Spanish

Spanish - History

The history of Spain is one of the most passionate histories you may find. The modern world would not have been what it is today if the Spanish had not gotten in the way. A small territory sitting on the Western extremity of Europe, Spain has accrued a history so interesting, it greatly differs from the rest of the countries of the European continent.

The Iberian Peninsula became the target of various civilizations: the Carthaginians and the Romans fought for her control, the Arabs conquered and ruled for over 700 years, followed by the Christian Kings. The Catholic Monarchs were the ones who initiated the largest empire the world has ever seen with the conquest of the Americas. The empire grew with each ruling generation, reaching its peak with King Felipe II (Phillip II). He was ruler of various Spanish realms ranging from the islands of the Philippines (named in his honor)all the way to the Americas, the unified Spanish-Portuguese territories, the Netherlands, Italy and areas of today’s Germany.

Despite its glorious past, Spain eventually became victim of its own wealth and the empire that was once in expansion began to decline: the Spanish economical and political decadence era began with continuous exterior foreign wars and civil revolts. The independence achieved by the Spanish territories of the Americas and the 19th century loss of the last Spanish overseas colonies (Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines) ended up shaping the world into the one we know today.

Spanish culture

Spanish culture is widely known for Flamenco music and dance, bullfights, fantastic beaches and lots of sunshine. But what is Spain known for? It has much more to offer than that. It is - and has been for thousands of years, one of the cultural centers of Europe.

"Spain is different!", Spaniards use to say. They don't specify compared to what: to the rest of Europe, to the rest of the world, or even to itself? We don't know either, but we do our best to supply you with lots of information about Spain´s culture so you can find the answer to this question and many others by yourself.

Spain has an extraordinary artistic heritage. The dominant figures of the Golden Age were the Toledo-based artists El Greco and Diego Velázquez. Francisco de Goya emerged in the 18th century as Spain's most prolific painter and he produced some wonderfully unflattering portraits of royalty. The art world in the early 20th century was influenced by a remarkable group of Spanish artists: Pablo Picasso, Juan Gris, Joan Miró and Salvador Dalí, ambassadors of the artistic culture in Spain.

Spain's architecture ranges from prehistoric monuments in Minorca in the Balearic Islands, to the Roman ruins of Merida and Tarragona, the decorative Lonja in Seville, Mudéjar buildings, Gothic cathedrals, castles, fantastic modernist monuments and Gaudí's intricate fabulist sculptures in Barcelona. They are all representative of the culture of Spain.

Another example of Spanish culture is the invention of the Spanish guitar, which was invented in Andalusia in the 1790's when a sixth string was added to the Moorish lute. It gained its modern shape in the 1870's. Spanish musicians have taken the humble guitar to dizzying heights of virtuosity and none more so than Andrés Segovia (1893-1997), who established classical guitar as a genre. Flamenco, music rooted in the cante jondo (deep song) of the gitanos (gypsies) of Andalusia, is experiencing a revival. Paco de Lucia is the best known flamenco guitarist internationally.

His friend Camarón de la Isla was, until his death in 1992, the leading light of contemporary cante jondo. In the 1980s flamenco-rock fusion (a.k.a. "gypsy rock") was developed by the likes of Pata Negra and Ketama, and in the 1990s Radio Tarifa emerged with a mesmerizing mix of flamenco and medieval sounds.

Bakalao, the Spanish contribution to the world of techno, emerged from Valencia.