Asturias is a province located in the North area of Spain and because of the Cantabric Cordillera was always separated of the rest and a difficult area to conquist for the new conquistors of the country.

It was the last place conquisted by Rome, with Augustus, 29-19 b.c, later on, in the VIII century the muslim invasion was stopped in the Peeks of Europe(Picos de Europa), being like a resistance region of the Islam (more specific in the battle of Covadonga,under the command of the untamed Pelayo)confirmed the inscrutable virtue of the Picos de Europa, defending and isolating Asturias from the invaders. After that the Kingdom of Asturias worked as a important focus of the Reconquist.

 

 

Thanks of that was created a different way of culture, that we can still see in the art, called 'Preromanico'.
whose most representative monuments have been declared World Heritage Sites by the UNESCO.
But this natural relation between men and his enviroment has given us more historically-priceless treasures in the numerous caves hidden in secret places(Tito Bustillo, Boxu, Candamo, etc).

 

 

Asturias hided itself with the big mountains in one side and the sea in the other, and only at the XIX century the region started to get more importance thanks of the industralization and the mines. The construction of a new infraestructure (railways) and the return of the capital after the lost of the colonies, reactiveted the economic life. Already being an important point in mines and industry the region had predominance of socialist and anarquist ideas. The power of this two forces was evident when in October 1934 Asturias was proclamed an socialist Republic, resisting for two days the army.

 

The beggining of the Civil War divided it in two: in one hand Oviedo, the capital, and in the other hand the rest of Asturias, with the loyalty to the Republic. The lost of Bilbao and Santander made almost imposible the asturian resistance to Franco army, but even, a big number of the combatients continued the fight like small 'guerrillas', hidden in the Peeks of Europe(Picos de Europa).

With the democracy, It was formed as a Principado de Asturias in January 1982. The first elections for the autonomic parlament was on the 8 of may in 1983.