Urkiola is a mountain range of the Basque mountains in

Biscay Biscay (; eu, Bizkaia ; es, Vizcaya ) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilbao. B ...

near

Durango Durango (), officially named Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Durango; Tepehuán: ''Korian''; Nahuatl: ''Tepēhuahcān''), is one of the 31 states which make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in ...

, in the western Basque Country,

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 ...

. The highest mountain in the range is

Anboto Anboto () is a limestone mountain of the Western Basque Country, the highest peak of the Urkiola range and not far from the Urkiola mountain pass between Durango and Vitoria-Gasteiz. Description An immense mass of limestone, very compact an ...

(1331 m). The range runs from west to east and forms the

water divide A drainage divide, water divide, ridgeline, watershed, water parting or height of land is elevated terrain that separates neighboring drainage basins. On rugged land, the divide lies along topographical ridges, and may be in the form of a singl ...

between the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

and the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

basins. It was declared natural park on 29 December 1989 prompted by the Basque government's determination to protect the diversity of wildlife and flora it harbours. In the center of this natural park is a church called Santuario de Urkiola. This is the church of both Saint Antonio Abad and

Saint Anthony of Padua Anthony of Padua ( it, Antonio di Padova) or Anthony of Lisbon ( pt, António/Antônio de Lisboa; born Fernando Martins de Bulhões; 15 August 1195 – 13 June 1231) was a Portuguese Catholic priest and friar of the Franciscan Order. He was bor ...

. It stands out as one of the most beautiful and visited Basque churches. Basque mythology is also present in this natural park. Tradition holds that a cave perched on eastern side of the

mountain holds the abode of Basque goddess Mari.

Mountains

It is formed by several

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

massif In geology, a massif ( or ) is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to a ...

s, from west to east: *''Sierra de Aramotz'' (800 m) *''Ezkubaratz'' (1010 m) *''

Mugarra {{Infobox mountain , name = Mugarra , native_name_lang = eus , photo = Mugarra 2.JPG , photo_caption = Mugarra from the east. The quarry is clearly seen. , elevation_m = 936 , elevation_ref = , prominence_m = 195 , prominence_ref = , map ...

'' (980 m) At this point of the range the Urkiolamendi pass breaks through it at a height of 711 m, where a sanctuary was built. *''

Untxillaitz Untxillaitz, Untxillaitx, or Untzillatx, is a mountain of Biscay, Basque Country (Autonomous community), Basque Country (Spain), 934 m. high. Its name may mean "Rabbit's peak" (in Basque language : ''untzi(a)''=rabbit, and ''aitz''=peak). Part o ...

'' (900 m) *''

Aitz Txiki Aitz Txiki is a peak of Biscay, Basque Country (Spain), 791 m. high. Its name means "small rock" ''aitz''=rock ''txiki''=small. Description It is the smallest peak of the Urkiola range, and forms part of the same limestone mass that forms the ...

'' (791 m) *''

Alluitz Alluitz (also Asluze ) is a peak of Biscay, Basque Country (Spain), 1,034.3 metres high. Description It is the second highest peak of the Urkiola range. It is part of the same compact gray limestone mass that forms the Anboto. The main feat ...

'' (1043 m) *''

'' (1331 m) To the south of the limestone peaks are two round shaped mounts, called ''Saibigain'' and ''Urkiolamendi'' (1011 m). The entire area is enclosed in the ''Urkiola Natural Park'', created by the Basque government to preserve this rich natural area, often known as '' Little Switzerland''. The closeness to

Bilbao ) , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = 275 px , map_caption = Interactive map outlining Bilbao , pushpin_map = Spain Basque Country#Spain#Europe , pushpin_map_caption ...

and easy access through Urkiolamendi pass attract many tourists and hikers all year round.

History

There is evidence that the

Roman empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...

passed through Urkiola. Some archaeologists found pieces of ceramic in the coast, near the ruins of a Roman village. Above these ruins now exists a Basque village called

Forua Forua is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, Basque Country, Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' ...

, a name that comes from "foro". In

Mañaria Mañaria (both in Basque and Spanish) is an elizate, town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the Basque Country, Spain. Mañaria is part of the ''comarca'' of Durangaldea and has a population of 459 inhabitants as of 2006 acc ...

archaeologist have found a lot of evidence that

Visigoth The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is kno ...

s used to live in that part of the mountain range. This could happen due to the fights that the Christians had against the Muslims near Vitoria. Some tablets have been found in

Elorrio Elorrio is a town and a municipalities of Spain, municipality located in the eastern part of the Provinces of Spain, province of Biscay, in the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, in northern Spain. , it has a population of 7,30 ...

, proof of Christian presence in the valleys. In the Middle Ages pastoral activity was common in the mountains and there were a lot of villages in the valleys. There were no people living on the top of the mountains, but there was a military base on the "Aitz txiki" mountain. There were a lot of churches in Urkiola in the 10th century. One of the most important pieces of evidence of that is a letter from the king of Pamplona Nájera Gárcia Sánchez who says that the churches of

are allowed. There are more letters of some abbots of churches like the one which is in Abadiano.

External links

Urkiola Natural Park
* (es
Urkiola Natural Park (Parque Natural de Urkiola) at wikineos
(includes maps and many information for hiking in the area) {{coord, 43, 7, N, 2, 40, W, type:mountain_region:ES_dim:20000, display=title Geography of Biscay Basque Mountains Mountain ranges of the Basque Country (autonomous community)