Duranguesado

The Duranguesado (in Basque, Durangaldea) is a region located in the extreme southeast of the historical territory of Vizcaya, bordering Guipúzcoa and Álava. It is a region with a Basque-speaking majority, with the western Basque dialect being dominant.

The administrative center is the town of Durango, which gives its name to the region. It is made up of 14 municipalities and is the second most populated region in Vizcaya after Greater Bilbao, with 96,754 inhabitants in 2020 and a density of 323.78 inhab/km², higher than the average for the Basque Country and three times the average. Spanish.

It is located in a rural environment, which incorporates part of the Urkiola natural park as well as the Amboto mountain range. For reasons of geographical proximity, it maintains close relations with the Gipuzkoan region of Alto Deva, cooperating administratively with it for the exercise of powers such as transport.

In the Duranguesado the western dialect of Basque is autochthonous, which also presents its own characteristics. The use of Basque in general is high, but there are large differences between municipalities. The municipality with the fewest Basque speakers is Ermua with 28%, slightly lower than the average for the Basque Autonomous Community, while in Mañaria it is close to 90%. In Durango, exactly 50% is Basque-speaking.

Geography

Straddling between Bilbao and the Gipuzkoan valleys of Alto and Bajo Deva on the one hand, and the lands of Álava on the other, it covers the territory between the Oiz massif to the north and the slopes of the Duranguesado limestone crest, with the maximum altitude on Mount Amboto of 1,331 meters above sea level and Ochandiano, already on the border with Álava to the south. It occupies a total area of 285.16 km².

Most of the towns that make up the region are located in a large valley formed by the upper course of the Ibaizábal river, which crosses it from east to west, and its hydrographic headwaters, leaving the towns of Mallavia and Ermua outside of it. in the valley of the river Ego, a tributary of the river Deva and Ochandiano, on the other side of the port of Urquiola, already on the Mediterranean slope, which owes its location to military reasons.

The Duranguesado crest, with the Amboto massif and the Aramotz mountain range, located in the south and southwest, separate the Ibaizabal valley from those of Arratia and Aramayo. To the east it is Mount Udalaitz and the port of Camparzar and Elgueta that make up the limit of the region, separating it from Guipúzcoa. To the north it is Mount Oiz that separates it from the Lea Artibai region and the Biscayan coast. To the west, the Ibaizabal valley opens up until it meets the Nervión and its mouth in the Bilbao estuary.

Urkiola Natural Park

The Urkiola Natural Park is a 5,958.3-hectare park located between Vizcaya and Álava and partially located in Duranguesado: specifically in the municipalities of Abadiano, Amorebieta-Echano, Durango, Izurzay Mallavia.

Hydrography

The Ibaizábal river is the main river in the region, which crosses it from the southeast to the northwest. In the northwest, on the other hand, a small part of the Oca River is within the municipality of Amorebieta-Echano. In the northeast, a large part of the municipalities of Mallabia and Ermua are in the Deva basin, and another part of Mallabia in the Artibai basin. Finally, part of the municipalities of Ochandiano, Abadiano and Axpe Achondo are in the Zadorra basin, a tributary of the Ebro that runs mainly through Álava.

Municipalities

The region is made up of the municipalities of the former Merindad de Durango, plus the municipality of Amorebieta-Echano, which belonged to the former Merindad de Zornoza. The municipalities of Mallavia and Ermua, for certain services, are organized with the Gipuzkoan region of Bajo Deva or Debabarrena.

Map of the Duranguesado

Municipalities of the Duranguesado

	Municipality	Population	Area km2	Mayor	Political party
	Abbotian	7 658	36,26	Mikel Garaizabal	EAJ-PNV
	Amorebieta-Echano	19 529	58.46	Andoni Agirrebeitia	EAJ-PNV
	Achondo	1 355	23,41	Xabier Azkarate	EAJ-PNV
	Bérriz	4 580	29,95	Orland Isoird	EAJ-PNV
	Durango	30 118	10,79	Ima Garrastatxu	EH Bildu
	Elorrio	7 375	37.40	Idoia Buruaga	EH Bildu
	Ermua	15 847	6.49	Juan Carlos Abascal	PSE-EE
	Garay	325	7.12	Erramun Osa	EAJ-PNV
	Yurreta	3 665	18,84	Iñaki Totorikaguena	EAJ-PNV
	Izurza	252	4.32	Lorea Muñoz	EH Bildu
	Mallavia	1 173	23,79	Igor Agirre	EAJ-PNV
	Mañaria	522	17.73	Ainara Otxotorena	EH Bildu
	Ochandiano	1 330	12,43	Egoitz Garmendia	EH Bildu
	Zaldívar	3 045	11,84	José Luis Maiztegi	EAJ-PNV

Accesses

The location of the Duranguesado region makes it a historic crossroads. On the one hand, the route between the Castilian plateau and the Cantabrian coast, and on the other, the journey between Vizcaya and Guipúzcoa through the Deva valley. On the one hand the route from Vitoria to Bermeo through Urquiola and on the other the road to Mondragón through Campazar and the road from Areitio to Ermua and Éibar.

