Aisa gives its name to one of the most beautiful and undiscovered valleys of the Aragonese Pyrenees. Created by the Estarrun river, a tributary of the Aragon, it cuts a broad swathe into the dark, limy forest soils deposited on Eocene flysch. The main economic activity is forestry combined with cattle and sheep farming, complemented by subsistence agriculture conditioned by the long, cold winters of this mountainous area.
Aisa (1,045 metres above sea level) is the administrative centre of the municipality which includes the villages of Esposa and Sinues. It is situated south of the Aspe peak, which together with the Llana de la Garganta and Llana del Bozo form what is known as the Aspe Trilogy. Undoubtedly, this is one of the most spectacular landscapes in the Pyrenean range. This extensive municipality also takes in the well-known ski resort of Candanchu – the first ever built in Spain.
The village of Aisa is notable for its excellent state of conservation and for the detailed and sensiitive restorations carried out on its buildings which maintain the inimitable style and characteristics of popular mountain architecture. Its slate roofs, beautiful chimneys and stone façades create a unified village centre. In this valley, ancient traditions combine with modern models of development. The traditional dance of Sinues is a case in point. It was resurrected at the end of the 1990s, 20 years after its disappearance and now exists again in all its variations (with handkerchiefs, plaits and ribbons, sticks, etc.). It is also related to other Central Pyrenean dances.
Aisa valley is an ideal location for sporting and leisure activities such as paragliding, mountaineering, trekking, skiing or mountain biking which can all be practised in these unparalleled natural surroundings.
Other villages in the municipality: Esposa - Sinues - Candanchu
Text taken from the Jacetania Area Signposting Plan. 2001-2006