We must start from certain concepts established by experts in heraldry:
It is therefore obvious that the lineage of the Boxaca, Botxaca, Butxaca, Bochaca, and Buchaca does not possess its own coat of arms, because at no time has any noble ascendancy been found.
On the other hand, there are companies which offer a coat of arms to whomever applies for one, whatever the surname. This is obviously a commercial transaction and is not backed by any remotely serious research.
If anybody can invent a coat of arms for our lineage with good judgment, who better than ourselves? We know that it has no heraldic value, but it is the symbol which identifies us from the moment that we accept it as our own.
Our Coat of Arms: its components and meaning
Since it is in Catalonia where we first find our lineage, we shall start from the coat of arms of Catalonia in order to create our own. This is that of the Count-Kings of Barcelona, which would in time become the coat of arms of the crown of Aragon (formed by Catalonia, Roussillon--nowadays part of France-Aragon, Valencia, the Balearic Islands and Sardinia--today part of Italy). It has a background of gold with four heraldic red bars. An ash branch is placed on this background. The ash tree is called “freixe” in Catalonian. The first village where we find a Boxaca is Freixe, Pallars Sobirá, Catalonia.
In the upper part we have included three cantons: in the center, a bag. This acts as a reminder of the etymology of the surname. Something for storage, be it a type of external pocket or bag.
On the left we can see two oxen plowing the earth. Our people were countrymen who strived to make a living by cultivating crops and raising livestock. These people prospered thanks to their work, which was hard in the majority of instances.
On the right, the monastery of Santa Maria in Gerri de la Sal. This monastery had great influence all over the region. It was a focal point of faith and also of culture. The first Boxacas paid ground rent to this monastery. Later, many were married there and their remains rest in the cemetery which backs onto its walls.
Our earliest finding of Boxaca is in Freixe, three brothers, and we assume their father was born about 1545.
‘The Book of a Family’ is the detailed, informative account of our family's past, present and future.