Transhumance, an ancient tradition in Spain, is now on the verge of extinction. For centuries, shepherds and their flocks travelled long distances across diverse landscapes in search of fresh pastures. However, due to multiple factors, such as the uprooting of rural communities, changes in production methods and the decrease in available grazing areas, this traditional practice has been disappearing.

Transhumance was not only a form of subsistence for pastoralists, but also a model of sustainable land management. With their constant movement, they contribute to the control of vegetation and the maintenance of ecological balance in the ecosystems through which they moved. Moreover, this culturally rooted activity shaped the identity of many rural communities and connected people to nature in a unique way.

Unfortunately, despite efforts to preserve this tradition, transhumance has been threatened and often relegated. However, there are initiatives and projects aimed at revitalising this way of life and promoting its cultural and environmental importance.

Transhumance represents an invaluable historical and cultural legacy for Spain. Its conservation would not only ensure the survival of an ancestral way of life, but also the care and preservation of landscapes and biodiversity in rural areas. Ultimately, reviving this practice would

From the Gredos mountains to the pastures of Extremadura, the transhumant cowboys guide their cows every year on a hard road that only a few are determined to preserve. A way of life that is not for everyone. Perhaps, for this reason, it is on the verge of disappearing. These nomads keep alive an ancient tradition, and not only that, they also keep alive a way of being and understanding life. They are the last cowboys.