Aezkoa

It is formed by several smaller municipalities: Abaurregaina, Abaurrepea, Aria, Aribe (seat of the Valley administration), Garraioa, Garralda, Hiriberri (town), Orbaitzeta and Orbara.

Aezkoa valley encompasses the upper course of the Irati river, a territory full of oak and beech woods (60% of the land).

It is known that, before the consolidation of the Kingdom of Navarre in the 9th century, there was already a community in the valley that possibly was participant in the famous Battle of Roncevaux, not far away.

In 1525, soon after the consolidation of the Spanish conquest, 9 neighbours were burnt at the stake and many others died in prison or suffered tortures.

In the 20th century the most important phenomenon is the rural exodus, caused by the crisis of the cattle-herding sector, that reduced its population to only c.1000 inhabitants.

The vast majority of children go nowadays to Basque-speaking schools, which is helping to revive the traditional language of the valley.