Final Blog Entry - Seville

Seville, a city with a rich history stemming from Roman, Islamic, and Catholic origins, is a great destination to visit to better understand and learn about the history of Spanish culture. One of the factors that has had the largest role in shaping the culture of Seville throughout the centuries has been religion. Currently, approximately 73% of the country’s population identifies as Catholic, but the percentage of the population that practices Catholicism is approximately 14%. If I were to give a tour of Spain, I would focus on this phenomenon because those statistics and the history behind them are fundamental to understanding many aspects of the society. Before the Muslims from the north of Africa entered the south of Spain in 711, Spain was a Christian nation. However, 11 years later, the Muslims had conquered the entire country except for the Kingdom of Asturias, which is located in the far north of Spain. It is evident that the Islamic conquest of the country began in the south of Spain because the cultural influence is seen in southern cities, such as Seville and Granada, to a much larger extent than in northern cities. To illustrate this point, I would take the group to the Plaza de España and point out the Islamic-style ceramic tiles that surround the landmark. Also, I would take the group to walk around Barrio Santa Cruz because the narrow, winding streets are characteristic of the Islamic street style.

Next, I would take the group to the Muralla de la Macarena, which is a wall that was built in the twelfth century under the Islamic rule of the city for protection. I would then have the group walk through the arc that is located along this wall because it is the same arc that the kings of Castile used to enter the city.

In 722, the Catholics began the Reconquista, which lasted for eight hundred years. This time period corresponded with the Gothic era in Spain, and as a result, many Gothic style cathedrals were built. To illustrate this I would take the group to the Cathedral of Seville, which is the largest cathedral in the world. The site where this cathedral is located originally contained a mosque; however the mosque was converted into a cathedral – an occurrence that was frequent during that time period. I would take the students inside the cathedral and show them all of the gothic style elements that it contains, such as the high ceilings and pointed arches. Next, we would ascend the Giralda, the cathedral’s bell tower. I would explain that the bottom portion of this structure used to be the tower of the mosque, but after the Christians took over the building, they increased its height and added a cross and a bell on top. I would then point out the inscription of Seville’s motto, “NO8DO” that is located on the tower. That abbreviation stands for “No me ha dejado,” which means that the city “has not abandoned me.” This motto can be seen all throughout the city, so after this explanation I would ask the students to look around for the motto and count how many times they see it. After we descend, I would take the group to walk around the outside of the Giralda and point out the ancient Roman stones that make up the foundation, which can be identified by the Latin graffiti that they contain.

Although the majority of the Catholics in Spain do not practice, the religion still underlies the culture in many ways. For example, every year, Holy Week — the week before Easter – is celebrated all over Spain, but especially in Andalusian cities such as Seville. During this week, each of the city’s 50 brotherhoods carries enormous floats that usually weigh over 2000 kilograms. Hundreds of penitents, which are members of the brotherhoods that dress up in special costumes, follow behind these floats. The brotherhoods walk around the streets for over twelve hours at a time, and these processions can be seen daily at almost any hour throughout the week. This event is incredible to see, but I would not take the group to Seville during this celebration because the streets are extremely crowded; in general over a million people are in the city center during this week, which makes it hard to tour the city and enter important buildings, such as the Cathedral of Seville. Also, catholic traditions such as baptism, communion, and catholic weddings are common customs that are further testaments of the influence of Catholicism on Spanish culture.

I would schedule two walking tours for this trip – one of the Royal Palace and the other of Barrio Santa Cruz, the Jewish quarter of the city. The tour of Barrio Santa Cruz through a company called Pancho Tours will take us through all the winding streets of the area and teach us about the history from the Middle Ages to present day. This tour also will take us to see Roman aqueducts and Roman columns, which are located in Seville because Spain was under Roman control from the third century B.C. until the fifth century A.D. The walking tour of the Royal Palace will take us throughout the rooms and gardens of the palace while talking about the history of the architecture and the contributions of different kings to the palace throughout the centuries. Similar to the Cathedral of Seville, the Royal Palace also is of Islamic origins.

Next, I would talk about the poor economy of Spain, which is evident by the high unemployment that the country faces and the low prices of services and food. To illustrate this, I would take the group out for “tapas,” which are small Spanish dishes that usually cost €3 at most. I would then relate the poor economy to the political corruption that plagues the country, which is leading to the rise of radical third parties, such as Podemos and Ciudadanos.

            If the students had free time during the trip, I would recommend that they go to see a Flamenco show because that style of dance and music originates from the south of Spain. These shows are fun to watch and show another side of Spanish culture. For the students to get a good sense of the city's people, I would recommend that they start conversations with the locals that they encounter in shops and restaurants. In general, the people of Seville are very friendly and welcoming, so talking with them is a great way to learn about how they live their lives and their opinions on the topics that we have discussed in class.

            As much as I love this city, I would not argue for a visit to Seville instead of London. The course is titled “Europe: Crisis and Opportunity,” and I think that London better exemplifies those two concepts. For one, London is facing the crisis that accompanies the decision to leave the EU, but London also is a country filled with many opportunities due to its great economy. Also, with Brexit being a recent occurrence, London is a great city to visit to better understand how those sentiments could arise from the cultural and physical separation that characterizes the country.