Zaballa (Iruña de
Oca) was a medieval settlement abandoned in the 15th century. The building of a
manor monastery at the heart of it undermined the organisation of the village
in the 10th century with the creation of a highly significant rent-seeking
system; it was later turned into a veritable factory, a specialised estate in
the hands of local lords who, under the auspices of the economic boom in towns
like Vitoria-Gasteiz, tried to obtain the maximum profits possible. In the end,
the “flight” of its settlers towards the towns caused it to be abandoned.
Today, it is archaeologists from the UPV/EHU-University of the Basque Country
who are endeavouring to reconstruct and salvage our rural heritage by studying
deserted settlements like Zaballa.