{"id":1499,"date":"2016-03-14T02:53:11","date_gmt":"2016-03-14T02:53:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/buber.net\/Basque\/?p=1499"},"modified":"2016-03-14T02:53:11","modified_gmt":"2016-03-14T02:53:11","slug":"basque-folktales-lauburus-in-the-yucatan-cultural-capital-of-europe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buber.net\/Basque\/2016\/03\/14\/basque-folktales-lauburus-in-the-yucatan-cultural-capital-of-europe\/","title":{"rendered":"Basque Folktales, Lauburus in the Yucatan, Cultural Capital of Europe"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nIn Basque circles, Alan King is perhaps best known for his The Basque Language: A Practical Introduction<\/a><\/em>. Beyond his interests in Euskara<\/strong>, he also studies languages such as Nawat<\/strong> and Lenca<\/strong>, two indigenous languages in the Americas. On his personal website, he has begun posting translations of Basque folktales. As part of the Basque Story Project<\/a><\/strong>, which has grown out of the academic research of\u00a0Bego\u00f1a Echeverria. Alan has posted two stories<\/a> so far on his website. The first, Pagomari<\/a>, tells the story of a young shepherdess who dreams of true love. The second is a Basque version of the Cinderella story, about a girl called Pretty Star<\/a>, though the twists in this one are significantly different than what we accustomed to in the versions we usually tell. Both offer\u00a0unique perspectives into Basque culture. I certainly cannot wait until Alan posts more stories!<\/p>\n

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Byron Augustin<\/strong> is an ex-pat of the United States, a professor who has retired to the Mexican city of\u00a0Valladolid<\/strong>. He and his family enjoy exploring the historic sites of the area. During some recent visits, he and his wife noticed an odd symbol on the ruins of a Spanish hacienda. Unable to determine what they were, he forgot about them until a visit to another site revealed the same symbols. Digging deeper, Augustin discovered that these symbols were the lauburu<\/strong><\/em>, which led him on a quest to understand the role the Basques played in the history of Mexico and, more generally, Central and South America. In a three part series of articles (here are parts one<\/a>, two<\/a> and three<\/a>), he describes his journey in discovering these symbols and learning about the people behind them. It is a fascinating window into a little-known part of Basque history.<\/p>\n

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Donostia<\/strong>, or San Sebasti\u00e1n, the capital of the Basque province of Gipuzkoa, is one of two European Capitals of Culture<\/strong> for 2016, the other being Wroclaw, Poland. And there is no shortage of press on the city to help one prepare for a visit during this special year. Media outlets from all over the world are highlighting the things to do and see in Donostia. If you’ve been waiting for a time to visit this special city on the Atlantic coast, now might be the best time! Here are just a few articles describing this wonderful place:<\/p>\n