Aezkoa
Encyclopedia
Navarre
Navarre , officially the Chartered Community of Navarre is an autonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Aquitaine in France...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. It is formed by several smaller municipalities: Abaurregaina, Abaurrepea, Aria
Aria
An aria in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment...
, Aribe
Aribe
Aribe is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain.-External links:*...
(seat of the Valley administration), Garraioa, Garralda
Garralda
Garralda is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain.-External links:*...
, Hiriberri (town), Orbaitzeta
Orbaitzeta
Orbaitzeta is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain.-History:On 15-17 October 1794, the Battle of Orbaitzeta was fought in the area. General Bon-Adrien Jeannot de Moncey led the French Army of the western Pyrenees to victory over General...
and Orbara
Orbara
Orbara is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain.-External links:*...
.
The valley has c. 1200 people inscribed as residents but only around 800 live there regularly.
Geography
Aezkoa valley encompasses the upper course of the IratiIrati
Irati is a town in State of Paraná, Brazil with an estimated population 54,805 in 2006 based on the 2000 censusIrati sprang up in the 1890s as a railroad town along the São Paulo–Rio Grande do Sul railroad line...
river, a territory full of oak and beech woods (60% of the land). The more mountainous fraction of it is known as the Irati Forest, that also extends into Lower Navarre
Lower Navarre
Lower Navarre is a part of the present day Pyrénées Atlantiques département of France. Along with Navarre of Spain, it was once ruled by the Kings of Navarre. Lower Navarre was historically one of the kingdoms of Navarre. Its capital were Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and Saint-Palais...
. It has two natural reverves: Mendilatz, in the Irati Forest, and Truistuibartea. The upper Irati also has a reservoir known as Irabia reservoir, in the midst of Irati Forest.
Other points of interest are the ruins of the weapons' manufacture of Orbaizeta. Orbaizeta also has a hospedage and used to have a camping but it is now out of business. There are several megalith
Megalith
A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. Megalithic describes structures made of such large stones, utilizing an interlocking system without the use of mortar or cement.The word 'megalith' comes from the Ancient...
ic monuments in the mountains north of the valley, that are part of the Pyrenees. Best known, maybe because it's easy access, is the dolmen of Urkuilu mountain.
History
It is known that, before the consolidation of the Kingdom of NavarreKingdom of Navarre
The Kingdom of Navarre , originally the Kingdom of Pamplona, was a European kingdom which occupied lands on either side of the Pyrenees alongside the Atlantic Ocean....
in the 9th century, there was already a community in the valley that possibly was participant in the famous Battle of Roncevaux, not far away. The lineage of Abaurrea is the oldest one to be mentioned living in the valley.
Aezkoans also participated in the Battle of Navas de Tolosa in 1212. King Sancho the Wise
Sancho VI of Navarre
Sancho VI Garcés , called the Wise , was the king of Navarre from 1150 until his death in 1194....
improved the chart of the valley in 1229. In 1443 Aezkoa gained the control of its mountain passages. In 1462 the Valley gained collective gentry
Gentry
Gentry denotes "well-born and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past....
rights for all its inhabitants. Since then, all kings gave oath to respect the chart
Fuero
Fuero , Furs , Foro and Foru is a Spanish legal term and concept.The word comes from Latin forum, an open space used as market, tribunal and meeting place...
of the valley until 1609.
After Navarre was annexed by Castile
Crown of Castile
The Crown of Castile was a medieval and modern state in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accession of the then King Ferdinand III of Castile to the vacant Leonese throne...
, the valley suffered two persecutions for witchery
Sorginak
Sorginak are the assistants of the goddess Mari in Basque mythology. It is also the Basque name for witches or pagan priestesses , being difficult to discern between the mythological and real ones.Sometimes sorginak are confused with lamiak...
. In 1525, soon after the consolidation of the Spanish conquest, 9 neighbours were burnt at the stake and many others died in prison or suffered tortures. In 1575 6 women of the valley were brought to Logroño
Logroño
Logroño is a city in northern Spain, on the Ebro River. It is the capital of the autonomous community of La Rioja, formerly known as La Rioja Province.The population of Logroño in 2008 was 153,736 and a metropolitan population of nearly 197,000 inhabitants...
accused of witchcraft
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
, nothing was proven but 4 of them died because of the tortures.
In 1774, the valley suffered, together with other areas of northern Navarre, a massive epidemic that killed all its cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
. The war of 1793-95
First Coalition
The War of the First Coalition was the first major effort of multiple European monarchies to contain Revolutionary France. France declared war on the Habsburg monarchy of Austria on 20 April 1792, and the Kingdom of Prussia joined the Austrian side a few weeks later.These powers initiated a series...
against France caused much destruction in the valley. It was in this period when the weapons' manufacture of Orbaizeta was built(1784-94), employing more than 50 workers and being able to manufacture up to 3600 bombs per year. This manufacture was also affected by the Napoleonic
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
and Carlist Wars
Carlist Wars
The Carlist Wars in Spain were the last major European civil wars in which contenders fought to establish their claim to a throne. Several times during the period from 1833 to 1876 the Carlists — followers of Infante Carlos and his descendants — rallied to the cry of "God, Country, and King" and...
in the 19th century.
In the 20th century the most important phenomenon is the rural exodus, caused by the crisis of the cattle-herding
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
sector, that reduced its population to only c.1000 inhabitants.
Basque language and dialect
The BasqueBasque language
Basque is the ancestral language of the Basque people, who inhabit the Basque Country, a region spanning an area in northeastern Spain and southwestern France. It is spoken by 25.7% of Basques in all territories...
sub-dialect of the vallye, known as Aezkoera, belongs to the High Navarrese dialect but it has strong influence from Lower Navarrese
Lower Navarrese
Lower Navarrese is a dialect of the Basque language spoken in the Lower Navarre region of France. It differs somewhat from Upper Navarrese, which is more generally spoken in the Spanish Basque Country....
and specially nearby subdialect of Salazar
Salazar
- Angola :* Vila Salazar, Portuguese colonial name for the city of N'dalatando in the province of Cuanza Norte- Spain :* Salazar , a village in the municipality of Villarcayo de Merindad de Castilla la Vieja, province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León* Salazar Valley, in...
Valley. It used to be a Basque-speaking valley before the fascist coup of 1936
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
, nowadays Basque-speakers are estimated to be around 40% of the inhabitants. Though the dialect is still alive, its situation is extremely delicate.
The vast majority of children go nowadays to Basque-speaking schools what is helping to revive the traditional language of the valley.
External links
- Aezkoa.net (in Spanish and Basque).