"Let those who see this previllegio know that I, Doña María... lady of Biscaya, give and grant to all the people of Portugalete... to those who are now and will be from now on forever and ever".
This is how the history of the Noble Town of Portugalete began in 1322, thanks to the Founding Town Charter in which Doña María Díaz de Haro, widow of the Infante Don Juan and Lady of Biscay, granted numerous privileges to the Town of Portugalete and to those who "are and will be" its neighbors; entrusting to the neighbors the creation of a church in honor of Santa Maria, around which was built the old part of the town, a historic center that for its uniqueness and state of preservation was declared a monumental site in 1996, and whose cobbled streets are maintained today.
This town charter was lost, and the one signed by Juan II King of Castile in 1432, ratifying the privilege granted previously, is still preserved today. This town charter would later be confirmed by several Castilian monarchs, such as the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, who were in Portugalete in 1476 and 1483, respectively.
Although its birth as a town dates back to the 14th century, the village already existed before that, inhabited by seafarers settled in the shelter of its natural harbor, who built their ships and engaged in trade. It was on June 11, 1322, when Doña María Díaz de Haro founded the township, granting it the charter of Logroño. From that moment the town grew progressively, being a pole of attraction of the surroundings until becoming the city it is today; a city that in spite of being small in size, it is big in many other aspects, since it has an important historical and cultural patrimony, lodging in addition two patrimonies of the humanity: the Bizkaia Bridge, popularly known as Hanging Bridge and the Way of Santiago in its route of the North.
For this reason, Correos dedicates a stamp to this event, in which you can see the founder of the town, Doña María Díaz de Haro, together with an image of the city around the 14th century, in which, among other elements, the streets that today make up the Historical Center or the Church of Santa María are recreated.
