The fast rise of Vigo within the contemporary Galician urban network to become the largest city in the country has often obscured the long-term historical background dating as far back as the medieval beginning of the European urbanization phenomenon, and even, beyond the early medieval crisis, as far back as the first urbanization phase in Roman times.
With this contribution we try to reconstruct the physiognomy of Vigo the author of the Vindel Parchment was probably familiar with, between the 13th and 14th centuries, precisely when the town was establishing itself as an urban center. The available historical sources, both documentary and archaeological, are few and far between, but using the existing ones and through comparison with later phases about which we have more information that can be extrapolated, and, in general, through comparative History, we believe we are in a position to offer a convincing overview.
