House with arcade (Soportal)

This is a distinctive feature of Muros dwellings.

The arcade serves multiple purposes. It provides shelter from inclement weather, and its origin lies in the location of market stalls used by medieval craftspeople. It also served to store fishing gear and, at times, the dimensions of some arcades were large enough to house the boats themselves. The interior space was in many cases used as a salt storage area on the ground floor opening onto the arcade.

The ground floor was used by sailors as a warehouse, with living quarters limited to the upper floor.

Several examples survive, forming a remarkably well-preserved ensemble along the entire seafront and in the Plaza de la Pescadería Vieja.