C.3 THE TERRACING WALL UP TO THE GALLERY

Under the central panel of the galleries lie the remains of a wall built to contain slippage on the hillside that stands out clearly from the rest of the structure. Two different stages of construction can be seen. This containing wall was built of sandstone blocks in more or less regular rows. It now forms the bottom of the central panel of the south-west gallery. It probably dates from the last third of the 19th century, and certainly pre-dates the commencement of work on Horacio Echevarrieta’s family home in 1910.

Through a gradual process of purchases and swaps, Horacio Echevarrieta acquired the land to build his family home and a number of terraces, thus beginning the process of “monumentalising” the cliff top at Punta Begoña. Re-using part of the earlier structures on the site, he had a great, monumental viewing balcony built that took up most of the south-west side.

All that remains of this second phase of construction is the southernmost third of the vertical wall, comprising part of the straight section and the whole of the curved, slightly banked section, in the form of an amphitheatre. This work took place between 1910 and 1918, but was mostly completed by 1911.

It was with the construction of these monumental galleries in mind that Horacio Echevarrieta purchased the headland at Punta Begoña. Building work on the galleries was scheduled to start immediately after the design project was signed off in 1919. As can be seen from the outer walls, the south-west side is built over an earlier construction, and this significantly conditioned the way in which the rest of the structure was built. This section of the galleries was built from north to south. Work began where the roundabout now stands and ended at the other end of the site.