Before radar, satellites, and phones, people still needed to communicate important news, such as a whale off the coast or the approach of some enemy ship. The Basques set up a whole network of atalayas and señeros to alert each other. But, you had to be careful – you didn’t want the neighboring town to […]
Basques are known for their prowess on the ocean, their ship building expertise, and their exploration of the northern Atlantic. Ships such as the San Juan fueled this exploration. The San Juan, built in 1563 but lost in 1565, was discovered centuries later, a discovery that changed our understanding of Basque history and connections with […]
The idea of a Basque national team that could compete in international sporting events has been pursued for a century. Think of how Scotland and Wales can compete in the World Cup. While Euskadi has long had a national team that competes in unofficial events such as soccer friendlies, there are only a few sports […]
Born in the United States, I’m of course very familiar wth the Basque diaspora of the American West. What I didn’t know so much about is the large Basque presence and heritage in other parts of the Americas. Many people of Basque heritage made important contributions not only to their own countries but to the […]
In English, there are many forms of word play from puns and palindromes to malapropisms and ideophones (past facts here and here). I never really thought about it, but makes sense that word play is a part of other languages, including Basque. And just like there are folks who make word games in English based […]
We are all familiar with the two big Basque saints – Saint Ignatius and Saint Francis Xavier. They feature prominently in Basque culture, serving as the patron saints of Basque provinces, several towns, and even festivals. However, they aren’t the only saints with a Basque connection. Saint Rictrudis is one example of a lesser known […]
In past Facts, I’ve touched on various aspects of the medieval history of the Basques, including the connection to the neighboring Muslim caliphate, the early rulers of Pamplona, and the Battles of Orreaga that set the stage for much of that history. It’s a complicated history, one that I don’t pretend to fully grasp. But […]
There are so many curious facts surrounding the history of witchcraft in the Basque Country. One is the Akelarre, or what would later be regarded as the Basque Black Sabbath. In reality, the Akelarre was probably just an innocent gathering of people, primarily women, who were healers and herbalists and the Akelarre was a time […]
My Basque newsfeed blew up with the news that scientists have discovered an oddly shaped storm on the southern pole of the planet of Saturn. Many different news outlets highlighted this discovery that was led by a scientist from the University of the Basque Country. The universe continues to surprise us. A full list of […]
Located in the Pyrenees, the names Orreaga, Errozabal, Ibañetako Mendatea have an important role in Basque history. Ibañetako Mendatea is the actual pass, Errozabal is the broader plains, and Orreaga is the village near the pass. All of these have been used to name multiple battles that happened at this chokepoint between the Iberian Peninsula […]