Basque Fact of the Week, Euskadi

Basque Fact of the Week: Mugalariak, the Basque Smugglers

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For much of its history, the Basque Country has been split by borders that aren’t theirs, putting it into a kind of no-man’s land. Families were separated by this imaginary line, but the laws on either side were real. This led to a whole underground of trade perpetuated by men and women known as mugalariak. Crossing the Pyrenees in the cover of night, these smugglers carried forbidden goods from one side to the other. This network proved valuable during World War II when the mugalariak used their connections and familiarity of the land to help downed allies and persecuted Jews cross the border to freedom.

A mugalari under arrest. Photo from WordCamp Irun 2019.
  • Mugalari, the Basque word for smuggler, comes from muga, which means border, and lari, to denote someone who does that thing. So, mugalari is someone who lives in the border and crosses the border. They often worked across the Bidasoa river that separates Gipuzkoa from Iparralde.
  • Smuggling across the French-Spanish border has a long history. Of course, it is natural that Basques, who lived on both sides, would circumvent border restrictions. Mugalariak would smuggle pretty much anything: candles, grease, coal, bicycles, oil, cows, chocolate, sugar, coffee, spare parts for cars, records or even books banned by censorship.
  • Some of these smugglers were young men, not much more than boys. They were often shepherds who complimented their wages with smuggling. They worked at night, taking advantage of the darkness and their familiarity with the mountain routes.
  • However, mugalariak became “famous” during World War II. They helped downed allied airmen and Jews cross the border from Nazi occupied France to neutral Spain, where they would be escaped to Britain. Several of these smugglers were part of the Comet Line that crossed Europe and facilitated the rescue and escape hundreds of people. These included Miguel Etulain, María “Maritxu” Anatol Arístegui, Florentino Goikoetxea, Kattalin Agirre, and Ana María Bidegaray.
  • Their activities continued into the Franco era, where mugalariak would aid Euskadi ta Askatasuna (ETA) members get across the border to escape Spanish prosecution. These mugalariak were often associated with ETA directly and persecuted and even targeted as such.
  • The tradition of the mugalariak is recognized today in sporting competitions with the so-called zaku eramatea, or sack carry or smuggler’s run. Teams of 3 have to run with heavy sacks on their shoulders that weigh between 130 and 180 pounds.

A full list of all of Buber’s Basque Facts of the Week can be found in the Archive.

Primary sources: Homenaje a un mugalari by A. Irisarri, Noticia de Navarra; Mugalari, Wikipedia

Basque Fact of the Week, Folklore

Basque Fact of the Week: The Mairu, or non-Christian Giants, in Basque Legends

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In many cultures, before there were humans, giants roamed the earth. These giants created the spectacular structures dotting the landscape that surely no human could ever have made. In Euskal Herria, there are a couple of these beings that roam the Basque imagination. They come from a time before Christianity and are often defined by their non-Christian origins. The most well known are the Jentilak but there is another group of giants, the Mairu, that built so many of the cromlechs, dolmens, and baserriak of the Basque Country.

An AI-generated conception of a Mairu. Image found on Wikidata.
  • Mairu, as a word, refers to any non-Christian. Usually, it means people – pagans – of another time and those Mairu are often reflected in the names of megalithic monuments in the Basque Country. Thus, we have Mairubide “road of Mairu” (cromlechs of Oiartzun), Mairuilarri “grave of Mairu” (cromlechs of Zugarramurdi), Mailarreta or Mairuilarrieta “place of cromlechs” (on the Otsondo-Mondarrain mountain), Mairuetxe “house of Mairu” (erected stones from Mount Buluntsa, dolmen of Mendibe and in the region of Okabe), Mairu-arhan “plum of Mairu”, and Mairu-ilhar “pea of Mairu.” The word Mairukeri, again referring to the ancient pagans, means “wild conduct.”
  • Often, the Mairu are associated with feats of great strength, hence why these massive ancient monuments are named for them. Some giant must have made the dolmens, harrespil, and the sturdiest of baserriak that dot the Basque landscape. They often play the same role in stories as the Jentilak.
  • However, the term Mairu is not only associated with these ancient pagan giants. It is also used to identify any non-Christian. Anyone not baptized is a Mairu. The arm of a child that is either not baptized or died before baptism is called mairubeso – the arm of mairu. These arms – the bones of the arm – of these non-Christian children play their own role in Basque legend. In some stories, the protagonist uses the mairubeso – the arm bone of the unbaptized child – as a light to navigate the night and sometimes to subdue the inhabitants of the house where such a torch is found lit.
  • Unbaptized children, Mairu, are buried near the house or garden rather than in the church plots and cemeteries.
  • The word Mairu often more directly means Moor as well. There is some evidence that other areas of Europe believed that peoples from the south came with the technology to build such massive structures. Thus, the Mairu might originally have been North Africans.

