13 March 2013

Global Seminars & Invited Speaker Series

STATELY AND PALATIAL ARCHITECTURE OF PAMPLONA

Indianos and businessmen: a contribution to the beautification of the city

Ms. Pilar Andueza Unanua.
Chairof Navarrese Heritage and Art

Throughout the Age of Enlightenment, Pamplona underwent an intense process of transformation that definitively shaped its urban spaces, while at the same time providing itself with outstanding civil buildings and modern infrastructures, which led to the embellishment of the capital of the kingdom. While preserving the medieval alignments of the streets, there was a practically generalised renovation of the city's houses, either through profound alterations to the old buildings or by means of new factories. This can be seen not only from the abundant notarial records preserved, but also from the numerous eighteenth-century elements that can still be seen today on the façades of the old town. It was at this time, specifically between 1698 and 1759, that several outstanding stately buildings were erected in accordance with models of cultured architecture. Their promoters were businessmen and merchants, as well as Indianos.

The unconditional support given by Navarre to the Bourbon cause during the War of the Spanish Succession underpinned what Julio Caro Baroja called "the Navarrese hour of the 18th century", a phenomenon whereby numerous Navarrese, mainly driven by the family legislation of the sole heir, left the old kingdom either to serve the Spanish monarchy in the army or in the high state administration, or to devote themselves to business and trade, although there were also those who combined public service with private commercial activities, a perfectly legal dynamic at the time. Their main destinations were the capital of Navarre itself, the Villa y Corte, the area around the Bay of Cadiz and America, places where many achieved an outstanding economic and social rise. The formation of substantial fortunes reverted, totally or partially, to Navarre, which led to the construction of important domestic buildings, especially visible in the lands of Bidasoa, but also in Pamplona.
 

House of the Marquises of San Miguel de Aguayo. Entrance hall
Main Street
 

The Echeverz family was associated with this migratory phenomenon, one of whose members, Agustín, travelled to New Spain where he married a wealthy Creole woman. On his return to Pamplona, he became Marquis of San Miguel de Aguayo and built his family home in 1698 in Calle Mayor. His daughter and heir, Ignacia Javiera, endowed it in 1709 with a grand historical façade in which a symbolic, allegorical and emblematic language was used. Luis de Guendica, a military man born in Bilbao but naturalised as a Navarrese, built a mansion for his family in Navarrería Street in 1738, shortly after his return from Peru, where he had served as governor of the port of Callao and judge of seizures. The Eslavas built a large residency programin Calle Zapatería between 1753 and 1755 thanks to the monetary remittances sent by a member of the family, Sebastián de Eslava, Viceroy of New Granada, director of the Spanish Artillery and Secretary of State and of the Universal Office of War. His heroic defence of the city of Cartagena de Indias in 1741 against Admiral Vernon's English squadron earned his nephew and heir Gaspar the marquisate of La Real Defensa, degree scroll, which was later joined, by marriage, to the county of Guenduláin.
 

House of the Marquises of the Real Defensa, later of the Counts of Guenduláin
Zapateria Street-placedel committee
 

In the same street, very close to this house, shortly afterwards, in 1759, Juan Francisco Navarro, born in Mélida, built a Ahouse thanks to the funds he brought back from America, with which he also acquired the palace of the armoury of Gorraiz. His humble origins did not prevent him from obtaining the title of "ejecutoria de hidalguía", a knighthood and a seat in the Cortes Generales del Reino, although to do so he had to fight hard against the Diputación of the kingdom, which tried to prevent his access to the institution, alleging his status as a "pechero" and his false testimonies. This fierce struggle with the Diputación probably meant that he did not place his coat of arms on his mansion in Pamplona. On the same Zapatería street, the Mutiloa family, a noble family established in the capital since at least the 16th century, as can be seen from their tomb in the parish church of San Cernin, carried out extensive renovations to their family home from 1748 onwards. Its owner at that time was Vicente Pedro Mutiloa. Shortly before, in 1743, he had become the heir of his maternal uncle Juan José, who as a second-in-command had left Navarre years before to train at high schoolde San Bartolomé in Salamanca, which guaranteed him access to the highest positions in the state. In fact, when he settled in Madrid he was Mayor of Casa y Corte, member of the committeeof the Inquisition, of the committeeReal and of the Supreme Court of Castile, the most important of the Hispanic monarchy, combining his official documentwith business. Finally, among the houses built with funds from the Indies, we should mention the one belonging to the Armendáriz family in Calle Cuchillerías - now Calle San Francisco - which was located on the site where the Salesian convent stands today. It was built from 1730 onwards thanks to José de Armendáriz y Perurena, Marquis of Castelfuerte and Viceroy of Peru between 1724 and 1736.
 

House of the Navarro Tafalla family. Zapatería Street
 

This first group of promoters, made up of men who had become wealthy outside the foral borders, was joined by another group of businessmen and merchants. Some of them were economically related to relatives and associates based in Madrid, with whom they participated in military and other mercantile affairs such as the leasing of rents or monetary loans, while others made their fortune buying wool in Castile to sell it in France, at a time of great economic prosperity in the southeast of France. From there, they also imported processed products and spices that they introduced into the Navarrese market and Spanish, all of which took advantage of the particular customs legislation of Navarre, characterised by its leavetax pressure. Among the businessmen, Pedro Fermín Goyeneche stood out, with important businesses in the Villa y Corte. Originally from the Burraldea house in Garzáin (Baztán), where his father Miguel had been born, he built a sumptuous family house from 1738 onwards at placedel Castillo, although with a façade opening onto Estafeta Street.

House of the Goyeneche family. placedel Castillo
 

The Urtasun family building at placedel committee, built from 1722 onwards by Pedro de Urtasun, a wax and confectioner who had come to Pamplona from the Santerrena house in Zubiri, was also A. After abandoning this activity, he dedicated himself to various businesses, most notably the operation of the Eugui armoury. Other businessmen and traders, such as the Loperena, Vidarte and Íñiguez de Beortegui families built their family homes at placedel Castillo, while the Itúrbide family built in Estafeta street. The Aoiz de Zuza, Larráinzar and Garisoáin families chose Calle Chapitela, while the Michelena, Basset and Tirapu families opted for Calle Zapatería. Juan de Lastiri from Baztan preferred the current Paseo de Sarasate, in a block where the new houses opened their main doors to the Taconera for the first time, replacing the traditional access through Calle Lindachiquía.
 

House of the Vidarte Zaro family at placedel Castillo

House of the Vidarte Mendinueta family in Comedias street with exit to placedel Castillo.