. Cat.logo_AYA(1-15).fh8 - AYA, Aguirre y Aranzabal

The first half of the 20th century was a period of turmoil in Spain. From the 1880s
onward, Spain was a constitutional monarchy, and its king was Alfonso XIII. Alfonso was
a charming man whose great joy in life was shooting — both driven birds on the plains
of Castile and the estates of England, and also live-pigeon competition. Alfonso’s tastes
dictated the fashions of the day, and shooting of all kinds became a Spanish passion.
For the gunmakers of Eibar, this was a great benefit. Victor Sarasqueta, for example, was
appointed “Gunmaker to the King,” and included Alfonso’s royal warrant in its catalogs
for many years.
Unfortunately, the Spanish king’s skill with a gun (which was prodigious) was not matched
by his skill at politics, and his reign was marred by a succession of upheavals. In 1923,
General Primo de Rivera established a military dictatorship that lasted until 1930. After
a brief restoration, the monarchy was replaced by a republic, but Spain’s political situation
deteriorated. In July, 1936, General Francisco Franco incited the Spanish Army to revolt,
and the Civil War began.
The Basque Country was, by general inclination, democratic and pro-republican. The
arms-making industries of the Basque Country were a great prize, and Franco made it a
priority to conquer the Basques. His forces rolled up the river valleys of the Cantabrian
Mountains, taking one town after another — Elgoibar, Eibar, Ermua, Guernica. The
carpetbombing of the market-town of Guernica on April 26, 1937, was a watershed in
twentieth century warfare — the first mass-bombing of an undefended civilian populace.
In June, Bilbao fell to Franco’s army, and, for the Basques, the war was over.
The gunmakers were put to work making guns and parts for Franco’s army. Those who
had fled Eibar as the Nationalists approached (including AYA), gradually made their way
back home and went back into business. After the war ended, Franco maintained a harsh
hold on the Basque Country. He wanted to ensure that Basque aspirations of independence
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Spanish Treasure
would never again threaten the Spanish state. The Basque language, Euskera, was banned
from public use. It was the beginning of a long period of economic and social hardship
for the Basques.
For Miguel Aguirre and Nicolas Aranzabal, however, it was the beginning of their company’s
rise to become the largest and bestknown Spanish maker of fine guns.
In 1938, as the war ended, they decided to move on from making components for other
companies, and began making complete guns themselves with the AYA name engraved
on the barrels. ✦