A full list of all of Buber’s Basque Facts of the Week can be found in the Archive.

Primary sources: Barandiaran Ayerbe, José Miguel de. Mairu. Auñamendi Encyclopedia, 2024. Available at: https://aunamendi.eusko-ikaskuntza.eus/en/mairu/ar-77761/; Mairu, Wikipedia

Remembering Dad

Remembering Dad by Telling His Stories

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Dad died nine years ago this Thanksgiving. I miss you, dad.

Dad came to the United States when he was 18. He had three uncles over here, already working in the hills as sheepherders, and he hoped to make some money like they did. There just wasn’t so much opportunity in the Basque Country at the time. He’d quit school when he was 14 to try to help out the family, but there just wasn’t much work in the area. The family was large (dad was the oldest of eight kids) and the family farm, or baserria, just wasn’t enough to support them all.

The summer before he came, he worked on the road between Munitibar and Bolibar. His amuma Justa would make a big tortilla for him every morning which he scarfed down during his break at 10. His amuma was the main cook for the family and that tortilla was his favorite thing she made. Though he did like dessert too, which was typically either an apple they baked with sugar in the middle or rice pudding.

As seemingly every Basque I’ve ever met, including myself, his amuma was pretty stubborn. She had a heart condition, but she couldn’t sit still and insisted in working in the fields with the rest of them. But she would quickly tire and have to take a lot of breaks. The only other thing that would keep her from going crazy was playing cards. Every Sunday, the neighbors would come over and play. Or, if it was raining hard, they would pop in to the baserria to take a break, have some wine and cheese, and play cards. Any excuse to play cards. Twice, dad helped to make cheese.

Photo by Lisa Van De Graaff.

When he came to the United States, dad came with nothing. Only some clothes and a little bit of money. And a contract. He had a three year contract with sheep man Jon Archibal, who picked him up at the airport in Boise and drove him out towards Homedale. There, a foreman met him, took him to buy some clothes, and set him up for his time in the hills. Back in 1962 when dad came to the US the first time, he made $225 per month, with room and board paid for.

For his first band, he was partnered with his uncle Santiago. They went from Homedale to Silver City, which is about 50 miles. They had a set route that took them through several pastures. The round trip was about 9 months, which was spent entirely in the hills. Every 10 days or so, someone would come and bring them supplies. Besides his uncle, the only company they had were their three dogs, three horses, and three mules. Dad’s job was to maintain the camp while his uncle took the sheep out to graze. As they moved around, dad set up the camp, putting up the tent and the like, and made the food. When his uncle came back to eat, dad would look after the sheep. He did this for three years before going back to the Basque Country. But the economic draw of the United States pulled him back again. He returned for another three year contract, but this time he stayed in the main camp, out of the hills.

Blas and his father, Pedro.

Dad didn’t know a lick of English when he came. That really wasn’t much of a problem, as everyone he worked with was Basque. Once in a while, they would have run-ins with others. One time, in Silver City, a cowboy came in to the restaurant or bar and complained about those Basque bastards and their sheep. However, they were on good terms with the local miners, as they would give them meat from the band.

Thanks to Lisa Van De Graaff for encouraging me to record dad and his stories when I could. Lisa took the photo at the top.

Basque Fact of the Week, People

Basque Fact of the Week: Francisco de Vitoria, Father of International Law

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At at time when Spain was colonizing the Americas, there were many moral questions that came with exploiting the Native populations and their lands. One prominent voice against Spain’s actions was Francisco de Vitoria. Sometimes called a father of international law (though modern scholars would argue it wasn’t truly international law as we think about it today), Vitoria worked to define what justified war and when Spain could legitimately use force against the Natives of the Americas. His ideas, along with those of his contemporaries, helped to define the relations between nations.

