Hórreo

As we've walked north in  Portugal toward Galicia, we started seeing these odd structures:

They are corn cribs: buildings to store grain, usually for livestock.  Locally they are known as hórreo.

In this one, still in use, you can see the corn stored inside.

As we walked farther into Spain, they got more numerous.  Although their construction and "look" varied from village to village, they all had some sort of rodent barrier underneath to keep the vermin out of the grain,

and ventilation to keep the the grain from spoiling.

These granaries are everywhere.  Their first written reference is from the 12th century.  The archeological evidence dates them from pre-roman times.  They are a source of pride and cultural heritage from the region, and although no longer needed to store grain in most places, well preserved.  The only time we saw them in need of repair, is when the adjoining farmhouse had been abandoned, and in worse shape.

In places where suburban development is encroaching on old farmland, great care is taken to preserve them. It's not uncommon to see old hórreo among newer apartment buildings.

Many, especially farther north near Santiago, have crosses on the top.  Although they are not religious buildings, the crosses serve to destroy any evil spirits that are wont to destroy the grain.  From wikipedia:

Saint James decided to return to the Holy Land after preaching in Galicia. There he was beheaded, but his disciples got his body to Jaffa, where they found a marvelous stone ship which miraculously conducted them and the apostle's body to Iria Flavia, back in Galicia. There, the disciples asked the local pagan queen Loba ('She-wolf') for permission to bury the body; she, annoyed, decided to deceive them, sending them to pick a pair of oxen she allegedly had by the Pico Sacro, a local sacred mountain where a dragon dwelt, hoping that the dragon would kill the Christians, but as soon as the beast attacked the disciples, at the sight of the cross, the dragon exploded. Then the disciples marched to collect the oxen, which were actually wild bulls which the queen used to punish her enemies; but again, at the sight of the Christian's cross, the bulls calmed down, and after being subjected to a yoke they carried the apostle's body to the place where now Compostela is.

If crosses can defeat dragons and wild bulls, then surely vermin are no match.

Some have been built long past when storing grain in them was even a thing, such as this one made of concrete and steel:

 I wonder if some of the hórreo are being repurposed for more modern applications, such as this one:

that appears to have been converted into a smoker?