Barrancos (, : Barranquenho: ), officially the Town of Barrancos (), is a town and a municipality in southeastern Portugal, by the Spanish border. With a population of 1,438 as of 2021, it is the least populated municipality in Continental Portugal. Covering an area of , Barrancos is one of only six Portuguese municipalities comprising a single civil parish.
The area has been inhabited since prehistoric times, with archaeological evidence dating back to the Paleolithic. During the Middle Ages, urbanization was centered around the Castle of Noudar, a fortress that changed hands between Portugal and Castile until its definitive incorporation into Portugal in 1295. In the 19th century, the administrative center shifted to Barrancos, which became the seat of the municipality.
Barrancos has a distinctive cultural identity shaped by centuries of cross-border interaction. It is known for the Barranquenho language, and for its annual Fêra de Barrancos, a festival combining religious and pagan traditions in honor of its patron saint, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. The town also holds the only bullfighting events in Portugal where killing the bull in the ring is permitted, under a legal exception granted in 2002.
Among its economic activities are agriculture and livestock rising, being a production center for Barrancos ham, a type of presunto (dry-cured ham), similar to the jamón ibérico, made from Black Iberian Pig (also known as Porco Alentejano).
The present Mayor is Leonel Caçador Rodrigues, elected by the Unitary Democratic Coalition.
History
left|thumb|Castle of Noudar
The area of present-day Barrancos has been inhabited since prehistoric times, with evidence of occupation dating back to the Chalcolithic and even the Paleolithic periods. Human occupation continued during the Roman, Visigothic and Moorish periods, as evidenced by artifacts. In 1167, the territory was conquered by the Portuguese nobleman Gonçalo Mendes da Maia, during the reign of Afonso I. Consequently, Castilian and Leonese settlers, under the protection of the Order of Avis from at least the 15th century, established themselves in the region and contributed to the development of a hybrid culture and the emergence of the Barranquenho language.
Noudar endured repeated conflicts between Portugal and Castile including a period of Castilian occupation from 1707 to 1715. During the Portuguese Restoration War, the village of Barrancos suffered significant destruction between June and August 1641, when Portuguese forces, acting on royal orders, burned the settlement. This episode likely contributed to the loss of historical written records.
Demographics
As of 2021, Barrancos was the least populated municipality in Continental Portugal, hosting only 1,438 inhabitants. Like many municipalities in the interior of the country, Barrancos is experiencing significant population aging, with 27% of its inhabitants being over 64 years old, compared to the national average of 23%.
thumb|Praça da Liberdade
Barrancos' culture also differs from the rest of Portugal in its bullfighting traditions, as it is the only location where killing of the bull in the ring is permitted, a practice commonly referred to as Spanish style. This practice, once prevalent in the country was phased out in 1840 and officially banned in 1928. However, it continued being practiced thereafter in the municipality, eventually leading to an official exception in 2002.
Barrancos’ municipal holiday, celebrated on 28 August, coincides with the Fêra de Barrancos, a three-day festival held in honor of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception (Nossa Senhora da Conceição), the town’s patron saint, combining religious and pagan elements, including bullfighting events. The religious aspect of the event includes a mass in the parish church and a procession through the streets. The bullfighting events start in the morning with encerros, when bulls are led through the streets to the improvised bullring in Praça da Liberdade, a central square. In the evenings, matadors face the bulls in front of large crowds, and the final day traditionally ends with a vacada, where a cow is fought by amateur bullfighters before being killed in the arena.