Each landowner was allocated a certain day and time of the week during which he could divert water from the common canals onto his land.

The golden age for Chercos came during the period of exploitation of the deposits of high quality marble found in the area.

People’s lives would be easier down on the plain, and the new town of Chercos would be far more accessible than it was on the isolated side of the mountain at the end of a rough dirt track.

The landowners vehemently refused to pay what they saw as a unilaterally-imposed tax meant to carry out an objective they strongly disagreed with.

Despite the presence of the Civil Guard, Antonio was threatened by the landowners and was told that they would kill him if he persisted with his plans to tax them and move the church bells.