The Muslims had been in Spain since 711, and several campaigns and battles were fought for centuries before Spain regained full control of the peninsula in 1492. This prolonged campaign came to be known as the Reconquista.  Sancho was assassinated in 1072 and the king’s brother, Alfonso assumed control. As a result, El Cid went into exile. While in exile, El Cid continued to fight in other areas of Spain, including Granada and Barcelona. King Alfonso ordered El Cid to return in 1087 after suffering a great defeat. Rodrigo took the opportunity to create his own principality near the city of Valencia by leading a combined army of Christians and Moors, in the victory of 1090. El Cid had married a woman named Jimena in 1075 and they had a son. El Cid lived a few peaceful years with his wife in his principality before this death in 1099.

El Cid was immortalized in a 12th century epic poem called El Canto del Mio Cid.  This poem gives a partly fictionalized version of his life and portrays him as a chivalrous hero of the Reconquest of Spain. Through this poem El Cid reached a legendary status within the history of Spain and many plays, movies and other poems have been based on the story of his life. He is also commonly portrayed in paintings and statues, particularly near his hometown of Burgos.

Paella is a popular dish of the Valencia region in Spain. Although it has ancient roots, its modern version was created in the mid-nineteenth century. It is enjoyed all over the world and many people consider paella as the national dish of Spain, although in Spain it is more common in Valencia, a region located south of Catalonia, on the east coast of Spain.

There are many types of paella. The original paella from the Valencia region includes the following ingredients: white rice, green beans, meat such as duck or chicken, snails and saffron. The saffron gives it its particular color. You can also add several vegetables such as artichokes. Another variation uses shellfish instead of meat, particularly crustaceans.

Probably the most popular type of paella cooked outside of Spain is a mix of recipes that includes meat and seafood along with vegetables and rice. Paella can be served spicy or mild depending on the spices used. All types of paella use olive oil for cooking and it is cooked in a special pan called the paellera. The name paella comes from an old French word ‘paelle’ which means frying pan.

Cervantes was born in Spain in 1547 near the city of Madrid. He received a Jesuit education for boys in Madrid. His parents were not wealthy and his father often struggled with debt. He had six known siblings but not much more is known of his childhood.

In 1570, Cervantes enlisted as a soldier in the Spanish Marines and left Spain. He traveled to Italy, Malta and other Spanish territories often being required to fight even while in ill health. He distinguished himself and received numerous commendations from the king. At one point he was shot in the arm and chest leaving him with lasting injuries. After recuperating for six months in Italy, he set sail for Spain but before reaching his destination his ship was intercepted and he was taken prisoner by Ottoman pirates. From 1575 to 1580 he was kept as a captive in Algiers. These experiences help lay the foundations for some of the details found in Don Quixote as well as his two plays set in Algiers.

Upon his eventual return to Spain, Cervantes began writing about his experiences but worked in other positions such as banking to support himself. In 1584, he married a much younger woman. It is said that her uncle, a man by the name of Alonso de Quesada y Salazar was the inspiration for the character of Don Quixote.

Over the following 20 years, Cervantes continue to write on and off while living in numerous Spanish cities before settling in Madrid in 1606. After publishing the first volume of Don Quixote in 1605, someone wrote an unauthorized continuation of the story prompting Cervantes himself to write a second volume published in 1615.

Don Quixote is arguably the first European novel. The story takes place contemporaneously in Spain as an older gentleman by the name of Alonso Quixana, roams the country as a self proclaimed Knight-errant. He travels under the name of Don Quixote de la Mancha (his home region) after reading too many stories of chivalry from the medieval period and falling in love with a local girl he would like to impress. The moral of the story is that humans cannot fight modernization as exemplified by a famous scene in which he charges at windmills, a new technology of the time, in an attempt to destroy them.

Luckily for students of Spanish, the language used in Don Quixote is quite similar to modern standard Spanish and therefore can be read by upper level students of Spanish without the notes generally reserved for works such as Shakespeare, his contemporary. The book is still widely read today in Spanish literature courses with often a full semester being dedicated to it. Today the two volumes are generally published as one long novel.

Cervantes died in Madrid on April 22, 1616 after having suffered briefly from diabetes in an age in which there were no treatments for this disease. In addition to Don Quixote, Cervantes also wrote numerous plays that are still performed today. His works have a special type of comedic element that influenced later writers particularly in the 18^th and 19^th centuries. Numerous films, ballets and operas have also been written about his story of Don Quixote.

