There's macho, and then there's epic macho.
No people in the world are more badass than the Basques.
For thousands of years they have preserved their unique language and identity.
Thousands of years of Indo-European languages. Centuries of Roman rule. Two thousand years of Latin languages.
Basque is the lone survivor of the pre-Indo-European languages of Mediterranean and Western Europe.
And that is not just passive resistance.
Basque country is a crossroads. Countless peoples have passed through the region.
Every time the Basques have retreated to the mountains, waited it out, and endured.
And reclaimed the region from the mountain fastness.
The Roman Empire... the Spanish Empire... Franco's Spain... they've seen it all.
their kingdom, Navarre, was independent for over 500 years, and their people were among the great seafarers of the Spanish Empire.
The running of the bulls.
That is Basque.
To this day the Basques leap bulls like the Minoans once did.
That is epic.
There is badass, and there is epic badass.
And that is the Basques.
And this is my tribute to them.
My Scottish ancestors would have appreciated the achievement of the Basques.
This is my tribute to the Basques.
Sincerely,
David S. Annderson