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Baztan ( eu, Baztanaldea) is a rural
comarca A ''comarca'' (, or , or ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, ...
located in a wide
valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams ove ...
in
Navarre Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...
,
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
, with the Baztan river running through it. Down the valley, the river is one of two forming the
Bidasoa __NOTOC__ The Bidasoa (, ; french: Bidassoa, ) is a river in the Basque Country of northern Spain and southern France that runs largely south to north. Named as such downstream of the village of Oronoz-Mugairi (municipality of Baztan) in the p ...
, on the Atlantic basin. The valley belongs to the , a historic administrative unit of Navarre. The valley provides the access to the French Basque regions of
Lapurdi Labourd ( eu, Lapurdi; la, Lapurdum; Gascon: ''Labord'') is a former French province and part of the present-day Pyrénées Atlantiques ''département''. It is one of the traditional Basque provinces, and identified as one of the territorial co ...
and
Lower Navarre Lower Navarre ( eu, Nafarroa Beherea/Baxenabarre; Gascon/Bearnese: ''Navarra Baisha''; french: Basse-Navarre ; es, Baja Navarra) is a traditional region of the present-day French ''département'' of Pyrénées-Atlantiques. It corresponds to the ...
by means of the
Izpegi Pass The Izpegi Pass (french: Col d'Ispeguy, eu, Izpegiko Lepoa, es, Puerto de Izpegui) is a 672 m high Pyrenean mountain pass located right on the border between Spain and France, linking the Baztan and Baigorri valleys in the Basque Country. ...
and .


History

Early in the 15th century the Baztan people earned their freedom from nobility as a consequence of their legendary bravery in the
battle of Las Navas de Tolosa The Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, known in Islamic history as the Battle of Al-Uqab ( ar, معركة العقاب), took place on 16 July 1212 and was an important turning point in the ''Reconquista'' and the medieval history of Spain. The Chris ...
. This gave them a right to self-rule, with several important consequences: It strengthened territorial organization and helped demographic balance by preventing migration into a valley with limited resources, the major exception being the Agotes (cf. the Cagots). As in many other Basque areas, the inhabitants of Baztan were considered
yeomen Yeoman is a noun originally referring either to one who owns and cultivates land or to the middle ranks of servants in an English royal or noble household. The term was first documented in mid-14th-century England. The 14th century also witn ...
(nobles) universally, and some Baztan inhabitants made a fortune at the Court in Madrid and in America. On 19 July 1522, the castle of
Amaiur Amaiur was a left-wing Basque nationalist and separatist political coalition from the Basque Country and Navarre. The name of the coalition comes from the fortress of Amaiur in Navarre, which was one of the last Basque strongholds during th ...
was the scene of one of the final battles for the
Kingdom of Navarre The Kingdom of Navarre (; , , , ), originally the Kingdom of Pamplona (), was a Basque kingdom that occupied lands on both sides of the western Pyrenees, alongside the Atlantic Ocean between present-day Spain and France. The medieval state took ...
´s independence. Exhausted and starving, the remaining 200 Basque knights finally surrendered to forces who vastly outnumbered them (circa 6,000 infantry), led by the Count of Miranda and loyal to the new emperor Charles V. One of the knights resisting in Amaiur was a brother of
Francis Xavier Francis Xavier (born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta; Latin: ''Franciscus Xaverius''; Basque: ''Frantzisko Xabierkoa''; French: ''François Xavier''; Spanish: ''Francisco Javier''; Portuguese: ''Francisco Xavier''; 7 April 15063 December ...
, patron saint of Navarre and of Baztan blood. The castle was reconstructed in the decades following the Castilian-Spanish conquest of Navarre, but was ultimately abandoned and dismantled. Its ruins and ramparts are now exposed after being unearthed by an archaeological survey (Society Aranzadi) financed by popular subscription. Nearly a century later, villagers from
Zugarramurdi Zugarramurdi is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre in northern Spain. It passed into history as the setting of alleged occult activity featured in the infamous Basque witch trials held in Logroño ...
were denounced by the abbot of
Urdax Urdazubi/Urdax is a village and municipality located in the autonomous community of Navarre, in the north of Spain. Caves Well known because of its caves, Urdax is an interesting place for speleology at a basic level. Urdax caves were created b ...
as witches, which prompted a famous witch trial by the Inquisition at its nearest court, Logrono, an event that Zugarramurdi commemorates annually with bonfires during the summer solstice, as well as with a museum. The valley bore witness to the War of the Pyrenees, the Peninsular War as well as the Carlist wars, and up until the end of the 20th century served as a vital back-door entrance into France used by pilgrims, refugees, allied airmen and smugglers. The latter contributed greatly to the local economy. Significant emigration from the valley to Latin America took place. The
Errázuriz family Errázuriz is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Blanca Errázuriz (1894–1940), Chilean socialite *Crescente Errázuriz (1839–1931), Chilean Roman Catholic friar and archbishop, professor, writer and historian *Eugenia Errázu ...
in Chile traces its roots back to the Baztán Valley.


Municipalities

The comarca consists of just three municipalities, with the largest by far being the municipality of Baztan. They are listed below with their populations at recent censuses, together with the most recent official estimate:Instituto Nacional de Estadistica, Madrid, 2019. There are 15 villages in the municipalities: Elizondo, Oronoz-Mugaire, Arraioz, Almandoz, Berroeta, Aniz, Ziga, Irurita, Lecaroz, Garzain, Elbetea, Arizkun, Erratzu, Azpilicueta, and Amaiur.


See also

*
Baztan, Navarre Baztan is a municipality from the Chartered Community of Navarre, northern Spain. It is located from Pamplona, the capital of Navarre. It is the largest municipality in Navarre, with around 376.8 km2 and just over 8,000 inhabitants. Settle ...
*
Comarcas of Navarra The Chartered Community of Navarre is divided in 12 regions —named ''eskualdeak'' in basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the ho ...
* * Zozaia


References

*''Atlas de Navarra, Geografía e Historia,'' Departamento de Educación del Gobierno de Navarra y EGN Comunicación, 2006, {{coord, 43.2000, N, 1.4667, W, source:wikidata-and-enwiki-cat-tree_region:ES, display=title Comarcas of Navarre Pyrenees