The capital of the Duchy of Cantabria on a strategic hilltop

Amaya is a village located in the municipality of Sotresgudo, in the province of Burgos, northern Spain. Situated on a strategic hilltop approximately 1,000 meters above sea level overlooking the Odra River valley, the site served as a fortified settlement during the pre-Roman, Roman, and Visigothic periods. During the Visigothic Kingdom, it served as the capital of the Duchy of Cantabria. It is mentioned in the Chronicle of John of Biclaro as a town captured by the Visigothic king Liuvigild in 574.

The name of the village has Indo-European roots and means "mother" or "mother city". Historically, the site was inhabited by the Cantabri Celtic tribes, who played a key role in the Cantabrian wars during the Roman conquest of Hispania. In the year 714, Muslim chroniclers record that Musa ibn Nusair sacked Amaya for the second time after Tariq had done so the year before. Following the attack by the Berber garrison, Peter, the provincial dux, led his people into refuge in the mountains while local noble Pelayo of Asturias started a rebellion.

During the first stages of the Reconquista, Amaya was part of the repopulating efforts of the Kingdom of Asturias in the border region of Bardulia. After the campaigns of Alfonso I of Asturias (739-757) against the Moors, the city lay abandoned in the buffer zone known as "The Desert of the Duero" before being part of a repopulation campaign a century later, during the reign of Ordoño I of Asturias (850-866). At that time, it was a significant place, described in an old saying as the head of the region.

In the modern era, Amaya was historically a short-lived bishopric that is no longer an active residential diocese. Today, the Catholic Church recognizes Amaya as a titular see, meaning it holds symbolic significance within the Church hierarchy. It remains a quiet village, standing as a testament to its long history as a fortified settlement and a significant seat of power.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons