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Born in Pamplona and immigrated to Argentina at the age of 15, Guillermo Larregui traveled kilometers on foot with a wagon that weighed 100 kilograms and was known as “El Vasco de la Carretilla,” (the Basque with the wagon).  Another Basque-Argentine, Roberto Arizmendi, did the documentary that has traveled over the past few days to Baiona and Uztaritze (Iparralde) and will be shown tomorrow in Vitoria-Gasteiz and on Saturday in Iruña-Pamplona.

Vitoria-Gasteiz.   Luis Aramburu and Carlos Chinchurreta come from the Argentinean town of Chacabuco, where the Basque Club is named after Guillermo Larregui. They are now in the Basque Country on a promotional tour of this documentary created by Basque-Argentine filmmaker, Roberto Arizmendi.  Arizmendi is the founder of the Hegoalde Argentinarra (sic) Basque club in the province of Santa Cruz (Patagonia) where Guillermo Larregi used to live.

The documentary includes the collaboration of many people, many of them connected to the Basque community in Argentina and improvised actors and actresses of the Guillermo Larregui Basque club in Chacabuco in the province of Buenos Aires.

At the age of 50 Larregui decided, in a bet with friends, to push a wagon for more than 3,000 kilometers, from Patagonia to Buenos Aires. accompanied only by his wagon.

This enigmatic man didn’t end his adventure there.  His spirit and enthusiasm let him to make three more trips, always on foot with a wagon.  More than 20,000 kilometers travelled in a total of four trips, across mountain ranges; passing through Bolivia, crossing the mountains to get to Santiago, Chile and to finish at Iguazu Falls.

Quietly and alone, he died in Iguazu, in the Argentinean province of Misiones, on June 9, 1964 in his multi-colored house made out of recycled tin cans, in the shadow of the forest dotted with the most beautiful waterfalls in the world.

In hopes of making this incredible adventure known, Luis Aramburu and Carlos Chinchurreta both Basque and part of the Peña Amigos of Basques of Chacabuco, and the Southern Argentinean Foundation show the film about Guillermo Larregui this month in different places of the Basque Country.

It was already shown in Baiona at the Basque Museum to nearly 100 people and another showing took place in Uztaritze, Lapurdi.

Now the documentary Gora Vasco will be shown tomorrow in Vitoria-Gasteiz on Thursday June 11 at 20:30 in the Florida Theater (San Prudencio Street) and in Pamplona-Iruña on Saturday, June 13 at 18:30 at the Palacio del Condestable (Mayor Street).

Luis Aramburu and Carlos Chincurreta will be present at both screenings. The Mundo Vasco magazine in Chacabuco  is promoting the screenings of the film.