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    • About - Spanish history and culture
    • Aragon
      • Legends of Aragon
    • Asturias
    • Catalonia
      • Girona
        • Ampurdan - inland and context
          • Albons
          • Around Figueres
          • Artists and writers in the Ampurdan
          • Bellcaire d’Empordà
          • Cruïlles, Monells, Madremanya and Bordils
          • Figueres
          • Geography of the Ampurdan
          • History of the Ampurdan
          • La Bisbal d’Empordà
          • La Pera and Pubol
          • Peraleda
          • Peratallada, Palau Sator and Juliá de Boada
          • Placenames in the Ampurdan
          • The Alberes Mountains
          • Ullastret
          • Verges and around
        • Costa Brava
          • Blanes to Lloret de Mar
          • Cadaqués
          • Castelló d´Empúries and the Aiguamolls de l´Empordà (2)
          • La Platja d´Aro to Calonge
          • Lloret de Mar
          • L´Estartit to L’Escala
          • Monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes
          • Montgrí massif
          • Palamós to Tamariu
          • Pals
          • San Feliu de Guíxols to San Pol
          • Sant Martí d’Empúries to the Aiguamolls de l´Empordà (1)
          • The Corniche
          • The Gaverres Mountains
          • Torroella de Montgrí
          • Tossa de Mar
        • Girona city
          • Eating and drinking in Girona
          • Girona accommodation
          • Girona sightseeing
          • Girona weather
          • History of Girona
        • La Garrotxa
          • 1. Beuda
          • 2. Besalú
          • 3. Castellfollit de la Roca
          • 4. Besalú to Girona
          • 5. Banyoles
          • 6. Porqueres
          • 8. Parc Natural de la Zona Volcanica de la Garrotxa
          • 9. Santa Pau
          • 9b. Olot
        • Other information
      • Guided tours around Barcelona
      • Map of places in Catalonia
      • Tarragona
    • Culture and history of Spain a
      • ABC newspaper
      • Aberri Eguna
      • abertzale
      • akelarre - witches’ sabbath
      • alcázar and El Alcázar
      • Alguerese
      • Aljama
      • alminar
      • Arabic in Spain
      • Artesonado
      • autarky in Spain
      • The Spanish alphabet
    • Culture and history of Spain b
      • Bakalao music
      • botellón - drinking in Spain
      • La Banda Trapera del Río
    • Culture and history of Spain c
      • Castro - celtic hill fort
      • Catalan-Aragonese Oath of Allegiance
      • Catalunya Nord
      • Contra Franco vivíamos mejor
      • Geography of Spanish Cinema
    • Culture and history of Spain d
      • The death penalty in Spain
    • Culture and history of Spain e
      • Estraperlo
      • Extremoduro
      • The Embrace by Juan Genovés
      • The execution of Salvador Puig Antich
    • Culture and history of Spain f
      • Franquismo sociológico - Neo-Francoism
      • Quotes by Franco
    • Culture and history of Spain g
      • Garum
      • Guerrilleros de Cristo Rey
    • Culture and history of Spain h
    • Culture and history of Spain i
      • indiano
    • Culture and history of Spain jk
      • Jota - dance
      • Juancarlismo
      • Kale borroka
    • Culture and history of Spain l
    • Culture and history of Spain m
      • Meigas - Galician witches
      • Moorish guard
    • Culture and history of Spain n
      • Naranjito - 1982 World Cup mascot
      • NO-DO - Spanish newsreels
      • Nunca Máis - Never Again
    • Culture and history of Spain o
      • Operation Ogre - the assassination of Carrero Blanco
    • Culture and history of Spain p
      • Palloza
      • Plateresque
      • plazas de soberanía - places of sovereignty
      • Policía Nacional
      • Porrón - the Spanish drinking vessel
      • PRISA - Spanish media group
      • Spanish political quotes
      • Spanish popular music
      • Spanish punk rock
      • The People’s Olympics in Barcelona
      • The Peseta
      • The Prestige Oil disaster
    • Culture and history of Spain q
      • La Quinta del Buitre
      • Quinqui - mercheros
      • Quinta del biberón
    • Culture and history of Spain r
      • Rebellion of the Alpujarras
      • Rumba catalana
    • Culture and history of Spain s
      • saudade - morriña
      • Sindic de Greuges - Ombudsman in Catalonia
      • Spanish Civil War
      • The Spanish flu
    • Culture and history of Spain t
      • Taifas
      • Transterrados
      • Trikitixa - Basque accordion
      • Tsunamis in Spain
    • Culture and history of Spain u - v
      • Una, Grande y Libre - Francoist slogan
    • Culture and history of Spain wxyz
      • Yeísmo
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      • Spain in 1976
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Culture and history of Spain a

a - b - c - d - e - f - g - h - i - jk - l - m - nñ - o - p - q - r - s - t - uv - wxyz

The ABC newspaper

alphabet

Aberri Eguna

abertzale

aficionado

A fan in general, but in bullfighting a serious devotee.

