Mertolenga
(most common name)

(local/other name):
• Raça Bovina Mertolenga

The Mertolenga is a recent locally derived breed with its first herdbook started in 1979. The name is in reference to the area of origin — Mértola, a town and a municipality in southeastern Portugal right next to the border of Spain.

The Mertolenga is the result of a mixture of the Alentejana, the Fighting cattle of Portugal, and the Berrenda en Colorado (of Spain). This mixture resulted in three distinct coat colorations:
• red
• red roan - with a local color variety named Bragado do Sorraia (Charnequeira)
• red pied - with a local color variety named Guadiana Spotted (Malhado de baixo Guadiana)

These color varieties are not counted separately in breed level census taking.

A variety of Mertolenga that originated from crosses with Alentejana and Brava de Lide is called Charnequeiro.

The Mertolenga was a dual-purpose breed originally used for work and meat, but today the focus is on beef. However, oxen are still used for a rather specialized practice: herding fighting bulls and leading the bull from the arena after a bull fight. (In Portugal the bull is not killed in public). These oxen are known as ‘jogos de cabestros’ — literally ‘games of halters’ — meaning they act as ‘halters’ for herding and leading during these ‘games’.

This page was last updated on: 2023-06-06

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