Vaqueiros, the Last Nomads of Southern Europe

The Vaqueiros d'alzada ("nomadic cowherds" in Asturian language, from their word for cow, cognate of Spanish Vaquero) are a northern Spanish nomadic people in the mountains of León and Asturias, who practice transhumance, i.e. moving seasonally with cattle.

Historically, they had been wrongly believed to be a separate ethnic group from the Spanish populace (their ancestors would have been the Moorish soldiers defeated at the Battle of Covadonga in 722). 

The group have traditionally been ostracised by the valley dwellers. They distinguished themselves by their costume and dialect. Their nomadic lifestyle placed them out of the reach of the Church and the Government.