It is common, especially in towns, for people, families or houses to have nicknames or nicknames. What is rarer is for entire towns to have them.

Nicknames serve to designate the family destination, origin or kinship of some people with others. They are also useful to differentiate people from others who may have similar names and surnames.

These nicknames can be created and assigned for different motivations: physical characteristics, professions, animals, food, names of a relative, alluding to peculiar situations, names of ancestors or surnames, famous people with some resemblance, origin, etc.

Regarding the people, the nicknames would surely be generated in a similar way to those that are generated for people, they describe it, criticize it or simply remember a historical anecdote that has passed from generation to generation and, almost always seek to put a touch of irony.

In Maestrazgo, as we are going to see, there is an abundance of animals, but also of food and other more peculiar ones.

With animal names, those of Cañada de Benatanduz and Miravete de la Sierra are called “Zorros”, those of Villarluengo “Topos”, those of Tronchón “Cuquillos”, those of Mirambel “Cuquillada” and those of La Cuba “Ardachos”.

There are two villages with food nicknames, “Huevos” (eggs) those of Montoro de Mezquita and “Cebollas” (onions) those of Pitarque.

“Peguntones” are those of Fortanete, and alludes to a trade practiced by people from the municipality.

Others refer to the characteristics or ways of being of the inhabitants: “Brujos” the Allepuz and Molinos, “Sucreros” those of La Iglesuela del Cid, “Sufridos” is another nickname of Mirambel, “Usureros” were those of Santolea, “Justicieros” those of Ladruñán and “Borrachos” those of Cuevas de Cañart.

Finally, the nicknames of Cantavieja, known as “Eleven Donkeys”, and Villarroya de los Pinares, where they are called “Arrastrasantos”, refer to peculiar situations.

The origin of these nicknames is difficult to trace and their origin is hardly remembered. In many towns its use has been lost and only a few older people remember it, while in others it is very popular and the nickname is flaunted in different ways.

For example, in La Cuba we have said that they are known as “Ardachos”, a word that is synonymous of lizard or fardacho. Well, the neighbors, honoring its name, have decorated corners of the municipality with figurines of this animal, so you can look for them in the municipality at the same time you walk through the streets.

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