Extremaduran peoples against depopulation

They are three of the little more than fifty inhabitants that Villanueva de la Vera won the year that the pandemic broke, a figure not negligible considering that its total population was at the beginning of 2021 in 2.114 registered.No other town in Extremadura had such a high increase, that only one of its cities, Villanueva de la Serena, managed to overcome, with 85 registered neighbors more registered.

"It was not our site, we were already tired of the city," stress this passionate about fishing and raptors (now trying to locate in their spare time a couple of pilgrim hawks who believe they move through the area, he has enthusiasm).Two passions that he shares with his son, now fourteen years old."He is another person here, he doesn't want to hear about returning," he says.

In Madrid Antolín worked in a hydraulic crane company and in the afternoon he had launched a gardening business.Upon arriving in Villanueva, another dedicated to the cleanliness and maintenance of small farms that are owned by people who usually reside outside the town.He also bought a tractor with which to beans and prepares the land of other neighbors.Work, it doesn't lack."I am overwhelmed," he says.His wife, Professor of Early Childhood Education "is preparing to see if he can enter the nursery of the College here," he adds.

Alba Cervera (36 years old) grew up in the house that since last June shares with Eric Méndez (43) and with Leo, the son of both of only 9 months.It is an old hegos dryer that his parents bought in the 1980s and that were restoring "little by little".It is a few kilometers from the urban center of Villanueva de la Vera, with enviable views of the Valley and the Gualtaminos reservoir.She lived in the town until 16 and by that time, "from 14", I was clear that he wanted to be a psychologist.After leaving, he resided in Madrid, Berlin and Barcelona, but "always with the idea of riding something here, in the town".And it is what he has done now, to launch a consultation of integrative psychology, a school that «attends not only to the mind, but also to the body, emotions and spirit, and takes everything into account within the environment in theThat you develop.Integrates the different levels of the human being, it is not only about modifying thoughts and behaviors, ”he says.The attention he pays in his psychology consult.

The birth of his son was the other reason that drove them to settle in northern Cáceres.«I have raised here and I see the difference very clear.In a city you can go to nature, but here you are in it.For me that is a very important value as a family, ”says Alba, which also highlights that working at home allows you to reconcile better.«It was what made us make the final decision.He was born in May, and in a month and a half we were here, ”Eric corroborates.«We had in mind the coming, but with pregnancy we saw very clear that we wanted to educate it in such a environment, in a country house, with a town life, all quieter and remote from the city.And living directly in nature, ”.

Recover mountain bike paths

Eric is a high performance coach.Originally from Terrassa (Barcelona), since the age of 18 he had lived "in the Pyrenees, always in the mountain, linked to sports in nature and bicycle".The environment that was found here «I was very surprised.I had another vision of Extremadura, and when I arrived and saw the mountain, forests or the amount of water there, the truth is that I fell in love with this, ”says this specialist in Sports Sciences.His professional project is the Vera Bike and with him he plans to recover the entire network of trails that are currently abandoned in the area to "exploit them with mountain bicycle tourism»."It is a project that will attract tourism," Vaticina.An influx that, in addition, will be "very expensiveized, very out of summer", which is the time where the bulk of the visitors received by this region is traditionally concentrated.At the moment, he says, the reception of the initiative has been "very good and the people who have come to try the roads are excited".

Downstream following the gorge of Gualtaminos, just a few meters from its natural pool, there is Ainara Cámara's house (44 years old) and Ignacio Garbayo (47), both from Getxo (Bizcaya).They live in it with their three daughters Mar (16), Maya (12) and Julia (8), who have grown “accustomed to being in a very cozy environment, to go down the street and meet known people, that everythingThe world greets them.That friendly environment gives them freedom and a lot of security, ”says Ainara.She was the first to get to this veato enclave more than a decade ago.«At that time I had a two and a half year old daughter and the idea was to live in a rural area.He sought the balance between being in contact with nature but in a place where he had resources too, ”he says.I did not know the region previously, but it came “a couple of times, I liked it a lot and people seemed very close to me.That convinced me ».She is a web and brand designer, a task that she develops since the study she has enabled at home.The main but that puts is «the Internet connection, which is terrible.We have achieved a satellite antenna recently, but the problem of establishing you in rural areas is that there are no good connections to work ‘online’ ».

Second album

Ignacio is a musician.His study is built a few meters from the house, hillside.He came looking for "professional development in a more comfortable and prettier environment" and "desire to flee the city".Expectations fulfilled?«There was a more difficult adaptation period.You do not find everything you are looking for as soon as possible, but right now, looking back, I am very happy with how everything is working, both my musical project, as the family and friends we have here, which are my second family.Right now is a very sweet moment, ”he says.Voice and guitar of the Rock Zodiacs group, just removed its second solo album ‘The shock wave’, which has followed its debut, ‘Forest Sound’ (2018).In them, he says, there is no appreciated "very large stylistic change" with respect to his previous works, "but I do notice much more pause, to be able to stop you to think about the things that surround me.I have much longer.It is a music as more conscious, not as accelerated as in the city ».

