Mesta, society composed of all the sheep raisers of Castile, in Spain, formally recognized by Alfonso X (the Wise) in 1273. The name is thought to derive either from the Spanish mezcla (“mixture”), a reference to the mixture of sheep; or from the Arabic mechta, meaning winter pastures for sheep.
During the 13th and 14th centuries the Mesta evolved into the central institution that controlled and promoted sheep raising. Its head had both administrative and legal powers. Because of favourable trade with the Netherlands, a leading textile producer, the Mesta controlled the largest and most profitable “industry” in medieval Spain. It was granted generous fueros (“privileges”) by the crown, and each September its members drove their sheep to winter pastures without regard for the private lands that were encountered on the way. So profitable were the activities of the organization that Spain’s nascent industry tended to be neglected in favour of stock breeding, and the country continued to export raw materials and import manufactured goods well into the 19th century. Some historians blame the Mesta for Spain’s lack of industrial development in comparison to that of the rest of Europe. The Mesta reached the height of its power in the 16th century and thereafter declined in importance. In 1836 it was dissolved and replaced by the General Stock Raisers Association.