Bilborako bandan: Massachusettseko Ipar Itsasertzaren iberiar odiseak berraurkitzen
Rumbo a Bilbao: Redescubriendo las odiseas ibéricas del Litoral Norte de Massachusetts
The Massachusetts North Shore was one of America’s most economically dynamic regions during the colonial and early national periods. A cornerstone of that prosperity was the export of enormous quantities of high-grade North Atlantic salt cod to destinations in Portugal and Spain, most notably the Spanish Basque port of Bilbao.
The North Shore’s Iberian trades had geopolitical ramifications as well: on the eve of the Revolution, Marblehead’s Bilbao connections helped open the door to critical Spanish military support for colonial resistance to British rule. Following independence, the premium fish trade rebounded, continuing its importance even as the region’s commercial networks expanded from the Atlantic basin to encompass the globe.
Yet despite their considerable significance, the very existence of the North Shore’s once deep Iberian ties has long since vanished from public memory. Now, thanks to the Marblehead Museum’s newest exhibition Bilbao Bound: Rediscovering the North Shore’s Iberian Odysseys visitors can rediscover the connections between North Shore and Iberian ports via artifacts and archival materials from Marblehead, Salem, Beverly, Boston–and Bilbao.
