by Dr. Allen H. Merriam
Professor of Communication (Ret.)
Missouri Southern State University
In the 16th century Spain forged a colonial empire that spanned the globe. Today it remains a vibrant nation of nearly 48 million people with the world’s 14th largest economy. The country enjoys tourism receipts second only to those of the United States.
Among world languages Spanish ranks second (after Mandarin Chinese) for the greatest number of native speakers.
Spain’s cultural creativity ranges from flamenco dancing, Andrés Segovia’s guitar playing, and Lope de Vega’s love poetry to Antoni Gaudí’s architecture and the surrealist paintings of Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí. Art is a lie which helps us see the truth more clearly, observed Picasso.
The novel Don Quixote, completed in 1615 by Miguel de Cervantes, represents a classic of world literature for its profound yet humorous treatment of the struggle between idealism and realism.
Bullfighting, the national festival, stirs controversy as documented in Ernest Hemingway’s Death in the Afternoon. Supporters defend it as an entertaining spectacle, a display of bravery, and the triumph of art over brute force. Critics view it as cruel, bloodthirsty, and inherently unfair since the matador is armed. The annual running of the bulls (encierro) draws crowds in many towns, notably in Pamplona.
After Italy and China, Spain ranks third for having the most (44) UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Among them is Santiago de Compostela, a center of spiritual pilgrimage named for the Apostle James, Spain’s patron saint.
The influential Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), founded by the Spanish priest Ignatius of Loyola and approved by Pope Paul III in 1540, established educational institutions around the world including 28 colleges and universities in the U.S.
Some of the most horrific acts committed in the name of Christianity occurred in Spain. The Spanish Inquisition, sanctioned by Pope Sixtus IV in 1478, lasted for 350 years. Initially targeting secret Jews among the Conversos (forcibly converted Jews), it later expanded to root out heretics, immoral persons, secret Muslims (Moriscos), and Protestants. With papal blessing, torture was commonly practiced resulting in the deaths of thousands, many burned alive.
The Moorish (Islamic) invasion from North Africa began in 711 and lasted until the fall of Granada (site of the famous Alhambra palace) in 1492, the year Jews were expelled from Spain. During these centuries competing Christian kingdoms engaged in the “Reconquista” to retake Iberia.
The marriage of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon in 1469 provided the resources to complete this resurgence. Isabella’s success against the Muslims, her patronage of the voyages of Christopher Columbus, and her enthusiasm for the Inquisition assured her fame. With Catherine the Great of Russia and Elizabeth I of England, Isabella arguably ranks among the three most notable queens in European history.
When Rodrigo de Triana, a Spanish sailor aboard the Pinta, shouted “¡Tierra! Tierra!” (“Land! Land!”) on October 12, 1492, he signaled a pivotal moment in history. The voyages of Columbus launched the European invasion of the Western Hemisphere.
Motivated by Dios y Oro (God and Gold), Spanish adventurers sought to find wealth and spread Christianity in the New World. By the 16th century Spain controlled from Mexico south to Tierra del Fuego (Land of Fire) excepting Brazil which went to Portugal. Major conquistadores included Hernán Cortés, Francisco Pizarro, Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, and Miguel Lopez de Legazpi.
Spanish colonization promoted the transatlantic slave trade, one episode of which was depicted in the 1997 film “Amistad.” It also produced the violent subjugation of indigenous peoples. Horrified by the brutality he witnessed, the Dominican missionary Bartolomé de Las Casas (1484-1566) campaigned for human rights, earning the dubious title “Protector of the Indians.”
Spain produced many of the earliest European explorers in what became the United States. Juan Ponce de León visited Florida in 1513, over a century before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. Hernando de Soto traveled from Florida to west of the Mississippi River during 1539-42. Francisco Vásquez de Coronado’s 1540-42 expedition from Mexico penetrated as far north as present-day Kansas. Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo arrived in San Diego Bay, California in 1542. Don Pedro Menéndez de Avilés founded St. Augustine, Florida in 1565.
In the 19th century most Latin Americans gained independence, led by liberators such as Simón Bolívar, José de San Martín, and Bernardo O’Higgins. A final blow to Spain’s disintegrating empire came with the Spanish American War (1898) when the U.S. took control of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.
The Spanish Civil War (1936-39) cost an estimated 500,000 lives and brought on Francisco Franco’s 36-year dictatorship. With the restoration of democracy, Spain joined NATO (1982), adopted the Euro currency (1999), legalized same-sex marriage (2005), and won soccer’s World Cup (2010).
The country is a parliamentary monarchy. The charismatic Felipe VI became king in 2014, but the royal family’s image was tarnished by charges of tax fraud and embezzlement against his sister, Princess Cristina.
Current concerns include unemployment, drug abuse, calls for Basque separatism, and terrorism such as the 2004 train bombing in Madrid that killed 191 people and injured about 1,800.
Hispanics now form the largest ethnic and linguistic minority in the United States. American English has borrowed or adapted numerous words from Spanish, including pronto, plaza, canyon, tornado, amigo, rodeo, Chihuahua, mosquito, vanilla, adiós, mañana, mestizo, gracias, and taco. Many place names reflect Spanish influence, such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Antonio, Nevada, and El Dorado.
MSSU students have been experiencing Spain firsthand since 1991 when Professor Ben Peterson led a group to the University of Salamanca, one of the oldest universities in the world. The 2015 Spain Semester continues this connection.