The access from Álava is the BI-623 regional road that, after passing Ochandiano, enters the Duranguesado through the Urquiola pass. The main access, from which different regional and local roads depart to all points in the region, is the N-634 national road that connects Bilbao and San Sebastián and the AP-8 motorway and the so-called "Beasain axis- Durango" which joins the AP-8 highway and the N-634 national highway in Abadiano.

Population structure

The traditional population structure has been that of rural hamlets with the establishment of the churches. Later, with the birth of the villas, an urban structure was created. Industrialization at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century accentuated the urban character of the valley.

The industrial development of the 1960s promoted the growth of urban centers, some of them, such as Ermua and Mallavia, with a marked character of "dormitory town" of the neighboring city of Éibar that also contributed to the formation and consolidation of others through the establishment in Duranguesado of Eibar companies that required very expensive extensions to carry out in the narrow valley of Ego.

Population centers of the region according to the INE

Oiz.

Barrio de Matiena, belonging to Abadiano, of urban structure.

Mancommunity of the Merindad de Durango

Economy

The economy of Duranguesado is eminently industrial, with a large component of the primary sector.

Primary sector

The primary sector also has great weight, especially in the small rural municipalities of the region. Within the primary sector, livestock is especially important, as well as timber exploitation (formerly charcoal was also produced). Mining should not be forgotten, which is currently reduced to limestone and marble quarries on the slopes of Mount Mugarra, right on the border with the Urkiola natural park. The region's mining tradition has historically been important, having exploited many iron, lead and copper mines in the vicinity of Amboto.

Secondary sector

In the industry that developed in Duranguesado, the world of foundry has been important. Also noteworthy is the EDM industry, the manufacture of tools and automotive components. In reality, industrial diversification is great, since there are foundries from electromedicine to small household appliances and paper.

Tertiary sector

The service sector is developed mainly in Villa de Durango. In this aspect, the proximity of Bilbao, less than 30 km, weighs heavily.

History

Partial view of the Duranguesado.

Human occupation in the region predates the Neolithic. There are numerous archaeological sites attesting to the existence of both Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon human populations, for example, the Bolinkoba cave in Abadiano stands out for its antiquity and long human occupation. There are also prehistoric burials, dolmens and burial mounds, in Oiz and Sabigain.

In the Neolithic with the emergence of agriculture, caves were abandoned and settlements were made up of huts, which could be moved according to the needs created by the care of livestock. The conditions of the land prevented an intense agricultural activity, being the pastoral activity, especially sheep and cattle, the main one, along with hunting.

A culture of funerary burial rites developed in megalithic constructions creating burial mounds (dolmens covered with earth) of which there are abundant remains in the mountains of the region such as in the area of Iturzurigaña, Probazeleiburua, Udalaitz Intxortas or Oiz range, among others. The sculpture known as the Mikeldi idol, dating from the Iron Age, seems to have had funerary functions. Pre-Christian and pre-settlement burials have been found in the valley of the town; An example of this is the necropolis found in San Juan de Momoitio in Garai, or some tombs and funerary stelae from the Argiñeta necropolis in Elorrio.

During the Iron Age, the population still remained in the high mountains, living in villages of stone and adobe houses, many of them walled, forming forts like the one in Tromoitio found in Garai. Production is based on agriculture and livestock.

Duranguesado was inhabited by the Caristians. The Romans arrived in the area in the second half of the I century. Some coins and ceramic remains have been found, but no relevant site from Roman times has been found.

The Muslim invasion made Duranguesado the border between the Christian kingdom of Pamplona, to which it is attached, and the Muslims. Within the kingdom of Pamplona, of which there is evidence at least since the X century, the duranguesado is constituted as an independent county of what would later be the rest of Vizcaya. The first appearance of the duranguesado in a document dates from January 26, 1051, where the Navarrese king García in union with Íñigo López gave freedom to the monasteries of Durango and Vizcaya for the election of abbot without external inferences. The document says "qui est dux in illa patria qui vocatur Bizcaia et Durango".

