Introduction
The constructive system of dry stone was what defined the landscape of the Cap de Creus, and was based on the construction either of single walls or of double walls with small stones on the inside (rubble).
The creation of the terraces in order to be able to plant vineyards or olive trees, with their ramps, stairs, loading docks and drainage channels, totally redefined the landscape. They became an example of the peasants' struggle to establish small cultivated plots on sloping hillsides with lean and stony soil, that is, to overcome the constraints and establish themselves in a particularly difficult environment.
However, the phylloxera episode greatly marked the evolution of the landscape. The initial spread of the plague in France enouraged the growing of the vineyards on the rugged, steep slopes of Cap de Creus, thanks to an enormous amount work in banking up the land with dry stone walls. The arrival of the phylloxera here, in 1877, meant the abandonment of much cultivated land and the revegetation of the slopes in many areas.
Source: Landscape Observatory.