PERAL (PROENÇA-A-NOVA)
N 39.69152º; W 7.80184º
Peral is an old Portuguese parish in the municipality of Proença-a-Nova, with an area of 25.63 km² and 674 inhabitants (2011). Its population density was 26.3 inhabitants/km².
Due to the last administrative reorganization of the territory of the parishes, this parish, together with the parish of Proença-a-Nova, began to form the Union of parishes of Proença-a-Nova and Peral, with headquarters in Proença-a-Nova.
The area of the old parish extends from Sobreira Formosa, which runs north to Fratel, the neighboring municipality of Vila Velha de Ródão, to the east, to the parish of São Pedro do Esteval, to the south, and the town of Proença- a-Nova, on the west side.
History
It was known as the parish of São Tiago, after its foundation in the second half of the 16th century. Before, it was part of the only parish in the municipality of Proença-a-Nova, from which São Pedro do Esteval was also born. He belonged to the Priory and Corregedoria of Crato and the Provedoria of Tomar. As a town it is much older, but it is impossible to locate in time. It is said that there were traces of a Roman settlement, close to the current parish seat, in the place they called «Castelo do Chão do Trigo». It was on top of a hill, surrounded by the Estevês stream, walled, with two doors. Coins from Roman emperors before and after the birth of Christ were found there and, in 1712, a man, who was farming nearby land, unearthed more than three hundred of these coins, which he sold for pennies. It is therefore believed that the subjects of Rome settled there when they founded Proença-a-Nova, around two thousand years ago! In 1834, it had a “pedaneous” judge and, from 1837, it began to constitute a justice of the peace together with the parish of São Pedro do Esteval, which became its headquarters. In 1755, it was hit by an earthquake, with all its sources drying up. Perhaps this has contributed to the fame that the waters of the Ocreza River have achieved, as being very good for the stomach.
Currently, Peral is a growing town, predominantly dedicated to agriculture, similar to most of its neighbors. Civil construction, in development, demonstrates, however, its physiognomic evolution, at the beginning of the new millennium.
Economic Activities
The soil is poor, subsistence agriculture and forestry are practiced and there is traditional sausage making. Olive oil, rye, corn and little else are produced. To these cultures, the people always added the exploration of honey and wax, hunting and fishing in the Ocreza River, which was once rich in trout.
