Gordexola, Vizcaya, Pais Vasco, Espana

Original Basque home for Terlingüeños
Gordexola is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, northern Spain less than 15 miles from Bilbao. 

The names can get tricky since they can be listed in Basque (Euskara), or Spanish (Castilian), or English; and they are referring to names for a hierarchy of towns within municipalities, within provinces, within autonomous communities.
  • The town and municipality are named Gordexola in Euskera (the Basque language) and are called Gordejuela in Castilian. 
  • The province of Biscay is Vizcaya in Euskara.   Note that when Spain established New Spain, they setup Nueva Vizcaya which covered present day the Big Bend area of Texas and the Mexican state of Chihuahua.
  • The autonomous community of Basque Country is País Vasco

Also note that (for reasons I don't yet understand) on some maps you may find that the name for the location of Plaza de Molinar is listed as "Sandamendi, Basque Country."

compass location of Gordexola
43.178611, -3.072778
43°10′43″N 3°4′22″W
In the town of Gordexola there are three places with the name Molinar:
  • First is the central plaza which is name Plaza de Molinar. 
  • Secondly is the church Parroquia de San Juan de Molinar where our Molinar ancestors were baptized.  It is at the northwest side of Plaza de Molinar. 
Molinar origins
The Molinar Terlingüeños all descend from Cosme Molinar who was born circa 1610 in Allende del Parral, Chihuahua and died there circa 1680. Cosme's father, Domingo Molinar was born Gordexola in the Basque country of Spain.  Domingo's father Andrés Molinar Sáez born in 1521 and his grandfather Venito Sáez de Molinar born about 1490 were also born and died in Gordejuela.  So we have three generations of Molinares all born in Gordexola (Gordejuela), Vizcaya (Basque Country), Spain.
Many of the people who lived in the Terlingua area before World War II, even though their last name was not Molinar, are also descendants of this Basque Molinar family through marriage.  Some names already identified to have Molinar Basque ancestry are: Acosta, Anchondo, Carrasco, Domínguez, Franco, Fuentes, Galindo, García, González, Leyva, Madrid, Morales, Olivas, and Valenzuela.  We expect there are more.  
Following is a list of other surnames that descend from Cosme Molinar through the daughters of the Cosme Molinar lineage.  We have shown the names of some daughters of the Cosme Molinar lineage and included their parents' names and the full that of their husbands so you can research your Basque connection.
Acosta:
Anchondo:
Carrasco:
Domínguez:
Domínguez:
Franco:
Fuentes:
Fuentes:
Galindo:
García:
González:
Leyva:
Madrid:
Morales:
Olivas:
Valenzuela:
Francisca Molinar born in 1910 (daughter of Cosme Molinar and Francisca Villalba) married Adán Acosta.
Rita Molinar born in 1892 (daughter of Cosme Molinar and Francisca Villalba) married Juan Anchondo.
María Molinar born in 1869 (daughter of Cosme Molinar and Francisca Villalba) married Pablo Carrasco.
Refugia Molinar born in 1874 (daughter of Cosme Molinar and Francisca Villalba) married Alejandro Domínguez.
Simona Molinar born in 1877 (daughter of Cosme Molinar and Francisca Villalba) married Teodoro Domínguez.
Juana Molinar born in 1809 (daughter of Vicente Muñoz Molinar and Petra B. Carrasco) married Francisco Franco.
Ignacia Molinar born in 1882 (daughter of Pablo Molinar and María Madrid) married Tomás Fuentes.
Cruz Molinar born in 1885 (daughter of Pablo Molinar and María Madrid) married Andrés Fuentes.
Margarita Molinar born in 1880 (daughter of Pablo Molinar and María Madrid) married Eduardo Galindo.
Trinidad Molinar born in 1862 (daughter of Juan Molinar and Josefa Domínguez) married Jesús García.
María Luisa Molinar born in 1903 (daughter of Juan Molinar and Josefa Domínguez) married Juan González.
Manuela Molinar born in 1896 (daughter of Juan Molinar and Josefa Domínguez) married Gregorio Leyva
María de Jesús Molinar born in 1908 (daughter of Ramón Molinar and Cruz Alvarado) married Florentino Madrid
 Eloísa Molinar born in 1915 (daughter of Ramón Molinar and Cruz Alvarado) married Luis Morales.
Josefa Molinar born in 1870 (daughter of Gregorio Molinar and María Anchondo) married Julián Olivas.
Petra Molinar born in 1873 (daughter of Gregorio Molinar and María Anchondo) married Manuel Valenzuela.
Editor's Note:
If you've researched your connection to the Cosme Molinar family
send it to me by text to 404-797-4253 and I'll be happy to include your family.
This page created January 9, 2022 by Antonio S Franco
using Google Earth maps as well as information from FamilySearch.com.
This page had a large update on July 23, 2025.
This page was last updated on December 18, 2025.