Igartza: the honourable and
respectable neighbour of Beasain.

Since the Town Council assumed the responsibility over Igartza there were no other neighbours as venerable, honourable and famous as this town.

Nevertheless, over the generations the postures found have in fact been the ones that have defined the relationship between Igartza and Beasain. Indeed, these two towns have embodied and protected two completely different visions of the world.

Whilst the people of Beasain organized their lives around the local community and the town council, in Igartza the daily routine was organized around the Lord of the area, most specifically around only one person.

For this reason, if an identity was developed in the town that was based on what belonged to a place, those who entered the network of the Palace joined the figure of a leader, and not a territory. In order to be from Beasain, the town, the town district and the town leaders became necessary; on the other hand, to be from Igartza, there were no frontiers: any place where a relative, customer or servant of the Lord of Igartza was present was Igartzatarra (from Igartza).

To use a present day example, if the citizens of Beasain in those days showed us "their ID car" Ordizia-Beasain would be their identifying points, but those of Igartza, on the other hand, would be shown by Oinatz-Lazkano-Igartza. The first ones are towns; and the second are surnames.

These two philosophies - local community relations/family relations - were in dispute in order to achieve the adhesion of the inhabitants of the district and receive their economic and human resources. For this reason, we would have to place the developments of Igartza and Beasain in the context of the confrontation between the villages and the Elders. With the purpose of facing up to them, Segura and Ordizia appeared, which were joined by those who did not want to fall in the domain of the Elders, in this case in the domain of the Lord of Lazkano, they lived in the old Mayoralty of Areria. In this dynamic, Astigarreta and Gudugarreta joined Segura in 1384; Beasain, on the other hand, came under the protection of the Villafranca of Ordizia in 1399.

As a result of this situation, those that defended a society whose key was a relationship based on hierarchical family relationships, opted to give a new impulse to the Igartza that was created in the Middle Ages.

The buildings that we currently enjoy in Igartza are the heirs of this decision. However, with the acceptance as a neighbour recently granted to Beasain, the confrontations came to an end. Igartza, nowadays, is just another neighbour, although its phenomenal aspect strongly claims its past.

As has already been stated, we can consider these elegant structures as a result of the decision made at the end of the 14th century by the faction of Lazkano to renovate them. Following the writers of the time, and in order to face up to the challenge presented by Segura-Ordizia-Beasain, Joan López de Lazkano chose one of his children to support Igartza. Garci López de Lazkano was chosen, entrusting him to increase the value of Igartza, both in terms of rent and men.

Following this objective, Garci López and his successors took over with lands and attracted people to the place. Along with this, and among other aspects, they put the mill and the ironworks into operation.

Such an enormous task came across large obstacles, mainly after 1456 and Enrique IV king of Castile's order to demolish all the tower-houses and Igartza was unauthorised.

In any case, the tendency marked by Garci must have gone ahead, since it is clear that Igartza was operative in 1475. Therefore, in the will of who would be Garci's granddaughter, María de Igartza, dated in 1504, the following list of properties figures: Palace of Igartza, mill and ironworks; ironworks of Igartzaola (in Aratz-Matxinbenta); the Usategi, Zapatari and Errementari houses; Aratz country inn and mill; Agirrezabal hospital; Barrendain country house, Antzizar txikia, Abarizketa Behekoa and Arrieta.

We will now look at the main characteristics of these buildings.