Father of Hernando de Argüello

The central part of the Cantabrian mountain range gives rise to three main rivers in the mountains and in leonesas history; the Bernesga, the Torio and the Curueño. The headwaters of these rivers form the councils of the Third Road (Bernesga) whose capital was Rodiezmo (now displaced by Villamanín), the Median of Argüello (Torio) whose capital was Carmenes and Valdelugueros (Curueño) whose capital was Lugueros. These three councils formed the ancient Brotherhood of Argüellos.

The original name of the region was Arbolio thus recorded in documents from the year 891, although the popular tradition says that the name of Argüellos derived from an ark where the most important documents were kept, law jurisdictions and books and votive glass silver and horn for wine distribution The ark was closed with three rings, one for each council.

The story of the brotherhood begins in the days of the Reconquest, when in the Cantabrian mountains, Astúricas representatives of Visigoth Spain fleeing from Saracen invaders took refuge. They were strategically placed in the old forts of the descendants of Cantabrians and Asturians who would welcome them, and built fortifications and castles to defend the throats of entry into the mountain. You can review the Castros of Carmenes, Genicera and Orzonaga, and there are still memories of the fortifications and there are remains of defensive tower circular in Canseco, Redilluera, Lugueros and Genicera, and remains of medieval los castillos gordon Cervera, Aviados and Montuerto .

The municipality of Villamanín is located in the north of León Province, 45 km of León. The municipality is made of the villages of Arbós del Puerto, Barrio de la Tercia, Busdongo de Arbós, Camplongo de Arbós, Casares de Arbós, Cubillas de Arbós, Fontún de la Tercia, Golpejar de la Tercia, Millaro de la Tercia, Pendilla de Arbós, Pobladura de la Tercia, Rodiezmo de la Tercia, San Martín de la Tercia, Tonín de Arbós, Velilla de la Tercia, Ventosilla de la Tercia, Viadangos de Arbós, Villamanín de la Tercia (capital) and Villanueva de la Tercia.

Villamanín, as it is today, was split in the Middle Ages among three feudal domains:

1. The Arbós del Puerto Council, ruled by the abbot of the collegiate church of Arbós until 1584, when the villagers purchased the domain from King Philip II;

2. The Tercia del Camino, a Royal domain managed since 905 by the Brotherhood of Los Argúellos (Arbolio);

The Tercia del Camino is a traditional northern region of the province of Leon in Spain , specifically in the central part of the Cantabrian mountain range , which forms together with the Median Arguello and Valdelugueros , the Brotherhood of Argüellos . It extends over a large valley.

It consists of the current municipality of Villamanín , although for many years had its headquarters in Rodiezmo of Tercia .

In the region of La Tercia, the landscape is typical of a mountain valley of Leon, bathed from north to south by the river Bernesga , born near the port of Pajares , its main tributary the Rodiezmo river pouring its waters near the town of Ventosilla de la Tercia .

3. The village of Busdongo, part of the Marquisate of Toral.

The municipality of Toral de los Guzmanes (603 inhabitants in 2010; 2,111 ha; municipal website) is located in the southeast of León Province, 40 km of León.

Toral de los Guzmanes, originally known as Toral de la Vega, was subsequently renamed after its most famous lords. The meaning of toral is unclear: from Latin tores, "a blister", from the pre-Roman root taurus, "a hill", or from Latin turum, "a bull". Mentioned for the first time in 980, Toral was sacked by Al-Mansur; in 1027, King Vermudo II granted the village to Munio Fernández, who rewarded him with a horse. Subsequently, Toral was ruled by the Counts of Valencia de Don Juan, who were succeeded by the Guzmán. The most famous of them was Ramiro Núñez de Guzmán, involved in the Comuneros War; excluded from the amnesty proclaimed on 28 October 1522 by Charles I and sentenced to death, Guzmán exiled to Portugal. The King confiscated all his possessions in Toral. Guzmán's wife, María de Quiñones, was able to raise her husband's vassals, who revamped the Toral fortress and defended it against an unsuccessful siege. On 10 July 1532, Charles I eventually pardoned Guzmán and retroceded the confiscated possessions to his sons. On 22 October 1612, King Philip III created the Marquisate of Toral for Gabriel Núñez de Guzmán.

The former Guzmán Palace, built in the 14th century by Juan Ramírez de Guzmán, Mayor of León, houses today the municipal administration and the Botijos Museum, showing 2,500 pieces offered by the lawyer Jesús Gil Gibernau. Botijos are typical Spanish porous clay jars used to keep fresh water and also to drink from, using the output called pitorro. The word botijo is derived from Latin buttis, whose diminutive buticulla (bottle) gave in French bouteille, in Portuguese and Catalan botija, in Aragonese boteja, and, in Navarrian botejo.