Dr. Raul Iturria Igarzabal has a long career in the life of Politics in Uruguay as part of the National Party. After having served as minister as well as the mayor of the Department of Durazno, Iturria has now delved into historical research, the fruit of which is the book, The Basque Contribution to Uruguay. A descendant of Basques from Navarre and Gipuzkoa, Iturria says that “all Basque descendants, are still Basques,” and that he wrote this book “as a tribute thanking this “ethnic group from the Pyrenees.”
Durazno, Uruguay. Son of Ramon Iturria Idiarte, and Rufina Elisa Igarzabal Rivero, Raul Iturria Igarzabal has a strong relationship with his Basque roots, which has been strengthened after several trips to Euskal Herria. These trips, both personal and profession, included contacts with Basque institutions that actually function in Uruguay. He is the grandson of Navarrese Martin Iturria Vergara and Pilar Idiarte Arijuria, on his father’s side, and his maternal grandfather was Guipuzcoan Nicasio Igarzabal Zabal. Iturria has reconstructed his family tree and says that it was in Uruguay and Argentina where the surname Ibarzabal was exchanged for Igarzabal, although he doesn’t know why.
“I also don’t know why my grandparents migrated; I think it was due to economic reasons that brought them seeking new horizons to make their lives,” he explained to EuskalKultura.com. What the author does know for sure is that the origin of his family, and so his own one should be printed on paper. “I always had the intention of writing something about the Basques, and the influence that they have had in our country,” he admits, after accomplishing the feat. The book was presented on November 14 and has been very well-received.
“The Basque Contribution to Uruguay. Vasconia Uruguayensis”
The book introduces the reader to some points of interest about the origin of the Basque people, its prehistoric roots, its ancient language, its customs, sports, legends and the thought of some of its greats. It later analyses the presence of distinguished men who came to Uruguay from Euskal Herria during the colonial period, and later as immigrants “to develop the economic and cultural potential of a country that had a lot of space and low population. “These Basque and Navarrese immigrants generated a big change in our nation and its territory, in the most diverse areas. They were good farmers, artisans, businesspeople, and industrialists…They succeeded in all areas, and were able to make fortunes and educate their children both culturally and economically,” the author says. “These immigrants adapted to the physical and social environment in Uruguay, but maintained their traditions. The union of both cultures, that of America and their own, formed a small and new culture that we now call Vasconia uruguayensis,” he says.
In regards to the bibliography that he consulted he said that the majority of the books were from his own library, built over more than forty years, including publications by Ekin in Buenos Aires and Txertoa in Donostia-San Sebastian. “In any case, there is a lot of incidence of the Basques in Uruguay’s history, but with little respect to the magnitude of the topic.”
“I believe that all Basque descendants are still Basque, regardless of the distance from their ancestors. The Basque people, because of their long insertion in the north of the Iberian Peninsula and the south of France, are traditionalists and value their ethnicity and culture. And this essay is a grateful tribute to this ethnic group from the Pyrenees.”
The Basque Contribution to Uruguay. Vasconia Uruguay is available in bookstores in Uruguay, distributed by Gussi Libros (Yarro 1119, Montevideo) that can be contacted by phone: 00598 2413 6195 or 00598 2413 3042, or its website: www.gussilibros.com.uy or on Facebook: Gussi Libros - Importer Distributor.
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