The tourism office in Sopuerta has reopened, along with its social media profiles, which intertwine past and present in Aitziber Saratxaga's publications on local history. The rehabilitation of the fronton in the Alén neighborhood has prompted a revisit of Sopuerta's mining legacy, which residents will honor today by celebrating San Luis once more with a pelota match at 12:00 PM, followed by pintxo pote and a popular lunch featuring paellas starting at 3:00 PM.
One of the places in the municipality where “time seems to stand still, preserving the living memory of entire generations” is the Alén fronton; “for too long this space, a silent witness to a thousand and one afternoons of pelota, laughter, and challenges, seemed to fall asleep, yielding ground to nostalgia and oblivion”.
The rehabilitation of this sports facility transcends the mere construction work, extending into the social sphere. It represents “the victory of memory over oblivion and a reunion of the people of Sopuerta with their own essence, as well as an excellent opportunity for young people to learn about the pride of their mining heritage and for elders to relive, with a nostalgic smile, the best years of their youth”.
From the late 19th century, the exploitation of the Amalia Juliana iron mine led to “the arrival of a significant number of people to a place that until then had been practically uninhabited and lacked any services”. “Quite rapidly,” a “true mining settlement” of over 500 people emerged “at the turn of the century,” requiring “water, a school, sewage systems, etc.”. Around that time, the hermitage was built – funded by Luis de Ocharan Mazas, “the businessman who then operated the Amalia-Juliana mine” and inaugurated on October 24, 1899, his 41st birthday – the San Luis pilgrimage began to be celebrated, and the fronton was likely erected”. “According to oral tradition, it was built by utilizing a house that for some reason was never finished,” the site became a meeting point and escape for workers after exhausting days in the mine.
With the decline of mining operations, the population moved towards the industries of [Ezkerraldea](https://www.deia.eus/ezkerraldea-meatzaldea/): “The train tracks were removed, houses began to fall, taverns closed, the fronton also started to fall into ruin, the hermitage was closed, and San Luis ceased to be celebrated”. With the return of some residents on weekends, the hermitage was used as a "txoko" (community gathering space) “and as a kind of mountain refuge,” and the festival returned for some years in the eighties.
This was a mirage, as over time “it stopped being organized, and in 2015 the hermitage's roof completely collapsed, while rain, wind, and time also took their toll on the fronton, which was left like an abandoned stone sentinel”.
