Ochate, human settlement in Condado de Treviño, Burgos Province, Castile and León, Spain
Ochate is an abandoned village in Condado de Treviño with stone ruins and overgrown buildings from different centuries. The church with its San Miguel Arcángel tower dates to the 16th century and contains architectural elements from earlier building phases, while homes were scattered around a central area.
The village is first mentioned in 1025 under the name Gogate and was an important point on a trade route from La Rioja to the coast. In the late 1800s, a series of epidemics like typhus, smallpox, and cholera became a turning point, triggering mass emigration and gradually emptying the village.
The name Ochate comes from its origins and changed several times over the centuries, from Gogate to its modern form. The ruins show how people once lived here simply, with a church, a schoolhouse, and sturdy stone homes now slowly reclaimed by nature.
The best way to reach the village is through the town of Imíruri, where you can park your car and take a walk of about 30 minutes along a forested path with gentle climbs. The route offers views of the surrounding landscape along the way and ends directly at the ruins with a clear view of the old stones and fields.
In the 1980s, recordings of voices believed to be spirits were made, including a voice in Basque calling out 'Kampora'. These psychophony recordings and reports of lights in the sky made the village famous among those interested in the unexplained.
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