In 1053 the counts of Durango, Munio Sánchez and his wife Leguncia, founded the monastery of San Agustín de Echebarria, this foundation being followed by other similar ones in different parts of the county. Between the 9th and 11th centuries small communities appear on the slopes of the mountains that border Ibaizabal. Small nuclei made up of circular or elliptical houses made of wood and clay with thatched roofs and other attached spaces for different uses. Livestock and agriculture would be their main occupations. This social structure was centered around the church and formed the so-called brotherhoods. The church was the religious and social center of the community, where its members met to discuss and solve their problems. The relationship and collaboration between brotherhoods would give rise, around the XII century, to the churches. This is how the Abadiano parishes arose, which grouped 6 brotherhoods; Yurreta, with another six that are still maintained; Garai with two, Berriz with six, Apatamonasterio with one; Axpe with one; Arrazola, Izurza, Mañaria also with one and San Agustín de Etxebarría with three. The hermitage of the brotherhood that acquired the capital status became a parish church. These church halls would make up, in medieval times, a Merindad political organization, made up of twelve church halls and based in the Guerediaga sworn hermitage, dependent on the kingdom of Navarre.

In 1076, after the death of King Sancho Garcés IV of Peñalén, Castilla occupies the region, along with other territories of Vizcaya, Guipúzcoa and Álava. These territories would return to the kingdom of Pamplona in 1127 in the peace agreement of Támara between the kings Alfonso I the Battler, king of Pamplona and Aragon, and Alfonso VII of Castile.

In 1150, King Sancho VI, the wise man of Navarre, granted privileges to the farmers of Durango. It regulated the procedural and criminal aspects and, with great detail, everything related to benefits of an agricultural and livestock nature that had to satisfy the royal representatives.

In 1200 it passed into the hands of the kingdom of Castile, and in 1212 the link with the lordship of Vizcaya began, when it was delivered by King Alfonso VIII of Castile to the lord of Vizcaya Diego López II de Haro as thanks for the help lent by him in the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa. But it is not until 1630 (1628 according to other sources) when it is formally linked by deed of union to the manor. The Lord of Vizcaya also became Count of Durango.

The integration of the Duranguesado in Vizcaya was always problematic. The lack of granting a vote in the General Meetings of Vizcaya to each town hall in the region made it necessary to maintain the Meetings of the Merindad de Durango until 1876.

The lords of Vizcaya founded three of the four towns, Ermua prior to 1372, the date on which it confirmed its jurisdiction, Elorrio in 1356, later joined the church of San Agustín de Etxebarría, and Ochandiano in 1254, which were governed by their own jurisdiction and did not belong to the Juntas de la Merindad but held seats in the Juntas de Guernica. The town of Durango, which had been founded under the rule of the kingdom of Pamplona under the name of Villa Nueva de Tabira de Durango, confirmed its jurisdiction in 1372.

The churchyards that made up the Merindad de Durango met in the sworn field under the oak tree in Gerendiaga, Abadiano neighborhood, next to the hermitage of San Salvador and San Clemente. The first existing written reference to the Guerediaga Boards dates back to 1387. Three extraordinary meetings were held a year, one each Easter, Christmas, Resurrection and Pentecost. Later, in the Auditorio de Astola house, also in Abadiano, ordinary meetings were held where topics of a daily nature were discussed. For common themes between churches and towns, the "Juntas de los fourteen pueblos" in which all the populations of the region were represented. Since 1630, Elorrio, who had joined the church of San Agustín de Etxebarría, stopped attending those meetings due to disagreements with the Merindad.

Juradero de Guerediaga, where the meetings of the Merindad de Durango took place.

The War of Bandos had its presence in the Duranguesado with a division of the families of the rural nobility between Oñacinos and Gamboínos. On the Oñaz side, the Ibarra, Zaldívar and Unzueta, among others, lined up, and on the Gamboa side, the Marzana, Muntsartaz, Unda, Berriz, Ibarguren, Etxaburu and Arandia, among others. There came to be confrontations in the Guerediaga Boards themselves, such as the one that occurred in 1424 in which those of Unzueta and Zaldívar faced those of Durango and Abendaño. In 1487 the pacification began through the imposition of the Brotherhoods and the demolition or mochado of the tower houses of the families involved in the war.

