Cotiella

Cotiella is a limestone massif in the Aragonese Pyrenees. The same name designates the main peak of the massif, of 2,912 m. Other important summits are the Punta de Armeña, the Punta de las Neiss or the Cotielleta. Despite not exceeding 3,000 m in height, the relative isolation in which the mass of Cotiella rises makes it appear as the colossus of the area, offering great views from its apex. On clear days it is visible from the city of Lérida.

It is located between the courses of the Cinca and Ésera rivers. To the south of Cotiella, rises the Ferrera mountain range, whose highest point is the well-known Peña Montañesa. To the west it is accompanied by the massif of Lierga, while to the north it is guarded by the peaks of Diez, Once and Mediodía. These last three owe their names to the fact that they have been used since ancient times to tell the time according to the position of the sun on their respective verticals from Plan.

Some of the most emblematic places in the massif are the Ibón de Plan or Basa de la Mora, a mountain lake where, according to tradition, a Moorish princess appears on the night of San Juan to the pure of heart, or the cirque of Armeña, dotted with hundreds of chasms and caves. The limestone nature of the substratum causes the water to seep into the interior of the mountain, so it is not possible to find it above a certain height. Very close to this cirque is the Armeña lake, which is smaller than the Plan lake.

The summit of Cotiella is one of the places in the Pyrenees where tradition has placed the celebration of covens. The local toponymy shows us names like the Brecha de las Brujas, which names a hill very close to the summit.