Thanks to DNA research, the Basques of the Pyrenees Mountains are no longer the "mystery people." Thirty-five thousand years ago, they traveled from Central Asia to Western Europe, where they still live, speaking a language unlike any other. After helping Columbus discover America, Basques spread out from the Pampas to California and beyond into the Sierra and Reno, Nevada. For a century, they were the sheepherders of the West and documented their lives in a prehistoric manner on trees. Now settled in towns, they celebrate their heritage every year with colorful costumes, dancing, weight lifting, wood chopping, and hearty food that endures in their popular restaurants.

Thanks to DNA research, the Basques of the Pyrenees Mountains are no longer the "mystery people." Thirty-five thousand years ago, they traveled from Central Asia to Western Europe, where they still live, speaking a language unlike any other. After helping Columbus discover America, Basques spread out from the Pampas to California and beyond into the Sierra and Reno, Nevada. For a century, they were the sheepherders of the West and documented their lives in a prehistoric manner on trees. Now settled in towns, they celebrate their heritage every year with colorful costumes, dancing, weight lifting, wood chopping, and hearty food that endures in their popular restaurants.

Speaking Through the Aspens analyzes the content of thousands of arboglyphs in the mountains of Nevada and California by topic—language, politics, the Basque homeland, the sheepherd’s life, sex, and pictorial themes. In addition, author Mallea-Olaetxe has examined such sheepherder artifacts as sheep camps and bread ovens, conducted extensive interviews with former herders and sheep company personnel, and undertaken research in immigration and other records. The result is a highly original work of history—a detailed account of the lives of Basque sheepherders in the American West. For the first time, these men who contributed so much to the development of the region, many of whom went on to establish the West’s thriving Basque community, speak for themselves about their experiences. Enhanced by numerous illustrations, this book is history at its most engrossing, essential reading for scholars and anyone curious about the arboglyph phenomenon.

An essential addition to any collection of Western art and Americana, The Life and Times of Jo Mora provides an in-depth biography of this gifted illustrator, painter, writer, cartographer, and sculptor. Jo Mora (1876–1947) lived the Western life he depicted in his prolific body of visual art, comprising sculpture, paintings, architectural adornments, dioramas, and maps. He explored California Missions, the natural glories of Yosemite, California’s ranch life, and eventually the culture of the Hopi and Navajo in Arizona. During his travels, Mora documented observations that became the source material and inspiration for much of his later artwork. The magnitude of Mora’s insights into his life and work, as described in his own words—many presented here in this book—cannot be underestimated. Jo Mora’s many diaries, journals, and literary efforts reveal an intellectual discernment, originality, and humor that enhance our appreciation of his work. Remarkably, throughout his life Mora supported his family solely through a series of art commissions that ranged from restaurant murals to heroic-scale sculpture. He welcomed risks and challenges, was unafraid of hard work, and did nearly everything well, from writing children’s stories to commanding an army battalion-in-training to shooting mountain lions. Ever modest, he seemed to think that this versatility was nothing extraordinary. Peter Hiller’s thoughtful presentation of Jo Mora’s life is seen here in all of its creative glory.