Origins

The oldest human presence detected in Carreño belonged to the Upper Palaeolithic and was in Cueva Oscura (Coyanca, Perlora), unfortunately already destroyed. The materials found there belonged to the Solutran and Magdalenian cultures. The Neolithic region is largely represented by the megalytic structures of the Arraeus Mount, already mentioned in the 19th century by the local scholar Carlos González Posada. Recent excavations date back to this collection of funeral monuments around 3000 BC.

From the Bronze Age, two beams were found, one from Perlora and the other from the Barrera castro, the latter from the Spanish culture. Of Roman times, there were no significant remains in Carreño, with the exception of the Coyanca Treasury, discovered in 1961 (seven coins minted between the 54s and 138s), and the Yabio Tower, of dubious Roman architecture.

Middle Ages

In the Middle Ages, the municipality of Carreño belonged to the land of Gauzón and was then integrated into the Alfoz de Avilés. It was not until the 13th century that Carreño was recognised as an autonomous territory and endowed with a village, although that autonomy did not last long. Carreño has always been realengo, with no premises for ladies, and has been represented in the General Assembly of the Principality since the 14th and 15th centuries.

In the 15th and 16th centuries, the town of Candás already has recognised port and fishing traffic. Fishing activity has been documented since 1232, when the port of Entrellusa (Perlora) is leased to several whale fishermen. Interesting remnants of this time are the gentlemen’s towers, such as the Prendes towers or the Yabio torruxón.

Economic growth;

In the subsequent centuries, the town of Candás continued its fisheries specialisation and maritime trade relations intensified. Whale fishing occupies much of the candacious sailors, and one of the incursions into the Irish seas is the discovery of the famous Christ of Candás.

After years of dispute, Carreño became independent from Avilés and formed a self-governing municipality at the end of the 16th century. At that time, the municipal councils held alternately a year in Guimarán and a year in Candás, although the municipality’s first capital was in Sebades (Logrezana).

In the 18th century, the port, the harbour with the largest traffic on the Asturian coast, continued to be repaired and rebuilt, and shipyards were heavily involved in building and repairing ships. The fishermen’s associations of Nuestra Señora del Carmen and the animas del Purgatorio were founded and the canyons were installed on the San Antonio promontory to defend the town.

Contemporary Age

The start of the Contemporary Age is marked by the French invasion and the War of Independence. On 28 May 1808, the City Council declared war on France and constituted a battalion of volunteers, the Candás and Luanco Infantry Regiment. The town and the municipality were invaded by the French army three times.

In the 19th century, the municipality was divided into three municipalities, Candás, Guimarán and Tamón; the experience lasted only two years and in 1823 Carreño regained its historical territorial scope. This century also saw the terrible shipwrecks suffered by candacious sailors: 24 January 1840, with 96 fishermen; on 14 January 1877, with 30; and on 21 December 1891, with 11 disappeared at sea.

20th century

The 20th century marks a first industrialisation phase: salting cellars, marinade factories, seven canning factories, iron mining, the chemical factory in Aboño and the railway line to El Musel. Social and cultural developments go hand in hand with the extension of education and an early association movement.

After the Civil War, the district’s industrialisation continued, resulting in population and economic growth that had hitherto been unknown in Carreño. The industrial crisis of the 80s and reconversion then steer the municipal economy towards the service sector, in which leisure and tourism play an important role.