• compaginar: slot together” or “integrate timetables
• consuegros – child’s spouse’s parents
• El de la verguenza – that last tasty morsel (e.g. a biscuit) which everybody feels embarrassed about taking. I suggest from now on calling this the shameful one in English, as members of my family now do.
• enchufe – beyond the simple dictionary definition of plug, enchufe means a connection, knowing somebody, being well connected, knowing the right people, that sort of thing when you want something done. So, if you have an enchufe, it might very well make it easier to get a job.
• estrenar – to try out something for the first time, often in the sense of wear estrenar zapatos. A football team might also estrenar un nuevo estadio An estreno is the first night of a film.
• gestor – a kind of financial administrator, not quite an accountant, not quite a solicitor.

One word that you will hear a lot in Spain is gestor. The position is difficult to describe, simply because this agency does not exist in many countries. His main role is the interface between the public – in this case you – and the public administration. Generally, in UK you do not need any kind of interface, and when you do, it is clear that you should see a solicitor. In some other countries there will also be some person, or official in this kind of position.  From here (continue reading)

• homologar – compare and equate standards of
• lampiño – without a beard or with little hair. Note, also inberbe, a beardless youth.
• lustro – five years
• manco – one-armed man
• mimoso – as an adjective somebody who loves to be pampered/made a fuss of. Also a noun.
• monte – in the sense of wild land (as opposed to just hill) monte does not exist in British English but equates to the Southern African English bush and the Australian outback. Echarse al monte means to take to the hills, and by extension, los del monte, the maquis fighters.
• morbo – a dark fascination
• muda – change of underwear
• palomina: pigeon guano

En la localidad de Oliete (Teruel, España) se recogía la palomina que se acumulaba en la sima de San Pedro, lugar donde crían palomas. Existía una plataforma con torno en el borde de la sima para descender a los que recogían la palomina y luego elevarlos con la carga. Wikipedia

• recogerse – to go indoors in the evening
• resol – Reflected sunshine off the wall, floor, etc. that some Spaniards try to avoid in summer… as in, “We can’t sit at that table” (at a terrazza) “it’s got a parasol, but there’s a lot of resol” (Michael)
• sobremesa – the time spent after lunch sitting round the table and talking
• tertulia – a learned discussion, often as a regular event in a bar
• tuerto – one-eyed man
• zurdo – left-hander

• Bullfighting was at first seen as an exclusively aristocratic pursuit for Spanish noblemen who remained seated on horseback. In 1726, the matador Francisco Romero was the first to challenge the bull on foot. He also introduced the famous red cape (muleta) and sword (estoque).

• This new style, attracting larger and more excited crowds, encouraged the building of arenas dedicated to the bullfight. Initially square, the buildings became circular to discourage the action from becoming confined to a corner.

• Most major towns in Spain have a bullring. La Maestranza in Seville is the oldest bullring (construction started 1758) at which the annual Feria de Abril bullfighting festival is held. The Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas in Madrid is the most prestigious arena.

• In 1946, the world’s largest bullfighting venue, the Plaza México, opened in Mexico City, seating 48,000.

• Juan Belmonte (1892-1962, pictured right) is considered the greatest matador of all time. Despite being gored several times, his style is still emulated by contemporary matadors. In 1962, Belmonte shot himself after doctors told him his injuries would prevent him from pursuing his penchant for cigars, wine and prostitutes.

• In the 18th and 19th centuries, bullfighting was banned on several occasions, most notably by Philip V, who considered it barbaric and thus unsuitable for noblemen. It was after this that it was claimed as a sport for common people.

• During the Franco dictatorship, the state actively approved of bullfighting as a genuinely Spanish tradition.

• The World Society for the Protection of Animals estimates that around 40,000 bulls are killed each year in European bullfights (Spain, Portugal and France). In Spain, 3,200 official bullfights take place annually. About 210,000 bulls die every year in Latin American bullfights (Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Venezuela).

• Fifty-two matadors have been killed in the arena since 1700. In 1934, Ignacio Sánchez Mejías (a friend of poet Federico García Lorca) was gored and died from a gangrene infection. The most recent fatality was José Cubero (“Yiyo”), who was gored in the heart in 1985.

