Port of Pasajes, Basque country, Spain
ON THE HUNT WITH THE BASQUE WHALERS
After the wreck of a Basque galleon - thought to be the San Juan- was discovered off the coast of Canada, Ntional Geographic wrote about its exploration. Now, we revisit the 16th-century ship's history to illustrate what we've learned about the risks and the rewards faced by the Basque in the new lands they called Terranova. Their quarry: baleen whales and the oil from their blubber, worth millions in today's dollars.
By FERNANDO G. BAPTISTA
