Skip to content.

Skip to main menu

Zumarraga Town Hall

Coat of arms of Zumarraga
Zumarraga.net

Town Council [Our Mayor]

Image of Anton Arbulu, mayor of Zumarraga

5th Centenary of Legazpi

On the occasion of the fifth centenary of the birth of the Basque explorer and navigator Miguel López de Legazpi, the State Corporation of Cultural Commemorations and the State Corporation for Overseas Cultural Initiatives organised a series of celebrations of an international nature to be held in Zumarraga, Donostia-San Sebastian, Santander and Manila, among other cities, aimed at bringing to attention the life and works of this universal son of Zumarraga, who founded the city of Manila in 1571. The formal inauguration of the 5th Centenary of Legazpi took place on Monday July 14 at his birthplace. There was a ceremony attended by academics, historians as well as diplomatic and institutional representatives of the Philippines and Spain.

Who was Legazpi?

We know that Miguel López de Legazpi y Gurruchategi was born in Zumarraga at the Jauregi Tower House during an unspecified year at the beginning of the 16th century. He studied law, like his father, and like him rose to the position of scribe (notary) of the Areria “Alcaldía Mayor” (something like “Borough Council,” which was made up of Lazkao, Olaberria, Itxaso, Arriaran, Gabiria, Zumarraga, Ezkio, Ormaiztegi, Astigarreta and Gudugarreta). After reaching the age of twenty-five Miguel went off to the Americas to pursue a career in colonial administration. After performing different duties at the “Casa de la Moneda” (Mint) and reaching the position of Mayor of the City of Mexico, when he was over 60 years of age he decided to sell off all his possessions and invest them in a naval expedition westwards in order to open up an initial route through the Pacific and convert the islands of the Far East to Christianity. On this venture he was accompanied by the Ordizia-born Andres de Urdaneta, a veteran of Elcano’s crew, and other Basque experts who were to perform shadier but prime roles in the venture: Labezaris, Mirandaola, Lazcano, Aguirre, Rada, Goiti… The aim was obviously to establish religious and economic control over the indigenous tribes and hand the new territories over to the Castilian empire right in the midst of the race to possess unexplored lands.

The Good Governor

But instead of using the brutal methods of other colonisers, Legazpi imposed a diplomatic, non-violent ethic: considering that he was dealing with human beings who therefore had rights, he used persuasion and favoured treatment that was egalitarian and of maximum respect towards the natives. And as a symbol of his commitment he mixed his blood with that of the local kings in Samar, Bohol and Cebu in as many “blood pact” ceremonies”. But, in addition to all this, it has to be pointed out that our countryman allowed the peoples to govern themselves according to their traditions, virtually without interfering, and established the bases for the national unity of the Philippines, where I have been able to experience for myself the tremendous affection that continues to be expressed towards him as an example of “a Good Governor”.

“Eman da zabal zazu”

Three centuries before Jose Mª Iparraguirre, Legazpi anticipated the great humanist task that this Urretxu-born poet and composer was to express in his song “Gernikako Arbola”: ‘Eman da zabal zazu munduan frutua’; spread your fruit all over the world.

Legazpi combines and condenses the qualities of three Renaissance greats in Gipuzkoa. He was a humanist like Ignatius Loyola, an adventurer without bounds like Juan Sebastian Elcano, and an explorer like Urdaneta. But there is something that makes him a universal, modern figure over and above religious creeds and ideological particularisms, and it is his quality as a pioneer in defence of human identity as a sovereign premise for the symbiosis between peoples of different and distant races, religions and customs. An extraordinary, edifying example for our country at a time when it is in such great need of models of dialogue, peace and understanding.

Pio Baroja defined Legazpi as “a politician that represents the prudence and diplomacy of the Basques”. But the most apt summing up of Legazpi’s life and work is the one penned by another native of Gipuzkoa, Jose Ignacio Tellechea-Idigoras:

“The memory of Legazpi can be cherished with pride, because Legazpi was the most peaceful of conquistadors, he gave more that what he received and took with him the best he had. Evoking his figure constitutes opening up the doors to universal fraternity.”

My hope is that the Centenary of the explorer Legazpi will help each and every one of us to get to know this universal native of Zumarraga.

Anton ARBULU-ORMAECHEA
Mayor of Zumarraga

Information about zumarraga.net web site

Logotipo de Gipuzkoa.net