• Some matadors have met their end in more peculiar ways. José de los Santos (1806-47) fled in fear of a bull in the Valencia ring, leapt over the fence and impaled himself on his own sword.

• According to the League Against Cruel Sports, the bullfighting industry generates annual revenues of £2.2bn.

• Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has banned under 14s from attending bullfights.

• A special type of surgery has developed for the treatment of cornadas, or horn wounds.

Some books on bullfighting here from Amazon

The Old Woman Cooking Eggs was painted by Diego Velázquez during his Seville period possibly in 1618, and like in much of his work early poor and working class characters are portrayed.

Like other early works by the artist, it shows the influence of chiaroscuro, with a strong light source coming in from the left, illuminating the women, her utensils and the poaching eggs but throwing the background and the boy standing to her right into deep shadow. Wikipedia

See at the National Gallery of Scotland

I’m sure there is also a generational change talking place with the murderous art increasingly being the preserve the middle-aged and old.

A 3D exploration of Picasso’s Guernica. A beautiful piece of work of computer design by Lena Gieseke.

My primary intention for the project was to create a provoking and deep contemplation of Pablo Picasso’s Guernica. Is my model a true reconstruction of the Picasso’s painting, or is it merely a rough re-visualization? Is it still Picasso’s art or has it, through my addition of third dimension, become something completely different? It is not my place to answer those questions nor to determine the relationship between my three-dimensional reproduction and the original painting. Perhaps this is a question best left in the hands of critics. More here

I like these photographs of quarries in Portugal by Edward Burtynsky. More here.

“This society carried out the construction of a funerary monument and then held a burial ceremony for an important figure along with many members of his court, including his wives and his concubines, which is who we think the women were,” says Javier Verdugo, head of the regional government of Andalusia’s department of historical sites.

• See also Los Dólmenes – Asociación de Amigos del Patrimonio Arqueológico “Hace más de 4.500 años un macabro ritual funerario pudo celebrarse muy cerca de la actual ciudad de Sevilla. Un grupo de 19 mujeres jóvenes se dirigió hacia la muerte. Un hombre lleno de poder acababa de fallecer. Y las mujeres debían acompañarlo en su viaje al más allá.”

• the “Functional Urban Areas” (FUAs) of the Study on Urban Functions of the European Spatial Planning Observation Network (ESPON, 2007)^[1]
• the “Larger Urban Zone” (LUZs)^[2] of Urban Audit project (2004), supported by the European Union.^[3] Not all cities were included in this survey.^[3]
• calculations by Francisco Ruiz from data of the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (2008 estimates).^[4] As well as “metropolitan area” data,^[5] Ruiz has produced larger “conurbation” data for some areas.^[6] The “conurbation” figure is used where available, and is cited as such; otherwise, the “metropolitan area” figure is used.

