Page 5 of 5
To the northeast of the location of the Piedra Monastery there is a set of mountains that reach high enough to grow a nice stand of pine trees.
To the north lies a deep valley now partly filled with a reservoir. More than 2,000 years ago, a person on a horse would follow this valley north, cross another low mountain range, and end up at the Celtiberian fortress town Numantia.
When the father of Piri's little boy came to see him and her, he asked her to come out to an abandoned farmstead on the way to Numantia, one not very far from where she lived, yet close enough to the boundary between rebel and Roman held territories to allow him quick egress should a party of Roman soldiers approach.
It was in part the location being on this Roman/Celtiberian boundary where armed clashes were common, and in part the fickleness of the spring on the property, that caused the family that built the homestead to abandon it then. It was probably the latter problem that caused its abandonment more recently.
The spring is celebrated with a nice structure that allows easy filling of containers:
This is the place where father met son. And father and mother argued.
The people who abandoned this homestead moved onto land close to where Piri and her baby lived, and farmed there. They grew grapes, just as is being done now:
They grew fruit and some vegetables, as was being done here during the time the monastery was self-supporting:
This farm would later be expanded and the expnasion would be developed by Piri's son, his wife, and children. It was directly adjacent to the wooded canyon of the River Piedra with its springs and falls. In fact the farm was irrigated by the diversion of a higher spring into a ditch that required frequent repair.
This clutter of woods was where the family jumped down into the canyon upon the approach of soldiery, whether Roman or Celtiberian:
Once into these woods, the families would calmly make their way to one of the numerous caves in the canyon for shelter (see previous page). The caves were outfitted with hanging sacks of grain and dried beans for sustenance, should a long stay be in order.
Piri found her peace in this canyon. But it was not necessarily a peace void of hostility coming from outside. It was the "peace that passeth all understanding," an ineffable awareness of the divine source within, an awareness that brings joy almost regardless of external circumstances.
Go
back to first River Piedra page
Go
back to second River Piedra page
Go
back to third River Piedra page
Go to More in 2004 page
Go Home