Portrait of Francisco de Vitoria. Image found on Real Academia de la Historia.
  • It isn’t clear where Francisco de Vitoria was born. Some references say Burgos, others say he was born in Vitoria, Araba. It also isn’t clear when he was born – maybe 1483, maybe 1486, maybe as late as 1492-93. Regardless, his father Pedro de Vitoria was from Araba. His mother, Catalina de Compludo, was from a noble family, just like his father. A native of Burgos, she had Jewish ancestry.
  • In 1504, Vitoria became a Dominican, studying at least some of the time in Paris. In 1516 he started teaching himself, returning to Spain to teach in Valladolid in 1522. In 1524, he was elected chair of theology of the University of Salamanca. He would spend the rest of his life in Salamanca, in the Dominican monastery of San Esteban.
  • It was in Salamanca that Vitoria really established a name for himself. In 1538-39, he wrote a treatise on the legality/illegality of war and what would justify war. Vitoria expanded upon ideas developed by Thomas Aquinas, arguing that the only times war was justified were against aggression or to right a great wrong. He said that innocents should only be harmed when it was impossible to distinguish them from combatants. He also said that if one’s conscience said that the war was wrong, he or she should not participate.
  • He also wrote, after being consulted by the king of Spain, on the status of the Native Peoples of the Americas. He argued, based on the ideas of the dignity of man, that the Natives were not slaves, that they had rights to their property, and that Spain was violating their rights. He also argued that they should not be forcibly converted to Christianity. In his view, Spain had not satisfied the conditions for just war.
  • He also made significant advances in the classroom, requiring students to take notes at a time when this was not the norm. His teaching style was widely recognized and spread to other institutions of learning. In the end, some 5000 students passed through his classroom.

A full list of all of Buber’s Basque Facts of the Week can be found in the Archive.

Primary sources: Estornés Zubizarreta, Idoia. VITORIA, Francisco de. Auñamendi Encyclopedia. Available at: https://aunamendi.eusko-ikaskuntza.eus/en/vitoria-francisco-de/ar-129022/; Francisco de Vitoria by Bernice Margaret Hamilton, Britannica; Francisco de Vitoria, Wikipedia

Basque Fact of the Week, History

Basque Fact of the Week: The Paleolithic Art of the Ekain Cave

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Because of the mountainous landscape of the Basque Country, caves play an important role in the historical and mythological context of the culture. The goddess Mari, for example, was said to inhabit various caves in the rugged mountains. But so did people, the ancient people who lived in the Basque Country and left their mark with paintings on the walls of some of those caves. Santimamiñe is perhaps the most famous, but there are many others. One of those is Ekain.

Paintings of horses (and bison top right) at Ekainberri, replicas of those found in Ekain itself. Photo from Wikimedia.
  • The Ekain cave, which sits in the mountain of the same name and is part of the jurisdiction of Deba, was discovered on June 8, 1969 by Rafael Rezabal and Andoni Albizuri, members of the Antxieta cultural society. Or rather, it was rediscovered, as clearly humans had found the cave before, albeit millennia before. The cave, burrowing into a limestone cliff, is near the village of Sastarrain where two streams, full of trout, meet.
  • The walls of the cave are covered in drawings from the Magdalenian period of the Upper Paleolithic time – roughly 17,000 to 12,000 years ago. The drawings themselves come in many forms. Some are very simple, consisting of just a few strokes, but others are more elaborate. Most are of animals. Different parts of the cave have more of one type of animal than another and thus have been given names to reflect that diversity: Auntzei, “goat shed;” Zaldei, “stable;” Artzei, “bear cabin;” and Azken-zaldei, “last stable.” Of the 70 figures that have been identified, 64 are painted and 6 are engraved into the stone.
  • These figures are mostly painted in black, red, or both colors. The black is made with charcoal or manganese and the red comes from limonite, a natural iron oxide mineral.
  • There is also an image of a bird, found engraved on the rib bone of what might have been a bison, which is unusual for cave art.
  • Archeologists, led by José Miguel Barandiarán, also discovered hearths in the “lobby” of the caves, along with materials likely used by the artists to decorate the harder-to-reach interiors. This suggests that Paleolithic hunters used the cave for shelter. The earlier inhabitants likely used the caves in the summer and consisted on a diet of fawns and hinds. Later ones also hunted mountain goats
  • The archeological and historical importance of the cave was recognized in 2008, when it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list.
  • The actual cave is not open to the public, to preserve the art from human traffic. Instead, as has been common practice for such sites, a replica was made, named Ekainberri – or new Ekain. At Ekainberri, not only can one see reproductions of this prehistoric art, but visitors can also partake in other activities that reflect life in the Paleolithic, including making their own cave paintings, making fire with sticks and stones, and hunting with spears.

A full list of all of Buber’s Basque Facts of the Week can be found in the Archive.

