Culture of Spain

Spain is a country with an endless culture. Spanish culture includes all forms of expression in a mosaic. From literature to painting, music or architecture. From ancient times (with important examples of cave art as those of Altamira) until today, culture in Spain has held a position of relevance in the world. There are regional differences, shows us the infinite variety of representations that characterize them from north to south, Galician bagpipes or Catalan castellers, Andalusian flamenco and more.

Any visitor can experience the various facets of Spanish culture, in a small town in Castile, lifestyle in Andalusia in the south or dcosmopolitan cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia or Seville.

Apart from "sun and beach" tourism, the cultural tourism is becoming an established alternative, museums, monuments or cultural traditions. Spain is one of the richest countries in the world in terms of architectural heritage, with the largest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. There are more than 20,000 important monuments in Spain.

Fashion

The regional costume is the highest expression. It was worn especially in local festivals and celebrations. Nowadays that tradition is obsolete, although there are still some special styles: clothing remains relatively austere in Extremadura and Castile. However, Andalusian dresses are very colorful and elaborate during the holidays.

Spanish designers are getting a great recognition. The Cibeles Madrid Fashion Week and the Pasarela Gaudí, for example, are two examples of international prestige events.

Habits

The siesta is the best known Spanish habit. The normal rhythm of the day in Spain is often divided into two periods, morning and afternoon, with a break of two or three hours over lunch. A walk at the end of the evening is a widespread custom in many places. Dinner is usually around 22h, as in some regions of southern Italy, later than in the rest of Europe.

Spanish people use to have fun or go out later than in the rest of Europe, where sometimes is very difficult to find some restaurant or pub at 2 or 3 A.M. for example, especially from Monday to Friday. In central and southern peninsula, the summer heat has strengthened this phenomenon. The nightlife starts late. Many clubs, even in relatively small towns, open at midnight and remain open until dawn.

Painting

The earliest known paintings were made in the Upper Paleolithic, cave paintings in the Cantabrian Coast. Specifically, Altamira cave paintings (Cantabria) are considered the Sistine Chapel of Paleolithic art.

Early Christian art is the final stage of Roman influence. The cultural exchange took place during the 2nd. and 4th. centuries and had a little effect on the Iberian Peninsula because the Germanic invasions started in 409.

Renaissance and Baroque: Alonso Cano / Juan Carreño de Miranda / José Casado del Alisal / Claudio Coello / Doménikos Theotokópoulos, "El Greco" / Francisco de Goya / Federico de Madrazo / Bartolomé Esteban Murillo / Diego Velázquez / Ignacio Zuloaga / Francisco de Zurbarán

Modern Art: Rafael Canogar / Ramon Casas / Salvador Dalí / Óscar Domínguez / Pablo Gargallo / Julio González / Juan Gris / Montserrat Gudiol / Joan Miró / Isidre Nonell / Nicanor Piñole / Pablo Picasso / Julio Romero de Torres / Santiago Rusiñol / Antonio Saura / Joaquín Sorolla / Josep María Subirachs / Antoni Tàpies / Remedios Varo / Guillermo Pérez Villalta / Fernando Zóbel

Architecture

There are many significant monuments from the Roman conquest, about 2000 years ago. The Aqueduct of Segovia is still used today. Mérida, once capital of the Roman province of Lusitania (Extremadura), still conserves 8 miles of the Roman aqueduct, a Roman bridge over the River Guadiana, remains of a Roman forum, an amphitheater and a temple to the goddess Diana and its most important monument, the Roman theatre. Another Roman bridge crosses the River Tagus in Alcantara and minor Roman ruins can be found in the heart of Barcelona.

Also, we can find beautiful examples of medieval architecture, basically in Romanesque and Gothic styles in both civil and religious architecture (cathedrals).

The architecture in the south show us its Muslim past, specially in Andalusia. The Alhambra in Granada is the best known example, showing a mixture of Islamic architecture and European influences. Many mosques and synagogues were converted into Christian churches, such as the Corpus Christi church in Segovia or the church of Santa María la Blanca in Toledo. The Great Mosque of Córdoba, meanwhile, was reconsecrated in 1236 as a Christian church. The influence of Moorish architecture did not end with the Reconquest. Moorish architecture was created by those Muslims who stayed in Christian Spain.

When the city of Barcelona expanded beyond its historical boundaries (its walls) in the late nineteenth century, the resulting widening or "Eixample", became a place of architectural creativity. Until then, the city remained within a ring of security, to facilitate a military deployment in case of revolt. Antonio Gaudí was the pioneer of the modernist architecture, blending traditional designs and natural forms with the new styles. Perhaps the best known example of his work is the unfinished church of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.

Other great architects of Modernism are Lluís Domènech i Montaner and Josep Puig i Cadafalch. A block in the Paseo de Gracia includes buildings made by these three architects, the "manzana de la discordia". Alejandro de la Sota was another pioneer of modern architecture in Spain.

