Basque ethnography at a glance

Civil guards made by Zamacona bakery. Author: Jon Urutxurtu.

Until last year, whoever wanted to eat a guardia civil, so delightfully, had only to go to Areatza/Villaro. It is not a question of gobbling up one of the Civil Guard, but a baked sponge cake that was so named because it simulates the shape of a tricorn. In this case, it is not black and varnished, but immaculately white and exquisite. They are called guardia civiles of Areatza/Villaro.

Unfortunately, at least in Areatza/Villaro, these sweets signed their death certificate on July 31, 2023, the day the Zamacona bakery closed its doors. Previously, it was Victor Sierra-sesumaga (✟) —son and grandson of confectioners— who preserved and maintained the elaboration of the guardia civiles and from him the Zamacona bakery took the baton.

Civil guards made by Zamacona bakery. Author: Jon Urutxurtu.

Chronologically, the origin of this sweet must be placed at the end of the 19th century, when Areatza/Villaro, which had a spa where many vacationers went and Civil Guard barracks, was considered the capital and commercial center of the Arratia Valley. A weekly market and livestock fair was held every second Saturday of the month, in addition to having a large number of stores and services such as inns, hostels, notary, fabric stores, notions stores, shoe shops, fireworks, and, of course, confectioneries. In 1899 there were five merchants dedicated to “chocolate and confectionery”: Eladio Izagirre, Lucas Zamacona, Vicente Ingunza, Segundo Galíndez and Isidro Sierra-sesumaga, the last being Victor’s grandfather.

In all these confectioneries were made the guardia civiles that soon acquired great renown and became a sign of identity of Areatza/Villaro. Victor recalled how his grandfather worked: “my grandfather Isidro, in addition to making candles, made marshmallows, sugar -water, sugar and brandy-, quince jelly, chocolate…. And of course, even at that time, he was already making guardia civiles. It was a pure sponge cake that was baked in the oven on paper sheets; cut in the shape of a triangle, covered with egg white and sugar glaze, and finally baked”.

Víctor Sierra-sesumaga preserved and maintained the elaboration of the guardia civiles that his grandfather Isidro created. Author: Jon Urutxurtu.

Isidro was succeeded by his son -Victor’s father-, who made all the aforementioned products. After the civil war, the confectionery activity declined and with the death of his father, Victor, for sentimental reasons, to maintain the family tradition and to respond to the demand of some long-time customers, continued making cakes and guardia civiles by order, until 1990, when he decided to stop. But after a six-year hiatus, in 1996, responding to the call of the association Ipizki Taldea, the guardia civiles reappeared again in the hands of Victor Sierra-sesumaga, who took over the bakery Zamacona.

The guardia civiles of Areatza/Villaro are in the line of that autochthonous confectionery that has given so many satisfactions to the Basque palates. The case of the tostones and rellenos of Bergara, kokotes of Markina, tejas of Tolosa, bizcochos of Mendaro, malvaviscos of Santiaguito, oribaltzak of Gernika, vasquitos and nesquitas of Vitoria-Gasteiz, ignacios of Azpeitia, garrapiñadas of Uxue…

Jon Urutxurtu