Afrancesado

“Francophile” or “turned-French”, “Francisized”) was the term used to denote Spanish and Portuguese partisans of Enlightenment ideas, Liberalism, or the French Revolution, who were supporters of the French occupation of Iberia (Wikipedia).

agur

The universal Basque salutation

Ajoblanco

Monthly magazine published between 1974 y 1980 and again between 1987 and 1999, born out of the opposition to the Franco regime. The magazine was one of the first meeting points for counter-culture in Spain, and one of the first to deal with topics such as gay rights, ecology and sustainability.

Ajoblanco site

akelarre

Al-Andalus

The Arabic name for the Iberian Peninsula, usually taken to mean under Islamic control at various times in the period between 711 and 1492. The term was emphatically not synonymous with Andalucia which takes its name from Al-Andalus. The name is generally taken to come for the Arabic for The Vandals, Germanic tribe that colonized parts of Iberia from 407 to 429. However this is now hotly disputed by some historians. See Etymology of al-Andalus (Wikipedia)

alcazaba

Moorish castle

Alcázar

Alexander von Humboldt in Spain

Alguerese (alguerès in Catalan)

Alianza Popular (AP)

Defunct right-wing party formed by ex-francoists and led by Manual Fraga and would later spawn the Popular Party. The party won 16 seats and 8.2 % of the vote in the first general elections of 1977.

aljama

alminar

Almogavars

Aloers

Aloers (from Catalan) were independent peasant proprietors of alous in what is now Catalonia, especially during the years between the Carolingian reconquest of the Spanish Marches from the Moors in the late 9th century and the consolidation of feudalism in that region in the 11th century. They generally practiced family-based subsistence farming. The owner of property in alou (from the Frankish alôd = full domain) was considered by medieval jurists to have “no other lord than God“.

Altamira

  • The cave paintings of Altamira

Antena 3

Pro-Partido Popular Eurotrash TV channel with a national audience share of 21% in 2002, though it has since fallen. The question begs, why do we need this crap?

Antena 3 (Wikipedia)

anti-clericalism

Años de Hambre

aperturismo

Arabic

  • Arabic influence on the Spanish language

Aragonese language

Aralar

Aranese language

AsturAsturian language

atalaya

Moorish watch tower

Atapuerca

artesonado

Audiencia Nacional

autarky

Auto de fe

The ceremony associated with the tortures and executions staged by the Inquisition

Auto de fe (Wikipedia)

Autonomia

The Spanish State is divided into 17 Autonomous Communities. Article 2 of the Spanish Constitution states that the right to autonomy of the nationalities and regions.

The 17 autonomous communities are (in addition to: Ceuta and Melilla)

  1. BASQUE COUNTRY
  2. CATALONIA
  3. GALICIA
  4. ANDALUCIA
  5. PRINCIPALITY OF ASTURIAS
  6. CANTABRIA
  7. LA RIOJA
  8. REGION OF MURCIA
  9. COMMUNITY OF VALENCIA
  10. ARAGON
  11. CASTILE-LA MANCHA
  12. THE CANARY ISLANDS
  13. NAVARRE
  14. EXTREMADURA
  15. COMMUNITY OF THE BALEARIC ISLANDS
  16. COMMUNITY OF MADRID
  17. COMMUNITY OF CASTILE AND LEON

Autonomous Communities

autopista

Toll motorway

autovia

Toll-free dual-carriageway

AVE – Tren de Alta Velocidad Española.

The high-speed train in Spain.

  • The Barcelona-Madrid AVE (Travel description Iberianature)
  • Train in Spain sets out to beat the plane (Guardian 02/02/08)

AVT - Asociación de Víctimas del Terrorismo

ayuntamiento

Town/city hall

Avui

Conservative Catalan-language daily, strongly associated with the Catalan nationalist coalition Convergencia i Unió.

azulejo

The traditional glazed ceramic wall tiles

Spanish history dictionary, dictionary of Spanish history, glossary of Spanish culture, Spanish art glossary, Spanish history glossary, dictionary of Spain, A-Z guide to Spain, facts about Spanish history, Spanish history trivia, historical glossary of Spain, facts and figures, interesting facts, politics,Spanish translation of, how do you say in Spanish , como se dice en ingles, traducción, translate

  • Recent Posts

    • Largest towns and cities in Spain
    • The first census of Spain
    • A history of Mojácar
    • Collection of Spanish Civil War posters
    • Paddy Woodworth on the Basque Country
  • A-Z guide

