The first documentary references regarding date Busturia of the XIth century, with the donation of monastery of Santa Maria of Axpe that they realize, on January 30 of 1051, the Masters of Biscay, D. Iñigo López and his wife D.ªToda, to his friend the bishop of Alava, D. García.
In later date, year 1070, they donate to the monastery of San Millán of the Cogolla in suffrage of the soul of his son, Sancho Iñiguez, them Madariaga palaces with all his grounds and plantations.

It is not known by accuracy what the etymological Busturia origin is. The desire to know it has led to diverse hypotheses. Luis of Michelena believes that Busturia comes from “Bost-Uri ”, “Cinco-Towns ”, that would be five quarters,
four of which still exist and preserve his own one personality: Axpe, San Bartolomé, St Kitts and Altamira. he does not know yet the location of the fifth quarter. Joseba Agirreazkuenaga believes that he had to be Paresi.

The Tower of Madariaga was built before the XVth century and he lived through the turbulent epoch of the war of edicts, where differences between the powerful lineages of the dominion sowed fear and the destruction in the whole territory. During the XVIIIth century the attached small palace was constructed.

The called Tower of the Clock, which is along with the Tower Madariaga, is of neoclassic style. It is a tower troncopiramidal that there draws one silhouette similar to that of a lighthouse, by what, of course, his tracista it was inspired in the architecture farera. One believes that it was planned by Antonio Goycoechea. His walls, of chairs, are of excellent invoice; the stairs of the torrecilla is conceived as them of the church of Murueta, which is of the same epoch.

The architectural set of the Tower Madariaga will receive shortly Center of Interpretation of the Reservation of the Biosphere of Urdaibai. (fte. to see the links)

Nuclei: Busturia, Altamira-San Kristobal, Axpe-San Bartolomé