Carnival has been celebrated for centuries as a time of celebration before the time of serious reflection that comes with Easter. The largest carnival in the world is celebrated in Brazil but another large celebration is held in Cologne, Germany. In the German version, the celebrations go on for days even in the cold weather. People often wear costumes and walk through the streets carrying on until late into the night.

Cadiz, Spain has also celebrated carnival for many centuries as it is once was one of the most important maritime ports in the world. The main events during the Spanish carnival include a coronation of the goddess of the carnival, numerous parades, children’s parties and a great masked ball. There are also singing competitions where teams of singers get together and write their own songs to perform in the streets. On the final day the dancers and singers are judged. Many songs include funny lyrics while other songs contain satires of well-known people such as local celebrities and politicians.

Pablo Picasso was born in 1881 in Malaga, Spain. His father was an art teacher and drew very well. Pablo began taking classes from his father when he was ten. Just a few years later he was drawing better than his father!

He had his first exposition at thirteen. The family then moved to Barcelona in 1895 and Pablo entered La Llotja art academy. At that time he used to go to cafes, restaurants and theaters to find inspiration.

In 1898 he decided to change his style and began to spend time with other artists who had connections with the world of art in Paris. In 1904 he moved to Paris and began to develop his new style of cubism. Cubism broke with tradition and played with perspective and illusion. At first the critics did not like this new art form. However, little by little with the support and influence of his friends who were part of the artistic world, he began to gain fame.

One of his most famous paintings is called Guernica. It was painted in 1937 and shows the horror of modern warfare. It represents a bombing during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). It is a very large painting and it’s displayed in the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid. During his 91-year life, Picasso produced 1885 paintings, 1228 sculptures, 2880 ceramics and about 12,000 drawings. Today his works are sold in art auctions for millions of dollars.

Salvador Dali was born in 1904 in the Catalonia region of Spain. He was an excellent draftsman and his painting skills were influenced by Renaissance masters. He was a very imaginative man and had an eccentric manner. He was also famous for his unique mustache.

Dali exhibited his first paintings from his family home at the age of 15. His mother was very supportive of his talents but died when he was only 16 years old. He was friends with many other surrealist painters and artists including the famous poet Federico Garcia Lorca and the painter Joan Miró.

In his lifetime he met Pablo Picasso and experimented with Cubism and also Dadaism, artistic movements of his day. He did not limit himself to art. He was also interested in natural sciences and mathematics. He was particularly fascinated by optical effects and performed many experiments at home. He also had a lifelong fascination with film, fashion and photography.

Although Dali passed away in 1989, he continues to be a cultural icon. He has been portrayed in a number of films including the film Little Ashes (2008) featuring Robert Pattinson as Salvador Dali.

Antoni Gaudí was a famous Spanish architect born in 1852. He was from the Catalonia region and the majority of his works are located in Barcelona. Gaudí was very proud of his Catalan heritage. He was an artist on a large scale who used his passions of nature and religion to create his works. The buildings he helped to create are extremely unique in their style and known throughout the world. Even his last name has become synonymous with an over-the-top decorative style.

As a child, Gaudí was often ill and spent a lot of time alone in nature. He became a vegetarian at a young age and was a devout Catholic. Gaudí began his work as an architect in the 1870s and soon established himself. By 1883 he was well-established enough to receive the important commission of building the Basilica that came to be known as The Sacred Family or La Sagrada Familia. This project became his life’s work although he continued to work on other projects including churches and other prominent buildings throughout Barcelona. Gaudí developed his own unique style within the modernism movement often incorporating postconsumer products into his designs.

After suffering from ill health and almost dying from tuberculosis in 1910, Gaudí renewed his efforts to finally finish his project on La Sagrada Familia. By then, the church had become known as being a safe haven for the poor. Unfortunately, Gaudí passed away before the church could be completed. Today La Sagrada Familia is a UNESCO heritage site and receives millions of visitors annually from throughout the world.

Gaudí never married, devoting his life completely to his career and his faith. He died in 1926 after being struck by a tram. After a large funeral, his body was laid to rest in his beloved church of the Sacred Family.

The word sombrero comes from the Spanish word for shade: sombra. Many people use the hat to protect themselves from the sun. The sombrero comes originally from Spain but the Mexicans have their own version with a very broad brim. Traditionally, ranchers used sombreros only for work but now they are worn on holidays by all.