The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is probably the most famous example of contemporary architecture in Spain, but its architect, Frank Gehry, is a United States' citizen.

The presence of fountains in urban design and in the courtyards of the houses, the ceramic tiles on the roof or the decorative use of tiles are traditions inherited from the Muslims, still used today.

Literature

Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote is often described as Spain's most famous novel and a milestone in the Spanish literature.

The history of Spanish literature is divided into periods:
- Origin: Ministry of Clergy ("Mester de clerecía"), Ministry of jongleury ("Mester de juglaría")
- 14th Century: Juan Manuel (Duke of Peñafiel), Juan Ruiz (Archpriest of Hita), Pero López de Ayala
- 15th Century: Íñigo López de Mendoza (Marquis of Santillana), Jorge Manrique, Juan de Mena
- Renaissance: Garcilaso de la Vega, Juan Boscán, Teresa of Ávila, John of the Cross, Luis de León, Ignatius of Loyola, Louis of Granada, Cristóbal de Castillejo
- Spanish Golden Age ("Siglo de Oro") and Baroque: Miguel de Cervantes, Lope de Vega, Francisco de Quevedo, Luis de Góngora, Tirso de Molina, Mateo Alemán, Alonso de Ercilla
- Neoclassicism: Benito Jerónimo Feijóo, José Cadalso, Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos
- Romanticism: José de Espronceda, Gustavo Adolfo Becquer, Rosalía de Castro, José Zorrilla, Mariano José de Larra
- Realismo: Benito Pérez Galdós, José María de Pereda, Emilia Pardo Bazán, Leopoldo Alas (Clarín), Juan Valera, Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, José Echegaray
- Modernism: Manuel Machado, Eduardo Marquina
- Generation of '98: Antonio Machado, Ramón del Valle Inclán, Miguel de Unamuno, Pío Baroja, José Martínez Ruiz (Azorín), Carlos Arniches
- Generation of '27: Juan Ramón Jiménez, Rafael Alberti, Federico García Lorca, Vicente Aleixandre, Miguel Hernández, Jorge Guillén, Luis Cernuda, Gerardo Diego
- Contemporary: Camilo José Cela, Gonzalo Torrente Ballester, Miguel Delibes, Jaime Gil de Biedma, Wenceslao Fernández Flórez, Antonio Buero Vallejo

Music

The most famous dancing is Flamenco, performed especially by Andalusian Gypsies, known since at least 1770. The style has been used by many of the most famous Spanish musicians, including singers like Camaron de la Isla and guitarists Carlos Montoya and later, Paco de Lucía.

Apart from flamenco, Spanish folk music includes basque sounds like trikitixa and accordion music, asturian and galician bagpipe sounds and Aragonese Jota. Though some folk traditions have disappeared or are in danger of disappearing, some others maintain popularity and have been modernized and adapted to new instruments, styles and formats. Galician Celtic music, the tradition of singer-songwriters of the new song and the New Flamenco are good examples.

Modern popular music began to take its first steps around 1959. Soon Ye-Yé highlighted in the charts, followed by American rock and British subjects, French singers and other pop stars.

Dances

Aurresku / Charrada / Contra dance / Flamenco / Jota / Muñeira / Paloteo / Picao / Sardana / Sevillana

Cinema

The directors of the first half of the tenth century as Luis Buñuel worked mainly in exile, due to the Civil War and Franco's dictatorship. Later, from the 70's and the reestablishment of democracy Spanish cinema has developed.

Some of the filmmakers of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries are:
Pedro Almodóvar / Alejandro Amenabar / Juanma Bajo Ulloa / Víctor Erice / Luis García Berlanga, Manuel Martin Cuenca / Julio Medem / Ventura Pons / Carlos Saura

Gastronomy

It is difficult to summarize in a few lines all the Spain's gastronomy richness and variety. The geography, culture and climate have created a rich cuisine and many cooking styles. All the different civilizations that have stayed in the Iberian peninsula have also left their mark, which has survived to this day. Much of this influence is due to the Jewish and Moorish traditions.

Fish is an important part of the Spanish diet. Habit is to buy it fresh. Many remote areas of the coast also have a daily supply, making possible to cook great tasting dishes. Meat, however, is usually more common in the interior. The olive oil is very used and an ancient tradition of Mediterranean cuisine.

A brief list of popular dishes:
Rice pudding / Botillo / Caldero / Chorizo / Cocido / Cuajada / Escudella i carn d'olla / Fabada / Fideuà / Gazpacho / Gofio / Horchata / Jamón Serrano and Ibérico (cured) / Marmitako / Black pudding / Migas / Pa amb tomàquet / Paella / Pinchos / Porrusalda / Cheeses / Salmorejo / Sangría / Tortilla de patatas (Spanish omelette).