Primary sources: Barandiaran Ayerbe, José Miguel de. EKAIN. Auñamendi Encyclopedia, 2024. . Available at: https://aunamendi.eusko-ikaskuntza.eus/en/ekain/ar-37575/; Cueva de Ekain, Wikipedia

Basque Fact of the Week, Euskara

Basque Fact of the Week: The Compass in Euskara

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The cardinal directions are so ingrained in our culture, language, and identity. Whether one is from the northwest or the southeast, the west coast or east coast, these directions almost define us. And they are relative. I might be from the northwest of the United States, but I’m also from southern Idaho. At a higher level, I’m from the western and northern hemispheres. These words are such a part of our everyday life, we likely never give any thought where they came from. Well, here’s where they come from, but in Basque.

  • The four main cardinal directions are iparra (north), ekialdea (east), hegoa (south), and mendebaldea (west). Larry Trask, in his Etymological Dictionary of Basque, discusses the origins of each of these, most of which are connected to the directional winds:
    • iparra, or in its indefinite form ipar, is a word native to Basque. While its origins aren’t completely clear, some have suggested it derives from ibar, the Basque word for valley. The logic here is that ibar-haize, meaning valley wind, is also the north wind and so ipar arose from ibar. For fishermen, ipar sometimes means east. ipar haizea, the north wind, is cold. ipar beltza, or black north, blows from the northwest while ipar zuria, the white north, blows from the northeast.
    • ekialdea is the most transparent. It is a compound of eki and aldea, or sun and side, meaning literally sunny spot.
    • hegoa is less clear. It might be a native word, but variants used in some parts of the Basque Country egoe and egoi suggest it might not be (native words tend not to have those extra vowels). Possibly it comes from the Latin aqualem (watery) through Béarnais. This would suggest an origin meaning “watery wind,” which aligns with the saying Hegoak hegala urean du (The south wind has a wing in the water). That said, there is a Basque deity, Hegoi or Egoi, that was the god of the south wind… Just like the north wind, hego beltza (black south) blows from the southwest and hego zuria (white south) blows from the southeast.
    • mendebal is of Roman origin, from something like the French vent d’aval, meaning valley wind. It is very similar to the Spanish vendaval.
  • Intermediate directions are described by compounds of the principal directions. For example, northwest is designated by ipar-mendebaldea while south-southeast is hego-hego-ekialdea.
  • The compass rose is called a haize-arrosa in Basque, or wind rose, which is another term for a compass rose in English too.

A full list of all of Buber’s Basque Facts of the Week can be found in the Archive.

Primary sources: Puntu kardinal, Wikipedia

Basque Fact of the Week, Euskadi

Basque Fact of the Week: The Fortress of Amaiur, Last Bastion of Nafarroa

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The Basque Country has seen more than its fair share of conflict. At the cross roads between the Iberian peninsula and the mainland of Europe, powers were always vying for control even as the Basques themselves tried to maintain some semblance of independence or made alliances with one side or another. The Kingdom of Nafarroa was often at the center of these conflicts, with the Fortress of Amaiur, amongst others, being one of the last holdouts against the conquering invaders.

The Fortress of Amaiur as it stands today. Photo by Xabier Cañas, found on Wikipedia.
  • The name of the fortress and town come from the Basque word Amaia, which means boundary or limit. The town is first attested in documents from the twelfth century, where it is noted as a noble district of the Kingdom of Nafarroa.
  • The fortress was built sometime in the twelfth century and became one of the most important strongholds of the Kingdom of Nafarroa. Indeed, it was one of the last points of resistance in the conquest of the Kingdom. Castilla invaded Nafarroa in July, 1512, and quickly took Pamplona with little resistance. Castilian envoys were sent to the primary fortresses of the region demanding their surrender. Several, including Amaiur, refused. However, by August, most of the rest of Iberian Nafarroa – the part of Nafarroa in the Iberian peninsula – had fallen.
  • After at least one failed attempt at reconquering Nafarroa, King Henry II of Nafarroa led another attempt, this one successful, and by May, 1521, all of Nafarroa had been reconquered. However, the victory was short-lived as Castilla, having just put down another revolt, counterattacked. Henry’s forces were defeated in the Battle of Esquiroz in June, 1521.
  • Henry tried one more time, sending forces in September. They laid siege to the fortress at Amaiur, and the Castilians left in exchange for free passage to Castilla. Again, Castilla responded, with forces from Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa, and Nafarroa itself along with Castilla and Aragon. The Fortress of Amaiur, the last bastion of Nafarroa, fell on July 19, 1522. It had been defended by 200 knights. 39 survived and were taken prisoner to Pamplona. One of those defenders was Francis Xavier.
  • Amaiur, or Maya as it is known in Spanish (officially, the town is called Amaiur/Maya today), was also the site of a battle during the Peninsular War. On July 25, 1813, French troops attacked the British forces stationed in Maya. In the end, while the French outnumber the British, thanks in part to reinforcements, the British were able to escape.
  • The fortress now stands in ruins, destroyed in the Battle of Amaiur in 1522. In 1922, a monument to the defenders was established, which was blown up in 1931. It was re-erected in 1982. In 2007, the city installed a monument to the Unknown Resistant. All of these are in recognition to those that fought for Nafarroa’s independence against Castilla.

