Spain gives me a similarly hard time as Poland to come up with a good list of contributions to mankind and global society. There is an abundance of famous Spaniards, but when I try to think about what Spanish invention or cultural feature is part of my daily life, I am at a loss. Spain has played a major role in world history, but mostly through its colonisation of the Americas and the spread of Spanish language and the Catholic faith.
There are many great Spanish artists, from the Renaissance Goya and Velásquez masters, to the new pictorial genres developed by Dali, Picasso, Miro, or the Art Nouveau buildings of Gaudi. Unfortunately they are too scatter in time and style to fit in a single category besides "Spanish painters" (leaving out Gaudi).
Spanish-language music is one of the richest and liveliest on Earth, but belongs in great part to Latin America.
Spain is renowned for Flamenco music and dance. It is ironically is of mixed Gypsy, Spanish, Byzantine, Sephardic and Moorish origin. Too hybrid to be just Spanish.
I have made a list of the major inventions by country from the Renaissance onward, but couldn't find anything worth listing of Spanish origin (if you do know one, be sure to let me know).
Some will say that the Spaniards "discovered" the Americas, an event that changed the world and could be considered as a contribution. However, Christopher Columbus, who was the sole man behind the discovery, was almost certainly not a Spaniard (the most likely nationality is Genoese/Italian, but many other theories about his origins have been postulated, including Polish, French and Portuguese).
A Spanish achievement that undoubtedly changed the history of Europe was the Reconquista and the expulsion of Muslims from Western Europe. But this hardly qualifies as a contribution to the world.
I am awaiting your suggestions.
There are many great Spanish artists, from the Renaissance Goya and Velásquez masters, to the new pictorial genres developed by Dali, Picasso, Miro, or the Art Nouveau buildings of Gaudi. Unfortunately they are too scatter in time and style to fit in a single category besides "Spanish painters" (leaving out Gaudi).
Spanish-language music is one of the richest and liveliest on Earth, but belongs in great part to Latin America.
Spain is renowned for Flamenco music and dance. It is ironically is of mixed Gypsy, Spanish, Byzantine, Sephardic and Moorish origin. Too hybrid to be just Spanish.
I have made a list of the major inventions by country from the Renaissance onward, but couldn't find anything worth listing of Spanish origin (if you do know one, be sure to let me know).
Some will say that the Spaniards "discovered" the Americas, an event that changed the world and could be considered as a contribution. However, Christopher Columbus, who was the sole man behind the discovery, was almost certainly not a Spaniard (the most likely nationality is Genoese/Italian, but many other theories about his origins have been postulated, including Polish, French and Portuguese).
A Spanish achievement that undoubtedly changed the history of Europe was the Reconquista and the expulsion of Muslims from Western Europe. But this hardly qualifies as a contribution to the world.
I am awaiting your suggestions.
Now we are talking ! That's exactly the kind of suggestion I was looking for.
