Los indianos y la construcción del ensanche de Bilbao

Abstract

The Plan of the Suburban Development of Bilbao, formulated by Pablo de Alzola, Ernesto Hoffmeyer and Severino de Achúcarro, permitted the development and expansion of the city at the expense of the municipal districts of Abando and Begoña. After the approval of the project in 1876, its slow materialization began, and new buildings were built, many of which were neighborhood houses destined for rent. In this sense, the important role played by the Bilbao bourgeoisie in promoting these buildings has always been pointed out. However, here we like to draw attention to the participation of the "indiano" group in this real estate business, since some of its members, after returning to the land of their birth, also invested in the buying of land in the annexed area and subsequently in the construction of the buildings, which in most cases were intended for rent. Figures such as Santos López de Letona or Paulino de la Sota alone, two of the greatest promoters of the suburban development of Bilbao, corroborate the importance of this contribution, which was not limited to the last decades of the 19th century. On more than one occasion, the activities undertaken by these emigrants after settling in the Basque Country concealed or at least masked their former condition in several documents, which may have led to their not inconsiderable contribution having been overlooked.