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History
History
Middle ages: Moorish domination
Middle ages: "Gamboinos" and "Oñacinos"
Middle ages: Founding of towns
16th century: The revolt of the commoners
16th century: The pilgrims' road to Santiago
19th century: The peninsular war
19th century: The Carlist wars
20th century: The second Republic and the Civil War
20th century: The post-war period and the present
Prehistory
The earliest record of human habitation in the district of Zuia comes from the many archaeological remains found in the area. They are evidence of continuous habitation over a very long time by various cultures mainly of herders. The remains include small fortifications and evidence of external influences, religious beliefs, funeral rites, etc.
- Prehistory (Paleolithic, Neolithic/ Bronze Age): stone tools, animal remains, barrows and dolmens in Gibijo (Urkabustaiz), Arraldai (Zuia), Arrillor and Kurtzebide (Zigoitia), Urrúnaga (Legutiano), Anbotoste (Aramaio), etc.
- Pre-Roman times (Bronze/ Iron Age): pottery and decorative articles in Peñas de Oro (Zuia), and cave paintings in Lazaldai (Zuia).
Roman times
In Roman times the area which now forms the district or "Cuadrilla" of Zuia was occupied by a tribe known as the Caristii.
They were related to present-day Basques, and lived as herders. Research has shown that their relations with the Roman world were peaceful on the whole, and that there was a considerable exchange of customs and culture. As a result, farming began to spread, and Roman influence became appreciable in the Basque language, known as euskara, and in architecture, etc. Several local place-names, such as Lukiano, Abornikano, Apregindana and Berricano, seem to be Latin in origin and probably refer to the names of small rural villas.
After the Roman occupation the influence of peoples invading from other parts of Europe (e.g. the Franks in the 6th and 7th centuries) seems to have been limited mainly to the plains area. In Aldaieta (Arrazua-Ubarrundia) there is a magnificent necropolis with archaeological remains of great interest.
Middle ages: Moorish domination
It was around that time that the Moors began to dominate the Iberian Peninsula, and that the north of the Peninsula was finally christianised. The south was overrun completely by the Moors, and the north saw continual confrontations between the native inhabitants and Moorish forces. The Caliph of Cordoba sent several expeditions north to impose and consolidate his power over the area.
There are many records by Moorish chroniclers of these expeditions, known as aceifas. One of the most significant battles on the plains of what is now Alava/ Araba took place in the year 823, when the Moors are described as reaching the "mountain of the fire worshippers". This has been identified as a reference to the mountains between Aitzgorri and Gorbeia.
Towers and defensive strongholds began to spring up all over Araba to ward off the Moorish invaders and ensure control over trade routes. Moorish records referring to the area speak of "Alaba y Al-Quile" (Alava and the Castles).
Middle ages: Noble families
When the Moorish threat finally receded, local power based were established which gave rise to lineages which were to be long-lasting and influential in Alava/ Araba. The area was dominated by feudal lords, each with his own domain containing land and peasants under his control. They wielded their power especially over the trade routes and roads that ran through their domains, from which they taxed big profits. To safeguard these assets and consolidate the power of their families they built tower keeps and fortified houses.
Two main trade routes ran through this area in the late Middle Ages: one from what is now Vitoria-Gasteiz to the Alto Deba area of Gipuzkoa, via Legutiano and Aramaio; and the other towards the sea-ports of Vizcaya/ Bizkaia via Zigoitia, Zuia and Urkabustaiz. Two major families of nobles were in constant conflict for control of these lands: the Mendozas and the Guevaras. Each had the support of some of the minor local nobility. The evidence of this struggle can still be seen in the defensive tower keeps, many later turned into farmhouses, or Zárate, Markina, Manurga, Olano and elsewhere, which are of great historical and architectural interest.
The Abendaño family in Legutiano and the Múgicas in Aramaio rose to the ranks of the nobility in Alava/ Araba in the late Middle Ages (from the 14th century onwards). Urkabustaiz was dominated from the 12th century onwards by the third great line of local nobles: the Ayala family.
Middle ages: "Gamboinos" and "Oñacinos"
In the Middle Ages the border between Castile and Navarre ran through this area, which thus became the setting for many disputes between the two kingdoms. The local nobility were split: some (most notably the Mendozas) followed Castile, while others, led by the Guevaras, followed Navarre. The two factions were known as "Gamboinos" and "Oñacinos" respectively, and the disputes between them lasted until the 16th century.
Historians tell us that the origin of the factional conflict between the Oñacinos and the Gamboinos lay in a dispute over land in the "Cuadrilla" of Zuia (in the villages of Ullibarri-Gamboa and Múrua), but soon spread to noble families throughout the Basque Country. The Zuia area was the scene of terrible confrontations between the two sides, the fiercest of which were perhaps the Battle of the Arrato Hills and the battles between the Bruton and Abendaño families in Aramaio and Legutiano. These last battles became the subject of the song known as the "Canto de Aramaiona".
The power of the factions began gradually to wane from the 14th century onwards, as crown lands were established and the power of the monarchy and the "Brotherhoods" of Alava/ Araba became consolidated.
Middle ages: Founding of towns
Seeking to strengthen their borders and increase income from crown lands, the kings of Castile and Navarre began to found towns and villages all over Alava/ Araba with their own charters, making them independent of the local lords. Examples in the Zuia district are Legutiano and Monreal de Zuia (Murguía) which were founded in the early 14th century.
Also in response to the pressure exerted by the lords, several brotherhoods were set up, and in 1463 a general Provincial Brotherhood of Alava/ Araba was founded. This later evolved into the Provincial Assembly . All the municipalities in the Cuadrilla of Zuia were founder members of the general brotherhood except for Aramaio, which joined in 1489. Each municipality was subject to the domains of the individual lords and to the rights of the crown.
