Twinning Project
The town of Oņati is twinned with Gleibat El Fula in the Sahara, Zacatecas and Guadalajara in Mexico, José C. Paz in Argentina and Chateaubernand in France.
The twinning with Gelibat El Fula in March 1995 was mainly a humanitarian initiative.
A little later, it was the Mexican town of Zacatecas (in October 1996) and the Argentinean town of José C. Paz (in June 2000) who expressed an interest in establishing a twinning project with Oņati. Although the initial reason was historical, the relationship gives rise to a wide range of future possibilities and opportunities.
Argazki oina
The relationship with José C. Paz was the result of the work carried out by José Altube, an inhabitant of Oņati, in Argentina. In 1891, José Altube bought some land and built Villa Altube. He then offered all the land to the local inhabitants and created industry, agriculture and services. In 1912, he named the settlement José Clemente Paz, in memory of a close friend.
As regards the relationship with France, the twinning project actually began in the summer of 1997, although the official ceremony to mark the relationship did not take place until the summer of 1999. In this case, the main reasons were economic, cultural and educational. Numerous cultural and sporting events have been organised, with the principal aim of telling the world about Oņati and consolidating the town's relationship with other regions, especially in light of the creation of the European Union.