The poncho is the traditional clothing South American indigenous people. A group called the Mapuche, who live in the south of Chile and Argentina, use it there in the cold and rainy periods. The traditional poncho is made of wool and keeps the wearer warm. It is similar to a blanket with a hole for the head and allows for free movement of the arms. The wool comes from four animals; the alpaca, llama, vicuna and guanaco, all similar to the camels. Nowadays, inexpensive plastic versions of the poncho are worn in North America in extreme rain.

Finally, the lesser known huipil is a blouse for women of Central America, especially those in Guatemala. Indigenous women still weave them today as their Mayan ancestors did 1000 years ago. The colors and designs show the community from which a woman originates. You can find images of beautiful handmade huipils By clicking here: 

Tapas are a type of food popular in Spain. People in Spain eat differently and at different hours than those in North America. Generally breakfast is very light consisting of only a coffee with milk and perhaps a churro, a cylindrical deep-fried pastry similar to a doughnut. Lunch is served around midday and is often followed by a siesta, a midday nap. Siestas help people to avoid working in the extreme heat found throughout Spain in the summer months and in the South most of the year. Many stores are closed during this time and as dinner is served very late by our standards, (9 PM or later) tapas serve as a holdover.

Tapas are served in bars and restaurants between the hours of four and six in the afternoon. The expression comes from the Spanish verb ‘tapar’ which means “to cover.” As open air food in hot climes is often subject to insects landing upon it, proprietors took to covering the food to protect it. Served on small plates perfect for sharing among friends, tapas commonly consist of olives, nuts, french bread, shrimp, chorizo (a spicy sausage), octopus, pickled onions and more!  Spanish restaurants are creative in their tapas and some get a reputation for specializing in a specific kind. For some ideas on how to make your own tapas visit here.

The most common beverage served with tapas is sangria, or sangría in Spanish, an alcoholic beverage made with a mixture of red wine, carbonated water or soda, and fruit juice. It also features sliced citrus fruits such as lemons and oranges. Commonly a dash of rum or other liquor is added along with a handful of ice cubes. Outside of Spain sangria is particularly popular in the summer months as it is refreshing but it can be ordered year-round in Spanish restaurants. The name originates from the Spanish word for blood, sangre, due to its rich red colour. For a great sangria recipe click here.

It’s always an advantage when learning a new language to know a bit about its history and relevance in the modern world. Here are some interesting facts about the Spanish language:

1. Spanish and English are roughly tied for second place after Mandarin for the number of native speakers in the world at around 335-340 million individuals. Spanish accomplishes this in roughly half the number of countries as English, with 21 versus 42 in which Spanish and English are the official or co-official language.
2. The mother language of Spanish, and indeed all Romance languages, (i.e. Italian, Romanian, Spanish, Catalan) is Latin. Modern Spanish formed in the late 14th century in the region of Spain known as Castile. It is for this reason that Spanish may also be referred to as castellano.
3. Spanish has undergone far less changes than English in last 500 years. Therefore, fluent speakers of modern Spanish have little trouble reading the literature of Cervantes. Cervantes was the author of Don Quixote, arguably the first modern novel, and a contemporary of Shakespeare. English readers on the other hand generally need footnotes to interpret works by Shakespeare.
4. As English and Spanish are both Indo-European languages with a strong influence from Latin they share a lot of similar vocabulary allowing English speakers to learn Spanish with relative ease. Some of the largest differences between the two languages include: the existence of gender in Spanish for all nouns, Spanish having a more expansive number of verb tenses and the relatively common use of the subjunctive mood in the Spanish language.
5. While English has borrowed words in from numerous languages around the world it is Arabic that has had the greatest influence on Spanish, aside from Latin. Roughly 3000-4000 words have made their way into the Spanish language. Most of this occurred during the years between 711-1492 when Arabic people were in control of the greater part of the Iberian Peninsula, home to the countries of Portugal and Spain. Some of these words have also filtered down into the English language. For example, the Spanish word for cotton is algodón. Once you know that ‘al’ represents the word for ‘the’ in Arabic and isolate ‘godón’ you can start to see the connection to the word ‘cotton.’
6. While Spanish is originally from Spain, the number of native speakers in Latin America is now roughly 3 times that of modern-day Spain.  Minor differences between the languages are found in vocabulary and idiomatic expressions but there are also some major differences. First off, most speakers of Spain speak with a lisp forming the sound of ‘th’ when pronouncing the letter ‘z’ and the letter combinations ‘ce’ and ‘ci.’ (Much less commonly, some regions also lisp the letter ‘s’). Secondly, speakers in Spain distinguish between informality and formality when addressing more than one person at a time by using vosotros for informal “you all” and ustedes for the formal. In Latin America, the latter is used for both.