Village of La Hoya, a jewel of our history.

Visit the village of La Hoya, a small and interesting archaeological site just 5 minutes from Laguardia.

The settlement of La Hoya was between 1200 B.C. and 250 B.C. the urban center of greatest social and economic strength in the area that we know today as the Rioja Alavesa. A settlement that, perfectly structured with streets and squares, was home to more inhabitants than any other. Today, the La Hoya Interpretation Centre, better known as the La Hoya Museum or simply the La Hoya Settlement, explains the way of life at that time. Its location, among vineyards, in a film-like setting, protected by the Sierra de Cantabria and with Laguardia as a backdrop, is another of its charms. Wonderful. And, thanks to the archaeological site excavated in the last years of the 20th century, it is now possible to learn about such amazing details as the architecture of the houses that were found in this village or the burial traditions of that civilization.

This interpretation center is divided into 2 sections, on the one hand the museum, located in a small building that we find next to the entrance and the archaeological site, an outdoor space that allows us to contemplate the remains of the village of La Hoya. It is not our first contact with this place, and during our visit to the Bibat Museum, a complex that houses the Archaeology Museum and the Fournier Playing Cards Museum in the center of Vitoria Gasteiz, we had the opportunity to become familiar with this small treasure of our history. Thanks to the investigations, today we can affirm with total certainty that the settlement that we visit today was assaulted and set on fire on a market day. A fact that was vital in the disappearance of this urban nucleus, thus favoring what we know today as Laguardia. Is it a coincidence that Laguardia is located in a natural watchtower? Or is it because the ancient inhabitants of La Hoya learned their lesson and placed themselves in a strategic enclave from where they could appreciate any enemy attack? In our opinion, to travel to Laguardia and not visit the settlement of La Hoya is a real nonsense. The history, culture and way of life of each place is what makes each tourist destination we visit totally different from the rest.

Thanks to the panels, models, videos and audios located throughout the museum of La Hoya, this Basque space has become a plan suitable for family tourism. A place where the youngest members of the family can begin to familiarize themselves with the history of the soil they walk on. In addition, the fact that the visit can be done in less than 1 hour and that part of the visit takes place outdoors, makes the visit to this museum becomes a very easy to digest experience for our children. Although the Poblado de la Hoya has zero level, with no visible architectural barriers, both the building that houses the exhibition and the outdoor space, have somewhat complicated surfaces for people with reduced mobility or people who come with pushchairs. A small detail that, although it does not prevent the visit to this place, should be taken into account. Caution.

During our last trip to the Rioja Alavesa, we have been fortunate to know in detail this museum dedicated to the Poblado de la Hoya, a space that we had pending and that has proved to be a success. The site has been partly invaded by vegetation, but do not worry, you can appreciate even the smallest detail, witness them are the tracks of the carriages that today are still visible on the floor of the main street of the village.

History: The museum of La Hoya was inaugurated in 1986, while the excavation and research of this great archaeological site was taking place. In fact, the excavation campaign, directed by the Basque archaeologist, museologist and museographer Armando Llanos (disciple of José Miguel de Barandiaran), had several stages between 1973 and 1989. A work, which resulted in all the information and objects that today we find both in the Museum of Archaeology and the Museum of La Hoya. This museum was the first of its kind in Araba, because, until 1986, there was no museum in the vicinity of the archaeological site, but everything found was transferred to other museums in the capital. The museum of the Poblado de la Hoya provides varied and important information about the civilization that occupied the Rioja Alavesa in the Bronze Age and the Iron Age. Unfortunately, information has also been gathered about its fateful end, as it has been corroborated that the Poblado de La Hoya was assaulted, set on fire and demolished on a market day. By the way, if you are attracted by the theme of this museum, if you are attracted by the history of our land, we recommend you to visit the archaeological museum, the Bibat Museum, located in the center of Vitoria Gasteiz.

Visit: It is here, in the village of La Hoya, where the hundreds of objects found by the team of archaeologist Armando Llanos, director of the excavation, have been put in value. The visit, self-guided in this case, allows us to know an important part of our history through the panels, models, videos, audios and audio guides that we find inside. The museum has a small parking lot where you can leave your car for free. Once passed the entrance door, the garden welcomes us, showing us as an entrance a zoomorphic sculpture like the one we find in the Euskal Museoa of Bilbao.

As we enter the interior of the building, a lot of information awaits us. The protagonist of this first space is undoubtedly the life-size house that we find in the center. A room that faithfully recreates all aspects of a house in the village of La Hoya. Once soaked with all the basic concepts that this small corner presents us, it is time to let our imagination fly thanks to the last remains that we found of the village of La Hoya and the help of the magnificent audio guides that we borrow in the center (free once again).

It is time to tour the site and enjoy everything it has to offer. It is incredible how you can perfectly appreciate the division of the houses explained to us in the interpretation center. Thanks to this pre-Roman site, we have been able to know that its inhabitants lived on livestock and agriculture, that their funeral tradition was cremation or that the warriors had some weight in society. Curious, isn’t it? We must take into account that this is one of the most important sites in the Basque Country, a space in which even today you can appreciate the structuring in streets and squares of this village protected by walls. Remember that the last entrance to this museum must be done 30 minutes before closing time. Do not wait until the last minute! In case of visiting the Poblado de La Hoya in a group, we recommend that you contact those responsible for the museum, as it can only accommodate 50 people. In summary, we can say that it is a pity that the Poblado de La Hoya is so little known, and thanks to the remains found and the great work done with the audio guides, we can conclude that it is a very interesting space.

Location: Less than 5 minutes from Laguardia, at the foot of the Sierra de Cantabria and in the heart of the Rioja-Alavesa, we find what is undoubtedly one of the most important historical corners of Araba. Its location, next to wineries, olive presses and a scandalous natural environment, makes it ideal for those who want to enjoy a getaway full of possibilities. We must not forget that Poblado de La Hoya is less than 1 hour from Vitoria Gasteiz, the capital of the province and one of the cities with the highest quality of life in the Basque Country. Different signs indicate the location of the Poblado de La Hoya, you can’t miss it. In any case, the first signs are found along the roads that connect Laguardia with villages such as Samaniego or Elvillar.

Planning: As we know that planning is a key part of any trip, we will try to help you plan your getaway to the Rioja Alavesa. A trip with experiences of different themes, which we are sure will please the tastes of all the people who visit us. If the Rioja Alavesa, a rural territory full of natural charms, is known for something, it is for its vineyards and its wines, and no wonder, this area was one of the first places in the peninsula to use the famous Bordeaux method of winemaking. But beware, although the vineyards, wine and wineries are one of the great attractions of this land, it is not the only one. For this reason, we recommend the following points:

Price: It is impossible not to talk about the price of this museum, and is that in very few places we find visits to areas of such historical interest as the Poblado de La Hoya at zero cost. Free of charge. It is impossible to find better value for money.

Videos: As in most of our articles, we invite you to subscribe to our YouTube channel to enjoy videos like the one we show you today. We hope it will help you to get an approximate idea of what you can find in the interpretation center of the Poblado de La Hoya.

The Poblado de La Hoya is one of the great attractions of Laguardia, and, as many of you know, visiting this beautiful town in the Rioja Alavesa, and leaving without visiting a winery, the lagoons and the Poblado de La Hoya is a real mistake. Do you think the same? We look forward to hearing from you. By the way, we are still in shock to see that after the passage of thousands of years, we can perfectly contemplate the marks that the carriages of that time left on the main road of this village. Mind-blowing.