Gatica (Vizcaya)

Gatica (in Basque and officially Gatika) is a municipality in the province of Vizcaya, Basque Country (Spain).

History

Towards the middle of the 19th century, the place, at that time a church with its own town hall, had a population of 890 inhabitants. It is described in the eighth volume of the Geographical-statistical-historical dictionary of Spain and its overseas possessions by Pascual Madoz with the following words:

GATICA: anteigl. con ayunt. en la prov. de Vizcaya, part. jud. de Bilbao (2 1/2 leg.), aud. terr. de Burgos (30), c. g. de las Provincias Vascongadas (á Vitoria 16), dióc. of Calahorra (29), belongs to the merind. of Uribe, and has the 54th vote and seat on the boards of Guernica: sit. to the NE of Bilbao, part of a hill and part of the southern and western skirts of Mount Magalgarrazaga, averaging a plain for which the r runs. Plenaryhis climate cold and healthy. Account 117 houses, distributed in the 9 districts of Butron, Garay, Gorordo, Libarona, Igartua, Sertuchas, Ugarte, Urresti and Zurbana; there is municipal house, tower or cast. Butron, whose wall is 13 feet thick, and 4 cubes with trousers for several cannons, is immediate to the ria, holds school paid in amount of 1,000 rs. for the vec. and 200 for the fast, to which 30 children and 16 girls attend. The igl. parr. (Santa Maria), founded in the 15th century and rebuilt in 1708, is the matrix of the one of San Martin de Lanquiniz, and is served by 4 beneficiaries, one of whom resides in the row: there is also a chapel, dedicated to Sta. Maria Magdalena. The TermConfine N. and E. Urduliz; S. Munguia, and O. Lujua. The field it is of good quality and quite fertile; it bathes the spressed r., to which it crosses a bridge of 2 arches, called Arzubi. roads: besides several retiles, passes through the anteigl. the one from Bilbao to Bermeo. The mail received from Munguia, by peatron, prod.: corn, wheat, legumes and fruits: keeps cattle and wax; raises some hunting and fishing. ind.: 2 ferreria and 6 flour mills. pobl.: 168 vec., 890 alm. wealth.: 275,688 rs. contr.: 4,411 rs. The municipal budget ascend to 3,522 rs., which are covered with 470, prod. of the dry wood and leaf of its trees and 3.159 rs. in which the arbitaries are rented on wine and aguardiente; the secretary is equipped with 640 reals a year.

(Madoz, 1847, pp. 331-332)

In 2022, it had 1,642 registered inhabitants.

Territorial organization

The municipality is made up, according to the National Institute of Statistics, of the population entities of Butrón, Gorordo, Igartua, Libaroa, Ugarte, Urresti, Zurbano, Garay, Sertucha and Lubarrietaondo.

2015 municipal elections

Five parties presented candidacy in this municipality to access the mayor's office. These were the results:

• Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ-PNV): 408 votes (4 councillors)
• Gatikako Talde Independent: 267 votes (3 councillors)
• Bildu: 218 votes (2 councillors)
• Euskadi-Euskadiko Ezkerra Socialist Party (PSE-EE): 16 votes (0 councillors)
• Popular Party: 7 votes (0 councillors)