What is "mesta"

The Mesta (Spanish Honrado Concejo de la Mesta, which means "Honorable Council of the Mesta") was a powerful association of sheep ranchers in the medieval Crown of Castile.

The sheep were transhumant, migrating from the pastures of Extremadura and Andalusia to León and Castile and back according to the season.

The no-man's-land (up to 100 km across) between the Christian-controlled north and Moorish-controlled south was too insecure for arable farming and was only exploited by shepherds. When the Christians conquered the south, farmers began to settle in the grazing lands, and disputes with pastoralists were common. The Mesta, set up in the late 13th century, can be regarded as the first, and most powerful, agricultural union in medieval Europe.

The export of merino wool enriched the members of the Mesta (the nobility and religious orders) who had acquired ranches during the process of Reconquista. Two of the most important wool markets were held in Medina del Campo and Burgos.

The kings of Castile conceded many privileges to the Mesta. The cañadas (traditional rights-of-way for sheep that perhaps date back to prehistoric times) are legally protected "forever" from being built on or blocked. The most important cañadas were called cañadas reales (or "royal cañadas"), because they were established by the king.

Some Madrid streets are still part of the cañada system, and there are groups of people who occasionally drive sheep across the modern city as a reminder of their ancient rights and cultures, although these days sheep are generally transported by rail.

Mesta may refer to:

• Mesta, former powerful association of sheep holders in the medieval Kingdom of Castile
• Mesta or Imset, in Egyptian mythology, a funerary deity, one of the Four sons of Horus
• Meśta or Roselle (plant), a species of hibiscus native to the Old World tropics, cultivated for the production for bast fibre
• Mesta (company), Norwegian company primarily building roads
• Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar en mesta, one of the kings' sagas.
• Mesta Machinery, a former major U.S. manufacturer of heavy machinery from 1898 until 1983.
• Michigan Earth Science Teachers Association

Places:

• Mesta River, a river in Bulgaria and Greece
• Mesta, Greece - a village in the southwestern part of the island of Chios in Greece.
• Mesta, Bulgaria - a village in the Bansko municipality of the Blagoevgrad Province

People:

• Perle Mesta (1889–1975), American society figure, political hostess, and ambassador to Luxembourg (1949-1953)

Mesta AS is a Norwegian government enterprise delivering services within construction and civil engineering of roads. The company was created in 2003 when the construction division of Statens Vegvesen was demerged to become a separate limited company that has to compete for each contract. The company is owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Industry and has its headquarters at Lysaker outside Oslo.

During the summer of 2008 the company experienced a restructuring of the entire organizational structure. The company now consists of eight fully owned subsidiaries: Geo Survey, Eiendom (Property), Entreprenør (Entrepreneur), Asfalt (Asphalt), Stein (Rock), Elektro (Electro), Drift (Operation), and Verksted (Maintenance). The corporate HQ is positioned in Oslo. The subsidiaries are structured as own entities and are limitied companies (AS in Norway)

Category:Construction and civil engineering companies of Norway Category:Government-owned companies of Norway Category:Companies based in Bærum Category:Companies established in 2005

Mesta is a station on the Port Authority of Allegheny County's light rail network, located in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. The street level stop is designed as a small commuter stop, serving area residents who walk to the train so they can be taken toward Downtown Pittsburgh.