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piqueros

English translation: cave diggers / cave-digging craftsmen

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Spanish term or phrase:piqueros
English translation:cave diggers / cave-digging craftsmen
Entered by: Charles Davis

14:34 Dec 17, 2016
Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Science - Geology / Text from the Canary Islands
Spanish term or phrase: piqueros
... construyendo estanques en cueva, galerías de captación o canalización de agua, pajeros, alpendres, corrales, ermitas o refugios en el interior de la tierra, de la mano de piqueros especializados, que hicieron de esta demanda un oficio reconocido, hoy en día en riesgo y con él los saberes de su práctica profesional.
Lorna O'Donoghue
Local time: 20:45
cave diggers
Explanation:
I think this is probably the best term.

Like Marie, I've been looking at the "Monumento a los Piqueros" in Artenara, to those who "con sus picos y palas horadaban la piedra para hacer las casas cuevas"
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artenara

I think we want a word that expresses digging into the rock with pickaxes, and "diggers" is the best I can think of. In some Latin American countries, by the way, "piquero" means a miner.

The English here is not great but I think the word is suitable:

"Due to the loss ppopulation [sic] few caves are being currently excavated; notwithstanding, the former cave diggers have been substituted by workers that use modern equipment such as pneumatic drills."
http://www.artenara.es/turismo/index.php/en/etnografia-ingle...

"In Granada, and many other areas of Spain, there are cave houses that are hundreds of years old. [...] Experienced cave diggers look for a hard layer of rock that will serve as a strong roof and dig below it. [...]"
http://www.englishclip.com/ftp.englishclip.com/Vocab/Entries...

From another part of the world:

"The caves are generally small, and fail architecturally, from the feebleness and tenuity of their supports. The Southern cave-diggers had evidently not been grounded in the art like their Northern compeers, the Buddhists. The long experience of the latter in the art taught them that ponderous masses were not only necessary to support their roofs, but for architectural effect [...]. In the South, on the contrary, the cave-diggers tried to copy literally the structural pillar used to support wooden roofs."
http://scans.library.utoronto.ca/pdf/2/25/imperialgazettee22... (p. 185)
Selected response from:

Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 21:45
Grading comment
Thanks. I went with this solution: piquero (cave-digging craftsmen)
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4cave dwelling builders
Marie Wilson
4cave diggers
Charles Davis


  

Answers


57 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
cave diggers


Explanation:
I think this is probably the best term.

Like Marie, I've been looking at the "Monumento a los Piqueros" in Artenara, to those who "con sus picos y palas horadaban la piedra para hacer las casas cuevas"
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artenara

I think we want a word that expresses digging into the rock with pickaxes, and "diggers" is the best I can think of. In some Latin American countries, by the way, "piquero" means a miner.

The English here is not great but I think the word is suitable:

"Due to the loss ppopulation [sic] few caves are being currently excavated; notwithstanding, the former cave diggers have been substituted by workers that use modern equipment such as pneumatic drills."
http://www.artenara.es/turismo/index.php/en/etnografia-ingle...

"In Granada, and many other areas of Spain, there are cave houses that are hundreds of years old. [...] Experienced cave diggers look for a hard layer of rock that will serve as a strong roof and dig below it. [...]"
http://www.englishclip.com/ftp.englishclip.com/Vocab/Entries...

From another part of the world:

"The caves are generally small, and fail architecturally, from the feebleness and tenuity of their supports. The Southern cave-diggers had evidently not been grounded in the art like their Northern compeers, the Buddhists. The long experience of the latter in the art taught them that ponderous masses were not only necessary to support their roofs, but for architectural effect [...]. In the South, on the contrary, the cave-diggers tried to copy literally the structural pillar used to support wooden roofs."
http://scans.library.utoronto.ca/pdf/2/25/imperialgazettee22... (p. 185)

Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 21:45
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 76
Grading comment
Thanks. I went with this solution: piquero (cave-digging craftsmen)
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

31 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
cave dwelling builders


Explanation:
Piqueros were the people who built cave homes, during the times of the original settlers of the Canary Islands.
In Artenara there is a monument to them called;
Monumento a los Piqueros
Monument for the Cave Dwelling Builders
vanderkrogt.net/statues/object.php?webpage=ST&record...

El Monumento a los piqueros, del año 2004, que rinde homenaje a los hombres piqueros del pueblo, aquellos que con sus picos y palas horadaban la piedra para hacer las casas cuevas, que hoy lucen por todo el municipio.
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artenara

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Note added at 2 hrs (2016-12-17 16:59:53 GMT)
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More references to my suggestion, although not in the Canary Islands.
The ancient indians who lived in Walnut canyon were some of the first cave-dwelling builders in this area. If you are interested in archaeology and history this site along with Wapukiti Pueblo will help you track the progress of human architecture
Arizona;
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g60971-d108787...

France;
The Grottes de Jonas are ancient caves formed by natural erosion, but enlarged and converted into dwellings by men.
The Celts were the first cave dwellings builders.
As soon as 400BC, they indeed dug the volcanic tuff in order to built a fortified village.The Grottes de Jonas are ancient caves formed by natural erosion, but enlarged and converted into dwellings by men.
www.travelfranceonline.com/grottes-de-jonas-ancient-troglod...





Marie Wilson
Spain
Local time: 21:45
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 20
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