Rúa, A

According to Pliny the Elder, before the arrival of the Romans, A Rúa and the rest of the comarca of Valdeorras was occupied by the Celtiberian Cigurri tribe (also known as the Egurri). The medieval and modern name of the comarca is derived from this tribe meaning "valley of the Cigurri" (Val de Geurres) The Cigurri were part of the Cismontani branch of the Asturian people. They spoke the Celtic Gallaecian language. The Romans under Emperor Augustus invaded in 25 BC leading to the Asturian war which lasted until 19 BC, although there were minor rebellions until 16 BC. Near A Rúa and Petín was the location of the Forum Cigurrorum, the political center of the Cigurri, located on the via Nova (via XVIII) between Bracara Augusta and Asturica Augusta.

After the Germanic invasions, the municipality was part of the Suebic Kingdom and then the Visigothic Kingdom. It was known as Geurres or Giorres and was home to a mint during the reigns of Witteric and Suintila (603–631).

Muslims ruled the region briefly until king Alfonso I of Asturias (739–757) retook the region in the Reconquista. The comarca of Valdeorras was depopulated after its capture by Alfonso I as part of the Desert of the Duero, a buffer zone he created between Asturias and the Muslim states. During the reign of Ordoño I of Asturias (850–866) the re-population of the uninhabited zone began. The people who descended the mountains of the north for the uninhabited valleys were called foramontanos: meaning "out of the mountains." A Rúa, also known as San Esteban de La Rúa during the Middle Ages, was the historical capital of Valdeorras. The region was under the successive rule of the kingdoms of Asturias, Galicia, León, and Castile.

During the Spanish War of Independence, Spanish guerrillas and Napoleon's Grande Armée clashed in the region.

Until the new administrative division of Spain in 1833, Valdeorras was part of the province of El Bierzo, and was considered part of León. Afterwards, it became a comarca of Galicia.

The opening of the Palencia–A Coruña railway line on 1 September 1883 was a decisive moment for the economy of the region.

•Camiño de Inverno (263 km)