The Valley of Aezkoa, one of the most beautiful in the Pyrenees, still preserves 15 of the 22 hórreos (raised granaries) in Navarre, which have been declared a Site of Cultural Interest. These buildings, which are concentrated mainly around Aria, Orbaizeta and Hiriberri-Villanueva de Aezkoa, were devised centuries ago to store grain and protect it from damp and rodents. This region of the Eastern Navarran Pyrenees is home to 15 of the 22 hórreos listed as Sites of Cultural Interest. The scarcity of cereal crops and the damp climate typical of this region meant that farmers were already using these small elevated constructions in the Middle Ages to store their precious grain out of reach of rodents. Garaioa, Hiriberri-Villanueva de Aezkoa, Aribe, Aria, Orbara, Orbaizeta and Garralda still preserve examples of this popular architecture, known by the names of the houses to which they belong.