Reteining walls or "marges"
Hilly terrain is difficult to cultivate because it is subjected to a great deal of erosion due to rain, sometimes torrential, which is frequent in this climate. Furthermore, rapid drainage decreases the amount of moisture that the soil is able to absorb.
For this reason, dry stone retaining walls or “marges” were erected perpendicular to the slope of the land, in order to create flat terraces that were ideally suited for cultivation. This type of construction was used to create terraces both on mountain slopes and in valleys, forming “feixes” and “bancals”, respectively.
The stones used to build these walls were extracted from the land with the use of an iron lever, although oak or Holm oak branches might also be used, when it was initially cleared for agricultural use. The utilization of this stone offered a structural solution and provided basic stone storage at the same time.