Tomás Mantecón Pelayo

Tomás Mantecón Pelayo (Riolangos, March 21, 1940) learned as a child that life in the Pas region began early: “Born today, and tomorrow, off to work.” He went to the school in Riolangos whenever possible, tended cows, accompanied his father to the mountains, and sold his first baskets for three pesetas, walking for miles through villages in the region like Luena and Entrambasmestas. His story captures a world that has almost vanished: the seasonal migrations, the post-war period, the work of the women who tended the vegetation, the cabins without electricity, emigration to France, military service, working with hay, milk, and a small livestock operation he built up little by little with his wife, Valvanuz. From his grandfather and father, he inherited the art of basket weaving, a tradition deeply rooted in Pas life: they were used to carry firewood, hay, food, or even small children. Today he is one of the last artisans—if not the very last—who still practices this craft in the Pasiegos Valleys. What Tomás leaves behind is not just wooden pieces: it is a knowledge learned by hand, a way of life in Cantabria, and a memory that, without a successor, still lives on in every basket. Legado Cantabria is a production of Fundación PEM