Metropolitan area	ESPON	Urban Audit	Ruiz
Madrid	5,263,000	&0000000005804829.0000005,804,829[7]	&0000000006138056.0000006,138,056[6]
Barcelona	4,251,000	&0000000004233638.0000004,233,638[8]	&0000000004542490.0000004,542,490[6]
Valencia–Sagunto	1,499,000	&0000000001564145.0000001,564,145[9]	&0000000001705742.0000001,705,742[6]
Seville	1,262,000	&0000000001249346.0000001,249,346[10]	&0000000001360361.0000001,360,361[6]
Bilbao	947,000	&0000000000939994.000000939,994[11]	&0000000000953152.000000953,152
Málaga–Vélez-Málaga	844,000	&0000000000699916.000000699,916[12]	&0000000000923104.000000923,104
Oviedo–Gijón–Avilés	844,000	&0000000000617300.000000617,300 (295,640[13] + 321,660[14])	&0000000000863050.000000863,050[6]
Alicante–Elche	793,000	&0000000000429060.000000429,060[15]	&0000000000785020.000000785,020[6]
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria	640,000	&0000000000625892.000000625,892[16]	&0000000000741826.000000741,826[6]
Zaragoza	639,000	&0000000000685873.000000685,873[17]	&0000000000715894.000000715,894
Murcia–Orihuela	623,000	&0000000000479313.000000479,313[18]	&0000000000763723.000000763,723[6]
Santa Cruz de Tenerife	581,947	&0000000000481592.000000481,592[19]
Granada	440,000	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000—	&0000000000498365.000000498,365
Palma de Mallorca	433,000	&0000000000593386.000000593,386[20]	&0000000000509116.000000509,116
Vigo	413,000	&0000000000548799.000000548,799[21]	&0000000000666292.000000666,292[6]
Cádiz	400,000	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000—	&0000000000425462.000000425,462
San Sebastian	393,000	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000—	&0000000000404921.000000404,921
A Coruña–Oleiros–Arteixo	376,000	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000—	&0000000000408068.000000408,068
Valladolid	369,000	&0000000000430576.000000430,576[22]	&0000000000395984.000000395,984
Tarragona(–Reus)	325,000	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000—	&0000000000423360.000000423,360
Córdoba	314,000	&0000000000779870.000000779,870[23]	&0000000000325453.000000325,453
Pamplona	286,000	&0000000000355577.000000355,577[24]	&0000000000328511.000000328,511
Castellón de la Plana	259,000	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000—	&0000000000386906.000000386,906[6]
Santander–Torrelavega	249,000	&0000000000290785.000000290,785[25]	&0000000000391293.000000391,293[6]
Alzira–Xàtiva	241,000	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000—	&0000000000348582.000000348,582[6]
Cartagena–Torre-Pacheco	231,000	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000—	&0000000000273005.000000273,005
Vitoria	226,000	&0000000000252384.000000252,384[26]	&0000000000242837.000000242,837
Algeciras–La Línea de la Concepción	206,000	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000—	&0000000000230203.000000230,203
Huelva	193,000	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000—	&0000000000215530.000000215,530
Almería	192,000	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000—	&0000000000218236.000000218,236
Salamanca	192,000	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000—	&0000000000205489.000000205,489
Jerez de la Frontera	189,000	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000—	&0000000000209690.000000209,690
Leon	187,000	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000—	&0000000000201987.000000201,987
Albacete	185,000	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000—	&0000000000173457.000000173,457
Jaén–Martos	180,000	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000—	&0000000000191652.000000191,652
Burgos	176,000	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000—	&0000000000192692.000000192,692
Logroño	156,000	&0000000000171599.000000171,599[27]	&0000000000186985.000000186,985
Ferrol–Narón	155,000	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000—	&0000000000156111.000000156,111
Lleida	147,000	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000—	&0000000000176543.000000176,543
Girona–Salt	144,000	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000—	&0000000000180426.000000180,426
Pontevedra–Marín	142,000	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000—	&0000000000149255.000000149,255
Badajoz	141,000	&0000000000663896.000000663,896[28]	&0000000000151579.000000151,579
La Orotava–Puerto de la Cruz(–Los Realejos)	140,000	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000—	&0000000000151623.000000151,623
Santiago de Compostela	138,000	&0000000000186332.000000186,332[29]	&0000000000151690.000000151,690
Ourense	137,000	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000—	&0000000000138600.000000138,600
Benidorm(–Villajoyosa)	134,000	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000—	&0000000000183253.000000183,253
Gandia(–Oliva)	132,000	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000—	&0000000000169916.000000169,916
Blanes(–Pineda de Mar–Lloret de Mar)	131,000	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000—	&0000000000182673.000000182,673
Manresa	122,000	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000—	&0000000000145215.000000145,215
Marbella	116,000	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000—	&0000000000138447.000000138,447
Torrelavega	116,000	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000—	&0000000000129509.000000129,509
Vic–Manlleu	111,000	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000—	&0000000000129994.000000129,994
Guadalajara	104,000	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000—	&0000000000144687.000000144,687
Lugo	99,000	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000—	&0000000000106066.000000106,066
Palencia	99,000	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000—	&0000000000103511.000000103,511
Toledo	95,000	&0000000000167036.000000167,036	&0000000000119368.000000119,368

The census of Floridablanca is considered the first Spanish census of population usinf modern statistics techniques. The total population counted was 10,268,110 with an average density of 22.7 hab/km². It was produced under the reign of Charles III, between 1785 and 1787. Note, the relatively low density of Madrid and surprisingly, Pontevedra with the highest density.

• Wikipedia
• Datos del censo de Floridablanca publicados por el INE

Class distinctions