[10] The maternal grandfather of Esteban, José Fermín Arraiza Illincheta (born 1807), a graduate in law, married a girl who descended from the Mendigañas,[11] a landed family from Echauri.

As a terrateniente Ezcurra was among largest taxpayers in the municipality and owned plots in neighboring locations;[15] he ran the economy on ambitious scale and in the 1880s he presented his wines – though he was probably also growing cattle[16] – on national fairs.

[17] In the 1890s he represented Echauri in talks on a would-be Logroño-Pamplona railway line[18] and was among jurados in the Pamplona juridical district;[19] in the early 20th century he became juez municipal.

None of the sources consulted provides information where he received secondary education and whether he pursued an academic career, e.g. in law as was typical for young males of his social standing.

The Arraizas have been traditionally supporting Carlism; Esteban's maternal uncle was related to the Juanmartiñenas, in 1874 awarded title of Conde de Aldaz by the claimant Carlos VII.

[36] In 1918, barely aged 30, Ezcurra represented Echauri at Asamblea de Ayuntamientos Navarros; it was a grand meeting of local mayors organized by Diputación Provincial as part of a campaign for so-called reintegración foral, restoration of fueros, abolished in the 19th century.

His other cultural undertakings was engagement in local fiestas, where he used to perform as a singer,[44] or the 1928 setup of Sociedad Unión Echauritarra, a sport organisation which he presided;[45] its sections were dedicated to pelota, football and cycling.

[47] It formed part of Federación Católico-Social Navarra (FCSN), a regional agrarian organisation controlled mostly by mid-size and large landholders; in 1929 he emerged as secretary of the federation.

[52] Being at the helm of FCSN elevated Ezcurra from a locally known activist to a person recognized in the regional Navarrese economic life, especially that he entered also other bodies, e.g. Comisión Arbitral de la Industria Azucarera.

[57] In a grand meeting of Navarrese local councils in Estella he occupied a place in the presidency[58] and voted in favor of the draft,[59] supporting it also in Junta General of FCSN.

Republican reforms introduced arbitration bodies; in 1932 Ezcurra became member of Jurado Mixto del Trabajo Rural for the district of Pamplona, where he represented Sindicato Agrícola de Echauri.

[77] A present-day historian suspects he kept a low profile as he was not subject to official measures,[78] and this is despite almost open military drills, like machine-gun training for 30 men on the fields of Echauri in March 1936.

[84] Though he was among only 4 capitanes and tenientes of Navarrese requeté,[85] scholars suspect his command during first days of the coup was rather nominal;[86] sources provide evidence of his minor role in Valle de Echauri.

[100] General Mola, considered the chief architect of Nationalist terror,[101] reportedly found in the likes of Ezcurra perfect “instrumentos” to implement his strategy.

One historian does not associate him with the crime[111] and puts the blame on Jaime del Burgo;[112] at the time Ezcurra was on sort of a propaganda journey to the Nationalist-held Andalusia[113] and was noted back in Navarre in December.

When in early 1937 the party got wind of unification designs, initially Ezcurra was not involved in decision-making, e.g. he was absent during the meeting of CT executive in Insua in February 1937.

In August he took part in another sitting of now formally defunct JCCGN; Rodezno briefed the gathering on developments in the new state party, Falange Española Tradicionalista, and received the authorization to proceed.

The Nationalist press maintained total blackout about the incident; the Republican one reported it,[132] at times accompanied by conclusion that the Franco-enforced unification has failed[133] and the requetes were referring to the Falangists as "Rojos".

[136] The same year he co-signed a letter, addressed to the nationwide CT leader Manuel Fal Conde; it contained personal suggestions for the re-established Junta Regional.

[137] In 1941, following outbreak of the German-Soviet war, he co-signed a manifesto which pledged loyalty to CT authorities; its bottom line was discouraging former requetés from volunteering to División Azul.

[141] Later that year with Purón and Francisco Armisén he formed part of a 3-man comisión permanente, entrusted with political tasks: it was to supervise nominations from merindades to the re-structured Junta Regional.

[144] Technically supporting Karl Pius did not violate the Carlist loyalty, as under the regency of Don Javier various groups were free to advocate their preferred candidates to the crown.

[145] This is the second last known Ezcurra's epizode related to Traditionalism; the last one was his 1951 support for Carlist candidature to the Pamplona ayuntamiento from so-called tercio familiar;[146] some scholars consider it a proof that he sided with “el sector más franquista del tradicionalismo”.

[147] Ezcurra's name kept appearing in proceedings of executive of FCSN,[148] now renamed to Federación Agro-Social de Navarra, but following incorporation of the organisation into the Francoist vertical sindicates in the early 1940s[149] he was no longer listed.

[158] His death was barely recorded in local press, except for private necrological notes;[159] few days later the Carlist El Pensamiento Navarro published a small related editorial piece which recollected the defunct.