Asturian-American Migration Forum

Hola,

My sister sent me a map dated 1913 OVIEO.
I can see on this map in Sections F-1 and F-2,
Fabrica de Armas (La Vega) and a street maked D.L. Vega.

Can anyone tell me any history of these things about De La Vega in Oviedo since I am researching my family there.

Here is the map. I enlarged the map to see it more clearly. If the map is to large please let me know I will resize it.


http://home.neo.rr.com/vega/1913_oviedo_R.jpg

Regards,
Roberto

Hi Roberto,
I enjoyed looking at that old map! As to the Fábrica de Armas de la Vega, it still stands and you can see it on Google Earth if you google "Oviedo, Spain". It's right between Calle de la Tenderina and the A-66 Expressway. If you want to go straight to it, the coordinates are N43·21'57".

I'm afraid it has nothing to do with your surname, though. La Vega is one of Oviedo's neighbourhoods (like La Foncalada, San Lázaro, etc.) and the factory is called that way to differentiate it from the other one, the Fábrica de Armas de Trubia.

A "Vega" is generically speaking the fertile lowland of a river valley, a river meadow or banks, and as such it is common throughout Spain, but of course much more frequent in the north. If you were English your surname would be "Banks", no more and no less.

If you look into the names of other places around La Vega you will find that they all alude to water: i.e. Campo de los patos (duck fields), Campo de la Vega, Foncalada (warm springs). I believe it's the Nora River that flows through that part of town.

Very cool map. I like the use of hatched lines to indicate altitude. It's quite intuitive and easy to decipher. Terechu is right on the mark about the names.

Hola Terechu y Bob,

Thanks for the replies. I knew that "Vega" translated to a fertile lowland or rolling plain and I should have put together that the map was just indicating general areas. Thanks for the wake up Terechu.

Bob, I also thought the map was interesting with the topography feature.

I hope others find it interesting to look at the area as it was about 100 years ago. Looking at old maps can be lots of fun taking you back in time. Some probably wish that we could turn back the hands of time and return things as they once were while others look and think of the changes as being wonderful progress.