Last year, the pioneering work Amerikanuak celebrated its 50th anniversary. Written by Willian Douglass and Jon Bilbao back in 1975, this book surveys the history of Basques in the Americas – not just the United States but all of North and South America. Bilbao had spent many years chronically all works written about the Basques […]
The medieval history of the Basque Country is both fascinating and so convoluted. There are so many marriages back and forth between different families as royals tried to consolidate and expand power that it becomes dizzying. A great example is Tota, or Toda, Aznar of Pamplona. Her skill as a diplomat and in establishing power […]
It seems inconceivable today, but in the late 1500s, the rulers of what is now Spain thought they could conquer China and then the rest of Asia with an army of 10,000 to 20,000 soldiers. They thought they could persuade Japan to join them. What’s more, this army was going to be primarily Basque. Leaders […]
Death and taxes, the only things that can’t be avoided. Death eventually claims us all and it is no wonder then that people develop special beliefs around death. People develop special rituals around those who have died and the handling of their body. In the Basque Country, there are also beliefs and rituals connected with […]
This one may be of interest to only me… Driving along the highways in the heart of Bizkaia, there is a sign that appears on the side of the road that simply says Urberuaga, but there is nothing really there. It turns out that there used to be a quite renowned spa in the area, […]
My mom tells a story of my dad where they were out in the countryside working, spending the night camping in the field. Somehow, my dad became aware of a rattlesnake nearby and freaked out, dousing the whole area with gas and lighting it on fire to kill the snake. My mom said it was […]
Love is the universal language, so they say. Though sometimes it is more difficult to “speak” than even Euskara! In every culture, there are norms of how men and women socialize and get to know one another, and this is true in the Basque Country. Particularly in rural areas before the advent of phones and […]
The Basque Country holds so many hidden gems. We are all familiar with the big places – Donostia, Bilbo, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Pamplona/Iruña – but there is so much more to see. Spectacular waterfalls. Strange geological forms. Nature reserves. Small villages untouched by modernization. Ainhoa falls in this last category. A small town in Lapurdi on the […]
The Basques weren’t the first to explore the seas… or were they? The Basques didn’t invent boats… or did they? The Basques aren’t aliens from outer space… or are they? Seriously, the Basques played an important part in the development of shipbuilding and seafaring. We know that they were outstanding navigators, but their contributions go […]
The origins of the Basque language are lost to time, or so we are told. However, new discoveries such as the Hand of Irulegi challenge some of those assumptions and reveal new and exciting insight. At the same time, researchers continue to chip away, examining the body of evidence to further our understanding of the […]
