WAntoine Thomson d'Abbadie d'Arrast was an Irish-born French explorer, geographer, ethnologist, linguist and astronomer notable for his travels in Ethiopia during the first half of the 19th century. He was the older brother of Arnaud Michel d'Abbadie, with whom he travelled.
WJuan Bautista de Anza was born in the Spanish province of New Navarre in Viceroyalty of New Spain. Of Basque descent, he served as an expeditionary leader, military officer, and politician primarily in California and New Mexico under the Spanish Empire. He is credited as one of the founding fathers of Spanish California and served as an official within New Spain as Governor of the Province of New Mexico.
WFather Armand David, also known in common names by the French Père David, was a Lazarist missionary Catholic priest as well as a zoologist and a botanist.
WJuan Sebastián Elcano was a Castilian explorer of Basque origin who completed the first circumnavigation of the Earth. After Magellan's death in the Philippines, Elcano took command of the carrack Victoria from the Moluccas to Sanlúcar de Barrameda in Spain.
WAntonio de Erauso, born Catalina de Erauso, who went by Alonso Díaz and some other masculine names and is also known in Spanish as La Monja Alférez, was a one-time nun who subsequently travelled around the Basque Country, Spain and Spanish America, mostly under male identities, in the first half of the 17th century. Erauso's story has remained alive through historical studies, biographical stories, novels, movies and comics.
WFrancisco de Ibarra was a Spanish-Basque explorer, founder of the city of Durango, and governor of the Spanish province of Nueva Vizcaya, in present-day Durango and Chihuahua.
WFriar Andrés de Urdaneta, OSA was a maritime explorer for the Spanish Empire, an Augustinian friar of Basque heritage. As a navigator, he achieved, in 1536, the second world circumnavigation. In 1565, Urdaneta discovered and plotted an easterly route across the Pacific Ocean, from the Philippines to Acapulco in the Viceroyalty of New Spain, which was used by the Manila galleons and came to be known as "Urdaneta's route". He was considered as "protector of the Indians" for his treatment of the Philippine natives; also the first prelate of Cebu and the Philippines in general.
WDon Juan de Zumárraga y Arrazola was a Spanish Basque Franciscan prelate and first bishop of Mexico. He wrote Doctrina breve, the first book published in the Western hemisphere, printed in Mexico City in 1539.