" Don Quixote, however, who, as has been said, felt himself relieved and well, was eager to take his departure at once in quest of adventures, as it seemed to him that all the time he loitered there was to defraud the world and those in it who stood in need of his help and protection "

Don Quixote, Chapter XVII

LThe most ancient remains in Luyego date from Roman times. Stone tablets and tools have been found here which are now located in León Museum and in the Museo de los Caminos in Astorga. However, a stone tablet can still be seen on the facade of Pedro Morán Nieto's house (formerly Jacinto Alija's) and another in its interior. This house is less than 100m from Casa Kika. Archaeological remains are more evident in the village's surroundings:

• Ancient Roman open-cast goldmines scattered along the valleys of the rivers Duerna and Llamas
• Fucochico, a goldmine of the type "ruina montium", very near the village
• In the neighborhood are various mining "castra", here known as coronas (crowns): Corona of Luyego, of Quintanilla, Huernia, etc.

Documentary information about Luyego dates from the middle of the 12th Century, when in 1159 the bishop of Astorga granted municipal charters to the residents of Luyego and Villalibre. These were confirmed in 1185.

But Luyego's period of greatest splendour was the time of the mule-transport. The Maragato muleteers monopolized the transportation of merchandise throughout all northwest Spain from the 16th Century until the final quarter of the 19th Century, when the arrival of the railway made their services unnecessary. Large, substantial, stone-built mansions were constructed to house mules, servants and stores. These houses can still be admired today in almost all the villages in the area and are one of the most characteristic features of the Maragatería.