In addition, Ignacio created a rock school in the town for the young people to whom "a lot of children came" but who had to interrupt with the arrival of the pandemic, when they were group classes.However, «what has happened is that kids whom he taught at the beginning have set up his own band and continue alone.And that, really, is a joy ».It also highlights what life is contributing to your daughters in rural areas.«They know where things come from.Since we turn on the firewood stove every morning to take the oranges of the same tree or feed the chickens and collect the eggs.They are very in contact with nature, ”he argues.

It may seem a paradox that in full population decline (in the course of 2020 the region lost 4.486 inhabitants) and with excess mortality caused by pandemic, there are small towns that increase their population, in some cases in a remarkable way for the size they have.But it is what happened in Extremadura during the first year of the COVID, when there were 127 municipalities with less than five thousand inhabitants who managed to improve their census, a phenomenon enhanced by the return of already retired emigrants and by teleworking.They were practically one in three municipalities in the region, and almost double those who had achieved it a year earlier, according to the review of the municipal register on January 1, 2021 that the INE has recently announced.

In the case of Villanueva de la Vera, the positive demographic inertia had continuity throughout the last year.«At this time we have 2.144 registered people, ”says its mayor, Antonio Caperote.This increase in the last two years, he clarifies, mostly obeys two profiles.One is that of emigrants who marched "on the periphery of Madrid in the sixties and seventies".Many of them already had a second home in the town, which with the pandemic became their main residence seeking greater security against Coronavirus.The other corresponds to people "without family roots in the town" and who, being active work, also decided to transform their vacation properties in first homes and work from them.

"To retain people in the villages, the first thing to have is a payroll and then give services," says Caperote.In this regard, he points out that if in this case there was no school and institute or a health center with a continuous care point, it would hardly be possible not to lose inhabitants.The natural environment and its typical architecture (in 1982 it was declared artistic historical complex), along with the proximity to Madrid (about two hours of travel) are also two other Bazas that play in favor of the municipality."We now have a movement of works, whether new building or house improvements that were closed, as there has not been in the last thirty years," he says.

Correos campaign

Villanueva de la Vera was also the town that star.A promotion whose origin was almost casual, "for someone from the producer, who had roots here or knew the area" and that could be carried out, underlines, thanks to the fact that the people gave "years ago" facilities to this public entity so that "Our citizens could continue having that service ».The announcement, he highlights, "has had an impressive impact", which has resulted in an increase in visitors to the town.

"I've been dressed in blue and sirens," jokes Eugenio Trigo (60 years).He has been a firefighter in the Madrid City Council Park, "always at the door of Toledo", until he retired this last August.As a farewell, his companions gave Neo, a restless Spanish water dog that does not stop going from one place to another.Just a few seconds, just to pose in the photo next to him."Well, imagine here, with the throats there, we leave every day in the morning and take a long turn, at least two hours".His partner, Encarna, is also from Madrid but has family ties with the people, of which his parents are natural.She works in the school dining room and gives aerobic classes.They have lived in a house for six years that they rehabilitated in the historical case of Villanueva.Until retirement, in recent years Eugenio has been going and coming to Madrid when he played guard, until last year the stay became permanent.«Here you find quality of life.House salts and you have the field next door.With pandemic it has come great.In these two years is when we have realized the advantages.Now we go to Madrid and it overwhelms me.It seems a lie, after having been living almost a lifetime there, but it is something that happens to both of us, ”he says.

Emilio Prieto will turn 76 on February 9.It has been twelve residing in Villanueva.Five years before retiring, they started looking for a house to move to a rural environment."I always liked this area," he says.I knew her because she had come a couple of times of tourism "and with a neighbor of mine, who was from passing from La Vera".So, although he and his wife were also looking in other places, they ended up opting for Villanueva when they found "a new house, which was already going to live" in one of the "prettier" roads of the town, Lanchuela street.Commercial of decoration products, he was traveling forty years, making an average of 60.000 kilometers per year.«Here the car moves it if I have to go to Cáceres or the doctor in Navalmoral, if I don't even touch it.I am going to visit Madrid, to see my daughter and granddaughter, but nothing more, ”he says.The quality of life is totally different, ”says Emilio, who fully integrated into the life of the people.He was secretary and then president in the Association of Seniors of the town and now he has been councilor with the third -age areas for several years and the Treasury in charge.His wife, Rosa María Gozalo, works at home.