Juan Ignacio Iztueta (1767-1845). “The silver beard, but lightly so”

Abstract

The late 18th and early 19th centuries were turbulent times in Europe and the Basque Country: changes in the economic system, starvation, revolts, wars and violent cultural upheavals… The creator of this work, Juan Ignacio Iztueta, lived during this turbulent period. He was from Zaldibia, in the province of Gipuzkoa. He authored a diverse oeuvre in Basque, of which a principal example: Gipuzkoako dantza gogoangarrien Kondaira edo Historia (A history of memorable dances of Gipuzkoa) is of immeasurable value, due to the information it renders on the ancient dances of Gipuzkoa and in kind, a glimpse into everyday life of society during this period which unfortunately has often been misinterpreted. This rendering has set out to reestablish the key issues in order to obtain a better understanding of the aforementioned issues. It also now offers us an opportunity to understand the tradition and evolution of these historic Gipuzkoan dances.