Ancient iron of the Merindad de Durango

172- In the name of God and Santa Maria, his mother, amen. This is/the three side of the quadranium of land of Durango established by the they got and have to sienpre in here./

First of all, they said that if any of them will be able to give their landlord and remove his legitimate children from the first muger; and if such a fixed does not obie/re that inherits the most proinquo that is by the inheritance; and case/ria such that he thus obsesses to give that aian maior Grallorio if he obeys it, and all/ that he shall obey in the house, and that which he shall take shall be broken, shall be annal; and the grievous obier, at the time that he obsessessess to give the land bliss and all the other goods that/ and go, as well movable goods like raizes, be it out of the highest/degree, that aian and inherit all the fixed ones, if they inherit by head from it; but if it be will of the testator that can improve to qualquier/ of quanto children for good tobier, and that the other non le/ brothers can sue in the maior degree that in such a way will be given/ and if you move that the mayors of Durango non ge lo oyan; and if with/against this that said is any traxere letter of the rei or of sennor qualquier any way against the mayors or against another qualquier/person, that is not the part of the follow nin answer to it,/ (on the margin: labrators) and that all the merinth be stopped, as fixed as the husbandmen, and the one that such letter traxere, which is owed in all the durangues/ the one who feeds him good and love, pays a hundredth maravedis/ for each time, and these that the faithful may receive them, that they may be laid by Durango, the meitad for themselves and the other half for the coasts of merindad./

/

In the XV century, the town of Durango became famous for its cloth industry. Along with cloth, iron work in water-powered forges is gaining importance and weight in the local economy. Both the production of iron in the so-called "major forges" such as the manufacture of various products, from nails to weapons, in the so-called minor forges, were an important economic engine in the region and the embryo of subsequent industrial activity in the 20th and 21st centuries. Along with the iron and pañero activity, agriculture and livestock were also important economic engines.

On September 20, 1483, Isabel the Catholic visited the region and swore the privileges of the town of Durango and Merindad. The charter that Queen Elizabeth swears is the one drawn up in 1342 that later, in 1576, will be replaced by the imposition of the Señorío de Vizcaya by the charter of Vizcaya. In 1558, after various lawsuits with the town of Durango over possession of the Kurutziaga suburb, the Zubiaurre house in Astola was purchased and made the headquarters of the Durango merindad.

In 1628 the merindad of Durango was incorporated into the Señorío de Vizcaya, awarding the entire merindad 2 votes in the Meetings of Guernica, in clear difference with the rest of the Vizcaya populations which had one vote per population. This fact would be the cause of constant discussion until the disappearance of the fueros in the XIX century. In 1748 they grant him five votes and in 1800 eight.

The town of Elorrio annexed the church of San Agustín de Etxebarría, which opened a series of disputes between Elorrio and the Merindad community. Elorrio went to King Felipe IV, who was also lord of Vizcaya, and in exchange for a large amount of money, the king agreed to approve the union in 1630. Even so, Elorrio and San Agustín de Etxebarría were left out of the Boards of the Merindad and the juntas of the fourteen towns.

The Merindad had many powers, the judicial being the most relevant. Lawsuits opened on the lands of the Merindad were treated in the first instance at its headquarters in Astola and its verdict could only be appealed before the Royal Chancery of Valladolid. The Merindad determined taxes and collected them, managed everything related to roads and highways, the establishment of hunting and fishing bans, exploitation and management of forests, the activity of the ironworks and iron manufacturing, and public order. El Merino was the Lieutenant Corregidor, who must have been a person from "beyond the Ebro", that is, from far away from the region, in order to guarantee his neutrality in the conflicts that arose, well within the own merindad as in its relations with the Señorío. Lieutenant Corregidor was assisted by Lieutenant Medino and Lieutenant Prestamero.

Between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, after the discovery of America, there was a great economic boom as a result of trade and a greater demand for the products produced in the region. Consequently, a great movement is made in the construction of buildings, both religious and civil. In the religious sphere, churches and convents are being renovated and expanded, and in the civil sphere, palaces are beginning to appear and the old tower houses are being converted into palatial houses.

In social history, the heretical and witchcraft outbreaks that have occurred in these lands are notable. The one known as the "Durango heretics" was important, who practiced the commune of property and women. Witchcraft was maintained as a survival of pre-Christian beliefs, which with more or less public appearance are kept alive in these lands, where the Basque mythological tradition establishes the most important of the abodes of Mari, the Lady of Amboto, the goddess par excellence of Basque Olympus.