Valmaseda

Valmaseda, or Balmaseda, stands on the Cadagua along a route between Castile and the Cantabrian coast. In 1199 Lope Sánchez de Mena granted it the liberties of Logroño, making it the earliest chartered town in Biscay. Merchants and pilgrims passed through the valley, while a castle defended the town at a frontier contested by Castile and the lords of Biscay.