New women pioneers of Basque architecture

Abstract

The contributions of women in the field of architecture and urban planning have always been present, although they have been denied and silenced by official historiography behind an apparent neutrality and universality in the construction of historical accounts. When we speak of the pioneering women architects of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, reference is made to architects who were born in this region of the peninsula but who, nevertheless, neither trained nor practised their profession in the Basque Country.

This raises the question: who were the real forerunners who took part in the shaping of cities in the Basque Country, and are other women architects not being concealed once again?

The archival and documentary collections, in particular the construction records, are reliable and essential sources of information. This article will reveal the results of this documentary search through the works of these invisible pioneers. The first female architect, María del Carmen Mostaza Martínez, who began her professional career in Bilbao between 1966 and 1968 and who has remained hidden until the present day, will be seen to emerge.