After World War I, the marshals Foch and Petain as well as Prime Minister Clemenceau were honored with makilas. It was through these gifts that the Northern Basques showed their gratitude. For example, the makila of Marshal Foch carries a map of Verdun with an engraved message that reads: Hemendik ezin da pasa (Through here, no one shall pass). Most of the orders that Iñaki Alberdi receives become gifts for occasions, such as retirements, weddings, birthdays and other events.

The Alberdi workshop has produced makilas for notable figures such as Pope John Paul II. During his visit to the Basilica of Loyola, former Basque President Carlos Garaikoetxea presented the Pope with an ornate leather makila.The same Pope later received a silver handled makila of honor from the representative of Alava during his visit to the Vatican for the beatification of three nuns from Alava. The King of Spain accepted a makila during his 1986 visit to the University of Deusto in Bilbao to celebrate the school’s centenary. The list of politicians, athletes, and other noteworthy people bestowed with an Alberdi Makila is long, much like the history of the makila itself, which stretches back through eons to the origins of the Basque people.