Análisis antropológico de la tenca y la pesca de río en Extremadura:una realidad etnográfica

Abstract

The tench, a fish of the cyprinid family, whose distribution is wide in Europe and Asia, capable of adapting to different climatic conditions, making possible that its habitat is variable, being able to find it specially in Extremadura and specifically, in Extremadura`s own pasture ecosystem. The ethnographic study that we present has been delimited in a wide area of the province of Caceres, specifically in the cultural groups that integrate the Union Tagus-Salor, but without forgetting other areas, like the city of Caceres and other localities of the region. We try to demonstrate that the tench is a symbol, an element of social and cultural identity in Extremadura. It has even become an engine of development in rural areas, in the aquaculture sector. This aspect, we base it demonstrating that it has been a hallmark along part of the history of this region, whose peak we appreciate every summer with the celebration of the Feast of the tench. We have centered on analyzing how the tench influences specific aspects of the Extremadura`s culture, like the following: cattle raising, trading, tourism, gastronomy, familiar traditions, feasts, poaching, etc., without leaving aside its own natural history, whose origin is still unknown and controversial, just like the relation conferred to the Emperor Carlos V with this fish in Extremadura, and that seems to be more related to popular traditions and fiction literature.