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The idea emerged from a small group of descendants of Basque immigrants and immediately caught on in this town in Patagonia located on the Argentinean side of the Andes Mountains, at the mouth of the Lacar Lake.  The initiative is only four months old, but in that time, the group called named their group Euskal Txokoa, also started dance classes, and has appointed a board of directors. They hope to soon become the first Basque club in the province of Neuquen .

San Martin de los Andes, Argentina.   Called by Gustavo Iturralde and Manuel Bustingorry, the first meeting took place in June and the response only enlivened the project: "to establish a Basque club to gather Basques and their descendants who live in San Martin de los Andes, to maintain and spread the Basque culture in the area". With this goal in mind, members of the Euskal Txokoa have planned to carry out monthly meetings, the last Sunday of the month, to continue progressing with the project, especially to share a day where the customs from the Basque Country prevail.

“These meetings get increasingly bigger,” Gustavo Iturralde, one of the supporters of the project, explains to EuskalKultura.com.  “At the last one, for example, there were close to 40 people.  We did it at the Camping Amigos de la Naturaleza, whose owners are also Basque, and that is why we decided to make this our regular meeting place.  For the last lunch, we also invited each family to prepare pintxos, following a recipe to make them as they are, and so we could all enjoy a Basque dish.”  (Photos of the August meeting here; and September’s, here.)

At the same time, and with the support of those who have already joined in, members of the Euskal Txokoa have already organized what will eventually become an important part of Basque club: the dance group.  Thanks to dantzaris Mariana Torres and Virginia Nuño, who have started to teach Basque dance in San Martin.  “Classes are held at the local Lion’s Club, in a room that we rent for that purpose.  The idea is to be able to have a dance troupe that represents us,” Iturralde says.

And there is no shortage of opportunities for the new club to be able to participate with its dantzaris and typical activities.  Without going further, they have already reserved a spot to participate in the city’s anniversary festivities that will take place on February 4th.  As Iturralde expects, they may even invite dancers from next door province's Bariloche to do a joint performance for the occasion.

Looking to the future, directors of the Euskal Txokoa know that the number of members will continue to grow, not only because of the quantity of Basques that live in the area, but also because they hope to include non-Basque descendants. “It will be an open project, based on keeping the Basque culture alive in the area, but also helping people and carrying out activities of solidarity,” he concludes.