María Jesús Pacho, a specialist in contemporary architecture from the University of the Basque Country (EHU) and curator of the exhibition on López de Letona, expressed her delight at the project's progress. López de Letona, originally from Zeanuri, was a shareholder in the textile factory founded in 1892 in Balmaseda (now a museum) and was instrumental in the construction of the Vizcaya Bridge.
This 'indiano', possessing a keen business acumen, diversified his investments, notably driven by his wife, Josefa Gómez Rueda, who hailed from Puebla. The recently published book, 'Una vida tejida entre dos mundos' (A Life Woven Between Two Worlds), which compiles findings from over two years of study, acknowledges his significance. The work highlights that the Bizkaia the couple found upon their permanent return to Bilbao was vastly different from the one they left when they emigrated.
The director of La Encartada thanked Alberto Santana, a historian, ethnographer, and head of the Cultural Heritage service at the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, for initiating the exhibition idea. The exhibition, spanning eight chapters, examines various aspects, including the value of notarial deeds ('reflecting economy, society, and human relations'), the impact of Basque emigration to the Americas in the 19th and 20th centuries, the textile sector, 'indianos', and real estate development in Bilbao, the investor group in La Encartada from the 'indiano' perspective, transatlantic routes, and the textile industry in Puebla, where he began building his fortune.
A key collaborator in this endeavor was Mexican historian Blanca Esthela Santibáñez Tijerina, who also attended the presentation at Bilbao's Sala Rekalde. She recounted the challenging search for Santos López de Letona's will and the emotional connection that led her to visit the former textile factory in Balmaseda, which she found 'fascinating'. Following an exhibition that 'opens new questions rather than closing them,' she expressed a desire to investigate Josefa Gómez Rueda further.
María Teresa Paliza Monduate, a historian from Karrantza, also contributed a chapter, emphasizing the 'audacity and tremendous foresight' of López de Letona and other similar 'indianos' who were 'very entrepreneurial' upon their return.