    • About - Spanish history and culture
    • Culture and history of Spain a
      • ABC newspaper
      • The Spanish alphabet
      • Aberri Eguna
      • abertzale
      • alcázar and El Alcázar
      • Arabic in Spain
      • autarky in Spain
      • akelarre - witches’ sabbath
      • Alguerese
      • Aljama
      • Artesonado
      • alminar
    • Culture and history of Spain b
      • Bakalao music
      • botellón - drinking in Spain
      • La Banda Trapera del Río
    • Culture and history of Spain c
      • Contra Franco vivíamos mejor
      • Catalan-Aragonese Oath of Allegiance
      • Castro - celtic hill fort
      • Catalunya Nord
      • Geography of Spanish Cinema
    • Culture and history of Spain d
      • The death penalty in Spain
    • Culture and history of Spain e
      • Extremoduro
      • The Embrace by Juan Genovés
      • Estraperlo
      • The execution of Salvador Puig Antich
    • Culture and history of Spain f
      • Quotes by Franco
      • Franquismo sociológico - Neo-Francoism
    • Culture and history of Spain g
      • Garum
      • Guerrilleros de Cristo Rey
    • Culture and history of Spain h
    • Culture and history of Spain i
      • indiano
    • Culture and history of Spain jk
      • Jota - dance
      • Juancarlismo
      • Kale borroka
    • Culture and history of Spain l
    • Culture and history of Spain m
      • Moorish guard
      • Meigas - Galician witches
    • Culture and history of Spain n
      • Nunca Máis - Never Again
      • Naranjito - 1982 World Cup mascot
      • NO-DO - Spanish newsreels
    • Culture and history of Spain q
      • Quinta del biberón
      • La Quinta del Buitre
      • Quinqui - mercheros
    • Culture and history of Spain r
      • Rebellion of the Alpujarras
      • Rumba catalana
    • Culture and history of Spain s
      • Spanish Civil War
      • The Spanish flu
      • Sindic de Greuges - Ombudsman in Catalonia
      • saudade - morriña
    • Culture and history of Spain t
      • Tsunamis in Spain
      • Trikitixa - Basque accordion
      • Transterrados
      • Taifas
    • Culture and history of Spain u - v
      • Una, Grande y Libre - Francoist slogan
    • Culture and history of Spain wxyz
      • Yeísmo
    • Culture and history of Spain o
      • Operation Ogre - the assassination of Carrero Blanco
    • Culture and history of Spain p
      • The Prestige Oil disaster
      • Policía Nacional
      • Spanish political quotes
      • Palloza
      • Plateresque
      • The Peseta
      • plazas de soberanía - places of sovereignty
      • PRISA - Spanish media group
      • Porrón - the Spanish drinking vessel
      • Spanish punk rock
      • Spanish popular music
      • The People’s Olympics in Barcelona
    • Home
    • Timeline of Spain
      • Spain in 1973
      • Spain in 1903
      • Spain in 1976
    • Catalonia
      • Girona
        • Ampurdan - inland and context
          • Placenames in the Ampurdan
          • Artists and writers in the Ampurdan
          • History of the Ampurdan
          • Geography of the Ampurdan
          • Figueres
          • Peraleda
          • The Alberes Mountains
          • Around Figueres
          • Albons
          • Bellcaire d’Empordà
          • Verges and around
          • Ullastret
          • Peratallada, Palau Sator and Juliá de Boada
          • La Bisbal d’Empordà
          • Cruïlles, Monells, Madremanya and Bordils
          • La Pera and Pubol
        • Girona city
          • History of Girona
          • Girona weather
          • Eating and drinking in Girona
          • Girona accommodation
          • Girona sightseeing
        • Other information
        • Costa Brava
          • Lloret de Mar
          • Blanes to Lloret de Mar
          • Tossa de Mar
          • The Corniche
          • San Feliu de Guíxols to San Pol
          • La Platja d´Aro to Calonge
          • Palamós to Tamariu
          • Pals
          • Torroella de Montgrí
          • Montgrí massif
          • L´Estartit to L’Escala
          • Sant Martí d’Empúries to the Aiguamolls de l´Empordà (1)
          • Castelló d´Empúries and the Aiguamolls de l´Empordà (2)
          • Cadaqués
          • Monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes
          • The Gaverres Mountains
        • La Garrotxa
          • 1. Beuda
          • 2. Besalú
          • 3. Castellfollit de la Roca
          • 4. Besalú to Girona
          • 5. Banyoles
          • 6. Porqueres
          • 8. Parc Natural de la Zona Volcanica de la Garrotxa
          • 9. Santa Pau
          • 9b. Olot
      • Guided tours around Barcelona
      • Tarragona
      • Map of places in Catalonia
    • Asturias
    • Extremadura
    • Aragon
      • Legends of Aragon
    • Briefly

      Largest towns and cities in Spain

      List of metropolitan areas in Spain by population. I was surprised to see Oviedo–Gijón–Avilés as high as it is.

