Last May the exhibition Betanzos geográfico was open at the Liceo, organised by the Museo das Mariñas. This interesting exhibition of local cartography gave the public the opportunity to learn about some aspects of the town’s urban evolution.
A large size copy of the map drawn by Antonio Vázquez in 1616 stood out among the exhibited maps, on which the now disappeared Tower of Lanzós can be seen. We cannot help noticing that the author depicted a nest of storks on its roof, and behind it the schematic outline of a bird flying in the distance. Being commissioned by his Majesty, the author swore that he had done it well and faithfully, according to documents of the time, so we are inclined to believe that the inclusion of the storks is not due to artistic licence.
We don’t know whether four centuries ago storks nested in the As Mariñas area. Zoological information is very scattered in old documents and often collected in an indirect way. This is why zoologists require the collaboration of historians to move forward in the knowledge of the past of our fauna. Let us know if you can provide us with more accurate information.
