From its past history, the remains of a fort are still visible in Villagatón, El Llastrón, located on a steep elevation known as La Prudencia, it probably dates from the centuries immediately prior to the Roman presence in these lands.
It was founded by Count Gatón, in the year 853, who under the reign of Ordoño I, proposed to colonize Astorga and La Cepeda. They were times of repopulation of the devastated and abandoned lands after the wars against Muslim forces. The border that divided it with Astorga was established by means of the stream that passed through the town, in this way the bishop Indisclo was in charge in Astorga and the count in Villagatón, from where his name comes.
Although the council itself is not located here, Villagatón is the name of the City Council, which moved to Brañuelas at the end of the 60s. In fact, the house that served as the City Council was acquired by an individual who still conserves the mayor's chair and preserves the original layout of the place where taxes were paid and which hosted meetings with councilors.
We can approach the Villagatón reservoir built in 1994, named after the town, with its gates closed for some years. The Porcos River, a tributary of the Tuerto, has its origin in this reservoir, with a capacity of 5 hectometres.
The church, dedicated to Saint Stephen, probably from the 18th century, was built on top of an older one. With a slate roof, it was rehabilitated a few years ago and preserves its spiral staircase protected by a square tower and attics on the transept roof. Inside, which still retains its first flagstone floor, there are hardly any remains of the dismantled altarpiece, some Solomonic columns of the altar or the supports with figures of angels. Its people were dedicated to agriculture, livestock and coal mining.
It is a district of the municipality of Villagatón in the province of León. It is located at 1,046 meters of altitude, in the western part of the La Cepeda region.