were vital to the defence of Asturias during the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlism, Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebeli ...
(1936 - 1939) and the key to the Sierra de Cuera was the pass of
El Mazuco
El Mazuco is a village in the parroquia of Caldueño in the municipality of Llanes, in Asturias, northern Spain. Its population in 2004 was 67, in 25 dwellings.
It is located at 355m above sea level in the Sierra de Cuera, at , which is ...
.
Following the fall of
Bilbao
)
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, map_caption = Interactive map outlining Bilbao
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the troops supporting
General Franco
Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War ...
's rebellion tried to advance by clearing the
Republican defenders from these mountains. In order to do this they planned a
pincer movement moving south-west from Llanes and west, along the Río Cares, from
Panes towards Cabrales.
On both fronts, however, the rugged terrain and the stiff resistance of the Republican loyalists halted the advance during what became known as the
Battle of El Mazuco.
[Juan Antonio de Blas, ''El Mazuco (La defensa imposible)''. La guerra civil en Asturias, Tomo 2. Ediciones Júcar. Gijón. 1986. pp. 369–383.]
See also
*
Battle of El Mazuco
References
External links
Página del Sistema de información ambiental del Principado de AsturiasImage
Military history of Spain
Cuera
Cuera
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