Sajazarra, Border town

Following the road, you stop your cart suddenly when you come upon an imposing tower guarding the entrance to Sajazarra. A dark corridor, protected by a rake and guards, indicates the importance of this access. This view has remained almost untouched for 700 years. Excavations in 2014 revealed structures from the 12th or 13th century: a tower nine meters per side, taller than what we see today. Inside, two arches, a vault and part of a staircase that connected to the rake mechanism and the upper part are still preserved.

As you walk through the town and look for its ancient entrance door, you discover the imposing jurisdictional roll, a symbol of the power and justice that was exercised there. In this place, laws were proclaimed and sentences were executed. These rolls, typical of towns with full jurisdiction, indicated whether the authority was royal, stately, council or ecclesiastical. Sajazarra, under the Privilege of Population granted by Alfonso VIII, established a council responsible for maintaining the walls, thus initiating a key stage in its history as a manorial town.

You approach the walls of Sajazarra, thrilled by the hustle and bustle you hear from inside. This enclave, on a promontory surrounded by the river Mardancho, was strategically chosen for its natural defense. This street was the main road connecting Miranda de Ebro with Haro, crossing the river by a bridge of medieval or perhaps Roman origin. For centuries, the river not only served as protection, but also as a source of water, irrigation and food, providing crabs and water rats to the inhabitants of the village.

After paying the portage and crossing the entrance gate, you walk through the streets of the town surprised by its bustle and the intense activity in every corner: ovens, stables, blacksmiths... But what strikes you most is the urban order. Sajazarra has a hypodamic structure, typical of medieval bastides: six parallel east-west streets and four perpendicular north-south, all within a trapezoid-shaped wall. Outside the enclosure, to the south, next to the river, Alambia Street housed the old suburb, occupied by the Jewish community.

You have heard for weeks that, at the foot of the Obarenes Mountains, where twin crags called Peñas de Gembres rise up, there is a prosperous village. After days of travel, you can see the rock formations and discover a landscape surrounded by natural passages: the Conchas de Haro, Cellorigo, Pancorbo... Strategic crossroads between the Ebro and the Duero. In this land full of history, where there was already a prehistoric presence, Sajazarra appears in the texts in 1075. In 1169, Alfonso VIII donated it to the Cistercian Order, thus becoming a free town with Privilege of Population.