 The settlement of Valdevez was, until the 12th century, the seat of the territory of Ribeira-Lima, due to its strategic position between northern Portugal and Galicia.During the Middle Ages, the local administration began to concentrate in Arcos, which was (as its name implies) founded near the old bridge crossing the Vez River.There were some authors that referred to its first foral, issued by D. Afonso Henriques in 1129, but the only document was the Manueline letter.