The valley is near to the Caribbean Sea, differentiated from the coast by a precarious 2,200 m(7,200 ft) high mountain range,
Cerro El Ávila;
Professor Paul Ilegems, curator of the Frietmuseum in Bruges, Belgium,
believes that Saint Teresa of Ávila of Spain cooked the first french fries,
and refers also to the tradition of frying in Mediterranean cuisine as evidence.