We’ve just come across an article in Mexico’sย El Financiero covering the five oldest bakeries in Mexico City that are must-sees.
The first on the list, and the oldest, isย La Vasconia, quite an institution in the city, founded in 1870, 151 years ago.ย As can be presumed, it was founded by a Basque,ย Marcelino Zugarramurdi, who emigrated from Navarre to Mexico City in the second half of the 19th century.ย It is unsure where he was from, as different sources state Pamplona or the Baztan Valley, but given his relationships and connections, we tend towards the latter.
This bakery has not only a long history, but a long history of success.ย Its founder started with a small storefront, and today, the bakery occupies 700 mยฒ (7,500 sqft) where they have a wide variety of breads, pastries, rotisseries, and even a restaurant.
We were immediately reminded of an article we wrote ten years ago telling the story of some Basques from the Baztan Valley who became renowned bakers in Mexico City, and went on to found theย Modelo Brewery, which now dominates 60% of the domestic market, not to mention exports, as they sell the world-renownedย Corona brand of beer.
The main driver of that brewery was Elizondo-bornย Braulio Iriarte Goyeneche, who arrived in Mexico in 1877, at the age of 17 (quite possibly in an attempt to avoid having to serve in the military, which had become compulsory in Navarre in 1841 with theย Ley Paccionada, which was a consequence of having lost the Carlist wars).
The stories of Braulio Iriarte and the La Vasconia Bakery are linked by more than a likely common place of origin between the former and the founder of the latter.ย In 1900,ย Andrรฉs Barberena Urrutia, born in 1880 in Garralda, in the Aezkoa Valley, parallel to the Baztan, arrived in Mexico to take charge of the bakery.ย Andrรฉs Barberena Urrutia married the daughter of Braulio Iriarte, and would end up becoming one of the most important businessmen in the Mexican baking industry.
This group of Basques related by bakeries and beer were also very active in the Mexico City Basque Center, as part of its management board.
Along with the article inย El Financiero, we’ll also leave you with another one published by theย MXCity guide about this historic bakery, and a link to the bookย Bakers and Basques: A Social History of Bread in Mexico, by Robert Weis (in English).
El Financiero – 2/1/2022 – Mexico
5 panaderรญas antiguas de la CDMX que debes conocer
Con poco mรกs de 150 aรฑos de historia,ย La Vasconia permanece como un pedacito de esa metrรณpoli de antes. Fue fundada en 1870 por Marcelino Zugarramurdi, quien era originario deย Paรญs Vasco, una comunidad autรณnoma de Espaรฑa, de ahรญ viene el nombre de esta panaderรญa.
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MXCity -7/2019 – Mexico
LA PANADERรA VASCONIA, 150 DELICIOSOS AรOS DE HISTORIA EN EL CENTRO HISTรRICO
Vasconiaย es un tรฉrmino cultural, polรญtico y antropolรณgico que designa la comunidad cultural y antropolรณgica vasca. Ha tenido diferentes connotaciones segรบn el momento histรณrico, siendo utilizado en generalย equivalente al tรฉrmino vascoย Euskal Herria. En Mรฉxico,ย Vasconia es sinรณnimo de pan y ha sido el sabor preferido de la gente por mรกs de 140 aรฑos, cuando las panificadoras en el siglo XIX habรญan cerca de 30 en la Ciudad de Mรฉxico, de las cuales siete eran de origen espaรฑol. Para 1890, el nรบmeroย de panaderรญas se triplicรณ con la llegada de los baztaneses; Baztan es un un valle entre los Pirineos y Pamplona, que emigraron hacia Mรฉxico y encontraron un lugar para vivir en el Centro Histรณrico.
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Bakers and Basques: A Social History of Bread in Mexico
By Robert Weis
https://aboutbasquecountry.eus/2012/05/27/un-legado-vasco-en-mexico-con-levadura-cereal-y-agua-pan-y-cerveza/
Last Updated on Jan 5, 2022 by About Basque Country