From Guimara’s Farm (one of the most important possessions of Santo Domingo de Silos in the area), upstream the Henar river, we stray towards the small mountain range after one of the richest and dense forests, composed by oaks and savins. After crossing the narrow low bridge under the railroad, we follow the course of a small meadow that slowly takes us towards the mysterious forest in whose boundaries lies the village called Pineda-Trasmonte, which seems to be anchored in time.
In the surroundings of Pineda-Trasmonte we should find the Celtiberian culture and a later romanization since we have news about the crossing of the via » Clunia-Cantabria » and the existence of another less important via that connected with the hermitage through the forest and the fort in Solarana. At this point, it converged with another one that led to the Arlanza’s valley from Silos, crossing it near the village of Lerma, a via that the archaeologist J. A. Abásolo denominates “Clunia-Lerma-Arlanza’s valley Via”. These are, therefore, vestiges that endorse the existence in the municipal of two vias or Roman roads that lead to the nearby Arlanza’s valley, the most important of which crossed the river as far as Tordómar.
Knowledge about historical facts after Roman times is made difficult, as it usually happens, by a documental gap until the first half of the 11th century, when it is mentioned as “Zellariolo of Pineta», “Zelleruelo of Pineta” or simply as » Pineta», always in connection with possessions or rights that the local monasteries of San Juan of the Rock, San Pedro of Arlanza or the Infantado of Covarrubias have.
It seems that, as most places in the vicinity, it was located at the beginning inside the alfoz of Clunia and it later became to be part of the merindad of Santo Domingo de Silos, as a place of “behetría” being the owners D. Alzar Díaz of Haro, Alfonso Téllez, etc. We especially care about all that historical part, since the layout of the urban helmet as the parochial church correspond essentially to that one.
The village maintains in more than acceptable good condition its urban framework, which was started and developed from the later medieval world. Both the poorly organised layout of its streets, conditioned by the orography, and the mixture of modern architectural forms with others, in which the stone is used as dominant element, are the most excellent features, this last one is characteristic of the final decades of the 19th or the beginning of the 20th century. The most ancient constructive feature is the type called “Tierra de Lerma” (“Lerma’s Land”) and, particularly, the one denominated “Valle de Esgueva” (”Esgueva’s Valley”), keeping the spirit of J.L. García Grinda. We can appreciate a transition between the strongly stablished mountain forms and some traces from the Rivera del Duero. Although since the end of the last century the framework has been replaced in many cases by stone, we still maintain some of it with plaster, sometimes even in two colours, stressing the line of the eaves and the forge, and equally a division of masonry in the holes. A walk around the streets of this singular and historical village will make us familiar with this rich witness of the past.
«Festival in honour of San Miguel Arcángel»
The appointed day is on the 29th of September. San Miguel Archangel is the patron saint of Pineda Trasmonte. The festival takes place with a solemn mass.
Once concluded the mass, San Miguel Archangel is taken out in procession, he is taken on a portable platform by the men, and the rest of the people dance or follow the procession with great devotion.
If the festival doesn’t happen to fall on a weekend, the dance is transferred to Friday or Saturday (or both days), so that everybody can enjoy it. They also organise some activities like competitions of paso doble, cards championship, some soccer games, etc.
Virgin of the Rock
It takes place on the 21st of May. The procession is the most outstanding event, since there is great devotion to this virgin. The festival begins with a mass in the chapel, where the figure of the virgin usually stays, and after that the figure is taken to the church, where it remains until the afternoon of the following day, when it is returned to the chapel.
Nobody knows when this tradition started, but it is repeated year after year. The virgin is taken in a portable platform by the women, while the rest of the people dance or follow the procession.
Formerly, the arms of the portable platform were auctioned and the winners had the privilege of taking the virgin into the chapel (this custom was suppressed by Don Félix). For many years, the Virgin of the Perpetual Socorro was taken out, until the Virgin of the Rock was restored some years ago.
This is the religious aspect of the festival, but there are also many activities which, years ago, used to be organised by the young people in the village and supervised by the city council: dances and “verbenas”, paso doble competitions, trapshooting, car races, popular dances, etc
The Absent Pinedian
This celebration usually takes place the third week of August, coinciding with the “Our Lady’s Assumption”. In its first editions, the mayor sent letters to all the families from this town in order to meet the greatest number of people, even from places as distant as Argentina. The answer on the part of people was stupendous and in its first edition families that had not stepped their homeland in 40 years attended. The first years it was a spectacular success.
What in the beginning was the reunion of families that one day had left from this village to different places looking for a better future has become, in the last years, a week full of cultural activities of all kinds and for everybody.
The number of activities that have been carried out in the last ten years has been spectacular: theatre plays, programs in local television, painting exhibitions, handicrafts, farm tools, photograph competitions, fancy dress competitions, singer impressions, model parades, magic, children Olympiads, trips around the county, tortilla and paella competitions, car races. The difference between the cultural week now and its first editions is that all the activities used to be carried out by people from the village.
The atmosphere during the week in which this festivity takes place is awesome. the Saturday is the most important day, it is the day of a picnic in Valdecarros, in which we see people that left some time ago and when they return for one day to see their town and their old neighbours.