The Land of a Million Cows

Cows are part of the backdrop for pilgrims walking the St. James Way through Galicia.

Cows in the A Capelada mountain range (2020)Regional Government of Galicia

Un millón de vacas (One Million Cows) is the title of an early collection of stories by one of the great Galician authors, Manuel Rivas.

Saetera of the Castle of Pambre (1375)Regional Government of Galicia

Landscape in O Cebreiro (2020)Regional Government of Galicia

There are approximately a million cows in Galicia.

Cows in the vicinity of Mondoñedo (2020)Regional Government of Galicia

Ovejas en el camino (2020)Regional Government of Galicia

Pilgrims will walk past sheep …

Goat in front of the Atlantic Ocean on the coast of Fisterra (2020)Regional Government of Galicia

... goats ...

A pig baby in the vicinity of the monastery of San Martiño do Couto (2021)Regional Government of Galicia

... pigs ...

Horses in the A Capelada mountain range (2020)Regional Government of Galicia

... horses ...

Landscape in O Cebreiro (2020)Regional Government of Galicia

... but mainly, the disinterested gaze of hundreds of cows.

Landscape with cows near Melide (2021)Regional Government of Galicia

Cows in front of the Monastery of Santa María de Oia (12th-18th Centuries)Regional Government of Galicia

Cows in A Terra Chá (2020)Regional Government of Galicia

They will see Holstein Friesians, a breed of dairy cattle,

Cow in the A Capelada mountain range (2020)Regional Government of Galicia

and Rubia Gallegas, bred for meat. 

Cows in A Terra Chá (2020)Regional Government of Galicia

They will also see native breeds, such as Cachenas, with their spectacular horns.  

Landscape in O Cebreiro (2020)Regional Government of Galicia

Cows shape the landscape.

Landscape in O Cebreiro (2020)Regional Government of Galicia

The pastures in which they graze cover much of Galicia ...

Cow in the A Capelada mountain range (2020)Regional Government of Galicia

... and they are also acclimatized to the wilder conditions of the region's mountains.

Cows grazing in the Ortigueira estuary (2020)Regional Government of Galicia

In Galicia, a million cows watch the pilgrims as they go on their way.

Views from the Castle of Pambre (1375)Regional Government of Galicia

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