Alava was divided into six districts known as "cuadrillas" in 1537 for fiscal purposes and for the purpose of electing officials to the brotherhoods. The borders of the "cuadrilla" of Zuia have been changed several times over the centuries.
16th century: The revolt of the commoners
In the early 16th century war broke out again in the area, this time between the local lords and the crown. One of the major battles of the conflict, known as the "Revolt of the Commoners", took place in this area: the Commoner forces under Count Salvatierra, Lord of Ayala, clashed with the king's forces, commanded by the General Delegate for Alava Diego Martínez in Durana in 1521. The royalists won the day, and the power of the King's Delegation over the lords was increased.
16th century: The pilgrims' road to Santiago
By early in the Middle Ages the whole of Zuia had been christianised. Records from the time witness the founding of churches and monasteries in Abezia, Etxaguen, Gojain, Urbina and elsewhere. A famous document from the 11th century known as the "Reja de San Millán" records the tributes paid by local people to the monastery of San Millán, and lists many local villages as contributors.
One of the major features of the Christian tradition which grew up from the 11th century onwards was the pilgrimage to Santiago.
A secondary route runs through the Zuia district from the Alto Deba area, passing through Aramaio and Legutiano before joining the main pilgrims' road across the plains. The consolidation of Christianity in the area is evidenced by a great many small Romanesque and later churches and works of art. From the 16th century onwards the attraction of new lands overseas, especially in America, began to be felt in Zuia. Many local people ventured there and played major administrative and religious roles in New World society.
From the higher Middle Ages onwards, water mills and water-powered iron-works began to appear in the Zuia as its rich natural resources began to be worked and new areas of economic activity sprang up alongside the trade routes running through the area.
19th century: The peninsular war
With Napoleon's invasion of Spain and the triumph of the liberals the "cuadrilla" of Zuia was the scene of numerous battles.
In the Peninsular War it was a strategically important point on the route taken by the French troops en route back to France. As such it was held first by the French army and then by the allied troops and guerrillas. The local population were forced to maintain the troops, and the coffers of the local councils and town halls were all but emptied as common property and crops were seized.
One of the most important episodes of the Peninsular War was the Battle of Vitoria (June 21st 1813). As the French army retreated it was confronted by the allies under the command of the Duke of Wellington. The Girón Division, comprising over 12,000 men, crossed the whole district from Orduña through Ayala, Urkabustaiz, Zuia and Zigoitia, to join the Longa Division and thus form a 20,000 strong army at the gates of Vitoria. From there a column was sent to cut off the French retreat towards Gipuzkoa over the Arlabán pass.
19th century: The Carlist wars
Hardly had the local people recovered from the rigours of the Peninsular War when further conflicts broke out which were to affect them even more: the first war between the liberals and the followers of Don Carlos in his claim to the throne took place between 1833 and 1839, and the second between 1872 and 1876. Several battles were fought in this area. As in many other rural areas, much of the population favoured the Carlist cause. The biggest battles were those of Altube, Unzá, Legutiano, Arrazua and Aiurdin. In the second Carlist War a famous guerrilla leader known as the "priest of the Holy Cross" was held prisoner in the valley of Aramaio.
By the 19th century the iron-works and flour mills (such as those in Abornikano and La Encontrada) were in full production. Many of them stood alongside the main highways, evidencing the long tradition of travel for trade through the area. Many inns were opened to cater for teamsters and merchants passing through. In the second half of the 19th century scholars of the Basque language and of the traditions and ethnographic characteristics of the Basque Country examining the extent to which Basque was used discovered that the "Cuadrilla" of Zuia was almost the last redoubt of the language in Alava/ Araba. This is still the case: at present Aramaio and Legutiano are the only two majority Basque speaking municipalities in the province.
20th century: The second Republic and the Civil War
During the Second Republic many of the municipalities in the "Cuadrilla" were openly nationalist, especially Aramaio, Legutiano and Zuia. In the plebiscite of 1933 they voted in favour of the Basque Statute, through in the votes of 1931 and 1936 the area was split between supporting Basque nationalism and the traditionalist faction led by Oriol, who lived at that time on the Agirza estate in Beluntza (Urkabustaiz).
With the outbreak of Civil War the area was the setting for fierce battles between Franco's rebels and the forces loyal to the Republic, in which the nationalists played a leading role. The front extended from the mountains of Urkabustaiz over the foothills of Gorbeia to Legutiano. Murgia and Izarra were in the hands of the rebels, and there was fierce fighting for control of Aramaio, Legutiano and Zigoitia.
20th century: The post-war period and the present
From the 1950's onward, and particularly after the introduction of the Stabilisation Plan in 1959 and the economic growth which accompanied it, the area fell victim to the exodus from the villages to the major towns and cities. Only the chief towns of its municipalities (Izarra, Murgia, Legutiano) managed to grow, encouraged by the installation of small-scale industrial concerns. The social and economic profile of the area changed, with arable and cattle farming losing ground to industry and services.
At present there is a steady flow of people returning to the rural areas, with growth spurred by the development of tourism and new demands for urban and industrial land, recreational activities, contact with nature, etc. At the same time farming is becoming more and more professional, and the produce of the area (Idiazabal cheese, beef, honey and various derivative products) is popular and much appreciated.
Several towns and villages have also set up small industrial estates known as "industrialdeak" which have helped achieve economic growth in the area through small, environmentally friendly concerns which do not harm the extraordinary natural setting in which they exist.