A full list of all of Buber’s Basque Facts of the Week can be found in the Archive.

Primary sources: Spanish conquest of Iberian Navarre, Wikipedia; Amaiur-Maya, Wikipedia; Maya/Amaiur, Navarra, Senditur.com; Château d’Amaiur, Wikipedia

Basque Fact of the Week, Music, People

Basque Fact of the Week: Fermín Muguruza, Kortatu, and Negu Gorriak

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One of the most eye-opening experiences when I first visited the Basque Country was the music. Growing up in the Basque culture of the American West, I was familiar with some of the traditional folk music (though never enough to truly appreciate it) but I had no idea about the radical rock that permeated modern Basque culture. This was a music that spoke to me, even if I couldn’t understand much of the lyrics. Two bands in particular made an impression on me – Kortatu and Negu Gorriak – both fronted by one of the Basque Country’s most popular singers – Fermin Muguruza.

Fermin Muguruza in concert in Montevideo in 2004. Photo from Wikipedia.
  • Fermin Muguruza Ugarte was born on April 20, 1963 in Irun, Gipuzkoa. He is the middle of three brothers, all three of which are musicians. As a child, he didn’t learn Euskara as it was prohibited in Franco’s Spain. In fact, he learned the language during tours when he was part of Kortatu. The choice of Basque as his language of expression was deliberate, a political choice in support of Basque independence.
  • With his brother Iñigo, Fermin was one of the founders of Kortatu – he played guitar and was the lead vocalist. He was inspired to start the group after seeing The Clash in Donostia. Founded in 1984, Kortatu was one of the pioneering bands of Basque radical rock. In particular, the band introduced ska and dub to Spain. Their earlier records had songs in both Spanish and Basque, but with Kolpez Kolpe, everything was in Basque.
  • After Kortatu dissolved in 1988, Fermin and Iñigo, again with others, formed their next band, Negu Gorriak in 1990. Negu Gorriak was one of the most influential Basque bands of the 1990s. They incorporated elements of rap, more hardcore rock, and Latin influences in their sound. In particular, they were praised for mixing different styles and sounds into a coherent whole. They were sued by a Guardia Civil officer who accused them of libel for a song where they suggested he was involved in drug trafficking. It wasn’t until 2001 that Negu Gorriak was acquitted by the courts. The band was very political, for example voicing support for members of ETA that were in prison and singing about fighting against the state. Their stance softened after a tour in El Salvador when they began singing more about dialog.
  • When Negu Gorriak broke up in 1996 (though they played three concerts together after being acquitted), Fermin began a solo career that included collaborations with musicians from around the world. His solo work veered more towards ska and reggae than either Kortatu or Negu Gorriak had. More on his current projects can be found on his website.
  • Fermin and other Basque groups faced boycotts in the early 2000s for their suspected sympathies for ETA. Fermin came out and said that, while he was “pro-independence and left-wing, but that does not mean that I am in favor of violence.” His political activism was also on display in 2002 when he accepted the award for Best Song in Basque and dedicated it to Egunkaria, the Basque-language newspaper that had been shutdown by the Spanish government.

A full list of all of Buber’s Basque Facts of the Week can be found in the Archive.

Primary sources: Fermin Muguruza, Wikipedia; Negu Gorriak, Wikipedia; Kortatu, Wikipedia

Basque Fact of the Week, Folklore

Basque Fact of the Week: Intxisua, Goblins of the Basque Country

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Every culture has their goblins – little creatures that make mischief. The Basques are no different. They have a variety of such creatures that can both help people but also cause problems. At the same time, there are humans that can also be forces for good and evil, using their powers to help or harm others. In some stories and across different places, these characters can mix. The intxisua are one example, where in some places they are goblins and others they are warlocks or male witches.

