Mendoza's castle

Mendoza’s castle is situated in Mendoza’s village in the province of Álava (Basque country). The location of this castle is very strategic since it is a point of link between the roads of Castile and the zone of the Ebro river. It is close to the capital, Vitoria, and it is near to Nanclares de la Oca and Foronda too. The towers of the surroundings were forming a defensive set.

History
The origins of the castle are of the 13th century. Nevertheless, his history is joined to the Mendoza family which is of the 12th century. The Mendoza's entered to the service of the kingdom of Castile during the reign of Alfonso XI (1312-1350). Álava is one of the Basque territories incorporated into the Castilian monarchy with jurisdictions. Before the Mendoza's went to Castile, Álava was a battle field, in which the lordly families resolved his fights during generations. In 1332, the Mendoza's had already battled so many times with the Guevara. Once this castle entered to the service of the kings of Castilla, those contests were ended, they incorporated themselves by force of Castilian combat and those who put his weapons to the service of the king started the collection of rewards.

Description
The tower stands out of the whole castle. The wall surrounds the building with four buckets in his corners. It has five floors: the ground floor and the first floor are made of wood and in the three remaining ones there are opened hollows to defense. The last floor is finished off by a cover or roof to avoid the water enter the castle, typical of this north zone of the peninsula. Nowadays, the castle shelters a room where are the shields of the most important families of Álava.