You'll find Basques just about anywhere the Spanish went. Today, the old Basque families in Latin America are something of an elite class, all the way from Mexico to Chile, and they still keep in touch across national boundaries via family ties. (If you notice a Latin American leader's surname that doesn't seem quite Spanish -- or French or German or English -- it's a good bet he is Basque.) What's more, there are a lot of Basque-Americans today in places like Nevada, Wyoming, Idaho and eastern Oregon. These folks are mostly descendants of sheep herders who came directly from Spain to the USA during the last 100 years or so. The most famous of this group is probably former U.S. Senator Paul Laxalt of Nevada. We even have a few Basques here in Dixie: My next-door neighbor in Virginia is 50% Basque. He is the grandson of an Idaho sheep herder. Believe it or not, he is entitled to preferential treatment under the Civil Rights and Affirmative Action programs of the Federal government, since he is considered "Hispanic"! Jim Brown ([email protected])