Tarna is one of ten parishes (administrative divisions) in Caso, a municipality within the province and autonomous community of Asturias, in northern Spain. The population is 100 (INE 2006). Tarna Before the Spanish Civil War Origins The origin of Tarna is not completely known, especially because the town has many Jewish surnames. It's believed that it may be an area founded by Sephardim, although its strategic position as a passage between the Cantabrian Coast and the Meseta suggests that the place could have some kind of occupation from the Cantabrian Wars or even in the pre-Roman era. This possibility is supported by the fact that there are nearby Roman influences, such as Campo de Caso and Puente de Arco. Unfortunately, there is no archaeological evidence to confirm this. The earliest surviving reference to the town of Tarna is a donation letter from 1142 in which Alfonso VII donates the Villa de Tarna to his butler Martín Díaz. Since the term "villa" was still used in the Roman sense, it's possible that Tarna was some kind of farm or a large house that dominated the area through agricultural exploitation. Middle Ages Due to geographical advantages during the High Middle Ages, Tarna was an early territory dominated by the Asturian Monarchy in the Reconquista. During the Late Middle Ages it continued to be a well-known region for agricultural and livestock. An early version of the existed as a natural route. In historic texts, the town is occasionally called "Villa Tarana" 18th Century On December 9, 1774, Tarna was devastated after a violent flood. The Nalón River was naturally blocked for days and the reservoir was suddenly released, along with a large accumulation of logs and rocks. It’s documented in a letter sent to King Carlos III. The request for help was answered through an aid of a thousand reales alms, which is documented in a letter from the Cathedral of Oviedo dated February 6. A popular legend originated from the flood, saying that the Tarninos threw the image of their patron San Pedro into the river when in reality it was dragged by the flood to La Foz. A chapel was built there in 1786, where it is housed to this day. The flood, known as “Argayu de los Picones”, was not only catastrophic for the Tarninos, but also had immediate repercussions on the Asturian communications system. The Marqués de Vista Alegre,