A group of intxisuak roaming the streets of Oiartzun during their fiesta. Photo from Wikimedia.
  • Intxisua (or intxisu, intxiso, intxixu, intxitxu, intxusi, itxiso) are mythological creatures that form part of the local folklore of Oiartzun and Ataun, in Gipuzkoa, where the creatures were said to live. Depending on the story, the intxisua was either a male witch or warlock, an elf, or a goblin. They can also take the form of animals, depending on the story.
  • In the stories from Ataun, it seems the intxisua was the husband of a witch – a witch himself, but always connected to his wife. Like most witches, he could make predictions, perform healing practices, and act as a counselor to his neighbors.
  • On the other hand, the intxisuak of Oiartzun were more like elves or goblins. These intxisuak hid in caves, living in holes in the rock surrounded by their wealth. They were said to have built some of the cromlechs and megaliths of the area, a feat also often attributed to the Jentilak. They spent the whole year in the mountains, except for carnival when they would descend and take over the town.
  • These Oiartzun intxisuak were short, barely a meter or yard tall. They were thin, dark-skinned, and covered in body hair, including a thick beard. As builders of the cromlechs, they were very strong, though in some accounts their strength only came at night.
  • The intxisuak are still evoked even today. When a dog barks for no reason or a strange sound is heard at night, people blame the intxisuak. When a kid is being bad, they say “Intxisua baino bihurriagoa zara” – you are naughtier than the intxisua.
  • The intxisuak live on today, as part of the Ihotik fiestas of Oiartzun that happen the week before carnival. Along with many other colorful characters, people dress up as intxisuak, one for each neighborhood of the town, and take over the town hall.

A full list of all of Buber’s Basque Facts of the Week can be found in the Archive.

Primary sources: Intxisua, Wikipedia; Oiartzungo Ihotik, Wikipedia

Basque Fact of the Week, People

Basque Fact of the Week: Martija de Jauregui, Healer and Trailblazer of the 16th Century

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Women enjoy more opportunity now than they have for quite some time. With the rise of the Church and capitalism, women were marginalized, but before that, they held important role in professions such as health care. Martija de Jauregui wasn’t necessarily a pioneer – she just practiced her craft as she knew it. However, she was eventually forced aside despite the renown she had gained for her skills. Today she is viewed as an icon of women’s rights.

A mural of Martija de Jauregui in the Iruñeko Aitzindarien Parkea. Photo from Wikidata.
  • Martija de Jauregui was born sometime in the mid 1500s, likely in Nafarroa, though next to nothing is known about her early life. Her grandfather, Dr. Cartajena, had been a doctor in Lekeitio, so possibly she was born in Bizkaia. In any case, by 1570 she is known to have been practicing medicine in Nafarroa, specifically in Estella and Pamplona/Iruña. By 1580, she was in Uharte-Arakile, having moved there with her husband, where she continued to practice medicine.
  • Though she didn’t know how to read nor write, she had learned much about the practice of medicine from her grandfather and she specialized in women’s health. By special dispensation from the chief doctor of Pamplona, she was given permission to practice medicine in the region.
  • Her remedies were primarily plasters and concoctions she made with local plants she gathered in places like the mountains of Aralar and had blessed in one of the churches during special fiestas such as San Juan. She also recommended masses and prayers to help alleviate symptoms and cure her patients.
  • It was about this time that the Renaissance changed everything. Medicine became more professionalized and dominated by men. Women such as Martija were marginalized. Though she was well regarded for her medical prowess, she was eventually prosecuted by the Inquisition and medical professionals for effectively practicing medicine without a license or title and forced to abandon her profession.
  • Today, as a woman who was cutoff from opportunities for schooling and practicing her profession, Martija is recognized as an icon of women’s rights. One of the giants in the festival of Uharte-Arakile is dedicated to her and she is featured in the Parque de las Pioneras in Pamplona.

A full list of all of Buber’s Basque Facts of the Week can be found in the Archive.

Primary sources: Martija de Jauregui, Wikipedia; Martija de Jauregui, Wikipedia; Arozamena Ayala, Ainhoa. Jauregui, Martija de. Enciclopedia Auñamendi, 2024. Available at: https://aunamendi.eusko-ikaskuntza.eus/es/jauregui-martija-de/ar-63803/; Martija de Jauregui, Mujeres que hicieron historia