Sheep "Xisqueta"

It is a work that collects images of different flocks of sheep in the counties of Pallars and Alta Ribagorça in Catalonia, taking advantage of the stay in the pastures of high mountain, of the great flocks that gather sheep of the autochthonous race Xisqueta.

In summer of 2015 I started this photographic project. It is a work that collects images of different flocks of sheep from the counties of Pallars, Alta Ribagorça, in Catalonia. In the mountains of Castellàs (Alta Ribagorça), Erta (Alta Ribagorça) or Llessui (Pallars Sobirà), taking advantage of the stay in the high mountain pastures, of the large herds that gather sheep of the autochthonous race Xisqueta of different properties. I made a series of photos, usually the days that salt was given to the sheep - the grass of the Pyrenean mountains has a deficit of minerals - and the cattle are separated to breed or sick.
The breeding and exploitation of the Xisqueta sheep is part of the cultural base of Pallars and Alta Ribagorça. An entire lifestyle influenced by the transhumance of winter pastures to summer pastures. Without the sheep, you can not understand the past and life in the valleys and mountains of this part of Catalonia.