The voices of the inhabitants of Igartubeiti and their neighbours are invoked, especially that of Kattalin de Kortabarria, who acts as a guide for visitors for much of the tour. They gradually bring to light how traditional farmhouses grew and developed, how their inhabitants lived, worked and got along with their neighbours, what beliefs they held, what they produced, what they ate, what they did for fun and what problems they faced.
The following areas are open to the public:
A stroll through history
A visual presentation on a great glass window, with automatic projection on mirrors and a combination of actual and virtual objects that tell the story of how Basque farmhouses developed from the earliest days up to the 19th century.
The video below contains one of the sequences from this presentation, showing farmhouses in the Middle Ages and the chartering of towns.
In another video Kattalin invites viewers to visit the interpretation centre to watch a recreation of how the great cider press works. Visit us.
Life in the farmhouse
The objects and documents on show in the four display cabinets in this area illustrate the inheritance, the belief systems, the clothing and farm implements that could be found in a farmhouse like this one.
There is also a video showing foodstuffs, furnishings and household goods and an explanation of the process of linen making.
Visitors can also see pictures of a traditional wedding, with the bride's trousseau carried on an ox cart.
Another video shows the traditional Basque ezpatadantza dance performed at the chapel of La Antigua in Zumarraga.
The visit to this area ends with a third video that shows a funeral with the body carried on a platform.
Types of farmhouse
All farmhouses may look alike, but they can be classified into seven different types:
- Farmhouses with stone porches
- Coastal farmhouses
- Farmhouses with beam-type cider presses, such as Igartubeiti
- Farmhouses with an upstairs living area
- Mountain livestock farmhouses
- Farmhouses with corbels on the façades
- Farmhouses with centrally-placed stables
1630. The people in and around Igartubeiti
During the tour, visitors meet five more people at the Igartubeiti interpretation centre:
- Ana Igartua, the owner of the Igartubeiti farmhouse
- Domingo Arregi, a farm worker
- Martintxo Beiti, a young boy
- Domingo Irizar, a disinherited son
- Martin Basagasti, a charcoal-burner
- Maria Salete, widow of a miller
- Felipe Lazkano, a nobleman
- Domingo Aranburu, a priest
Work at the farmhouse
Visitors enter this section through the wooden structure. Here they can see the interior of the Igartubeiti farmhouse and the family at work:
- washing clothes with wood ash, aromatic plants and boiling water;
- preparing meals at the cauldron;
- hollowing out chestnut logs to make bee-hives;
- filling the trough of the cider press with apples;
- striking corn cobs with a mallet once the leaves have been stripped in the “new attic area”;
- fitting the yoke and harnesses on the oxen.
Contents can be provided in Basque, Spanish, French and English. The tour takes approximately 45 minutes.