Failed coal mine

A "vega" is a patch of high-quality alluvial agricultural land. Vegapallía got its name a few hundred years ago when a monastic attempt to set up a viniculture business failed - Vegapallía was "la vega fallida", the failed vega. Some 70 years ago it failed again - this time when the aristocrat who owned the land and the coal mines, decided there was insufficient profit in it and closed the mines. Santolaya shrank to about a third of its size and the nearby village, Viñón, was abandoned. 
I don´t know what the arch in the brickwork is about, but I know it´s part of the old mining infrastucture. The old pithead tower shown in the extra was a derelict ruin until about 2010, when it was rebuilt as part of a general upgrading of the road and area. You can see the arch and old pit wagon in both photos.