Maria de Arburu

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Maria de Arburu (died November 1, 1610, in Logroño, Spain) was a Spanish woman accused of witchcraft during the Basque witch trials (1609–1614). Of about 7,000 people accused, she was one of only six who were executed. She was the widow of a miller named Juanes de Martinena. Arrested in 1609 by inquisitor Valle Alvarado, she was charged with witchcraft and taking part in the witches’ Sabbath in Zugarramurdi and was investigated by the Spanish Inquisition in Logroño. She was said to have become the “queen” of the witches’ gathering. On November 1, 1610, she and five others were burned at the stake in Logroño during an auto-da-fé, alongside the effigies of five others who had died in prison. The Arburu and Martinena families had a history of involvement in local political matters with the nearby monastery, and some scholars say this rivalry may have helped fuel the witch hunts.