      More...

      A history of Mojácar
      I enjoyed this potted history of Mojácar:

      Mojácar used to be a town of around 6,000 people in as far back as 1870. It maintained this number of inhabitants until round about 1900 when, slowly, numbers began to fall, speeding its descent in the 1930s. Through the various local vicissitudes of the drop in the local water-table, the end of the de-forestation, a peculiar plague of locusts in 1901, the end of the mines in the 1920s and the troubled times of the Civil War, the area in general eventually became depopulated with mass emigrations to Barcelona, Algeria, Germany and even Argentina, and Mojácar itself began its long descent into what was, by 1960, a moribund village of just 600 souls. Read complete post on Spanish Shilling

      Paddy Woodworth on the Basque Country
      Paddy Woodworth is an Irish reporter who has lived and worked in the Basque Country. His book The Basque Country: a cultural history, was described by the Irish Times as a terrific modern introduction to the Basque Country… succeeds in showing us the complexities of the Basque struggle for identity” Here’s an the introduction from his book from his website. “The Basque Country has had more than its fair share of stereotypes thrust upon it. The Basques have sometimes resisted this typecasting, but they have not been shy about making their own contributions, some as extravagant as any foreigner’s, to stock images of their homeland. More...

      Tomato trek
      I thought this cartoon strip was amusing. “Since a tomato leaves its branch of the plant in one of the hundreds of greenhouses from Almeria, until a consumer in Madrid take it into its meal, the price “grows” by 500% respect to the price given to the farmer”.

      The roots of flamenco
      Interesting article in The Guardian on the roots of flamenco. Forget the Hollywood image – flamenco has deep-rooted social and political resonances that cross culture and genre Read

    • RSS Recent history entries on Iberianature.com

      • Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente
        Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente, (Poza de la Sal, March 14, 1928), the great Spanish naturalist and broadcaster, died 30 years ago today. He was killed in a helicopter accident while filming in Alaska on his birthday March 14, 1980. He was an expert in falconry and animal behavior and spent many years studying wolves, but [...]
      • Pyrenees bear hunt
        I came across this rather harrowing photo in a book review of Historie de l’ours dans les Pyrénées in El Pireneo Digital. It was taken in 1928 after a hunt in Urdós, Valle de Aspe across the border in France. In 1935, some 200 bears still survived in the Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees. The last bear [...]
    • Spain tags

      Anís del Juliano Badalona Badalona anis factory Beatus manuscript Bilbao Bilbao in the 20th century Bottle of Anís del Mono Bottle of Anis del Mono by Juan Gris Bull's Anisette Caceres Caixaforum Catalan landscape artists Celtic languages in Spain Charles Darwin icons Colla del Safrà Comer bien o comer mal es una cuestión cultural Cypress of Silos Ea El ciprés de Silos etymology of Spanish placenames etymology of Spanish towns Gaulish Spanish Geographical placenames in Spain Hemingway and Anis History of Las Hurdes Jean Gaumy Joaquim Mir Joaquim Mir in Mallorca King Alfonso XVIII Land Without Bread Luis Buñuel Manual Vázquez Montalbán monstrance origin of Spanish words Romanesque architecture in Spain shipwrecks in Spain Spanish alcoholic drinks Spanish Gregorian chants Spanish shipwrecks Spanish sonnets Spanish toponyms The Monkey's Anisette The Rock in the Pond Toponyms in Spain Villarcayo de Merindad de Castilla la Vieja
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      • Rundown farmhouse in the Delta de Llobregat
      • Forgotten Barcelona
      • Spring returns to Barcelona
      • Las Arenas bullring
      • Changes in the coastline of Barcelona
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      • Las Fallas festival, Valencia
        pValencians prepare to honour their patron saint San José (St Joseph) in a festival that culminates in the burning of giant papier-mache, cardboard and wooden sculptures/pbr/p style="clear:both" / pa href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/82q-8mk0ziCzo4VytwXfAoqqFBk/0/da"img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/82q-8mk0ziCzo […]
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        div class="track"img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.20.3/9029?ns=guardianpageName=Eta+blamed+for+death++of+French+policeman+in+shoot-out+near+Paris%3AArticle%3A1373398ch=World+newsc3=GU.co.ukc4=Terrorism+-+international%2CFrance%2CSpain+%28News%29%2CWorld+newsc6=Giles+Tremlett%2CLizzy+Daviesc7=10-Mar […]
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