The Voice of Zamora

Zamora was quiet this weekend. Whether this is typical of the city or brought on by the fact that August is vacation time in Spain is immaterial. The silence that enveloped the city was enough to allow the whisper of her history to speak across the ages.

Zamora is a city in the region of Castille & Leon that is often called a “Romanesque museum” because of its 24 Romanesque cathedrals and the ruins of a large Roman castle at the edge of the city. It is this history of the Roman times that echoed through the silence of the city. Tufts of grass now grow out of cracking Roman construction but the presence of the ancient civilization is evident in every edifice.

But Rome is not the only player in the history of this city. By the river, small houses stretch over the water called “Las Aceñas de Olivares”. The houses were used as water mills in which to grind grain, but their construction dates back to the Muslim influence in Spain. “Aceñas” is actually a shortening of the Muslim word for grain mill and it dates back to the 10th century.

Thanks to their restoration in 2008, the Aceñas continue to churn the River Duero oblivious to the modern world and all her caprices. And the people of Zamora continue to live quietly, products of the history that abounds around them.

Spain and the Americas

There is a flipside to every coin, a dark side for every light, and the discovery of the Americas is no exception for Spain. While the discovery is known as a key player in the economic history of Spain, it is also acknowledged as a black mark in her treatment of the conquered. It is acknowledged, but not overly dwelt on. Like most historical events, the discovery of the Americas and the treatment of her peoples is simply an event of the past – it serves as a lesson, and at times leaves a scar.

In my first days of literature classes at the University of Salamanca, someone touched on Latin American writers and asked our professor what she thought of them. Our professor hesitated to say much but commented that, often times, Latin American writers are overly fixated on the maltreatment of the native peoples by the Spanish conquistadors. It seems that for many, the time of bereavement has long since passed, leaving the balm of centuries to assuage any hard feelings.

Perhaps Latin American writers dwell on the travesties of Spain, but many Latin American people look on their Spanish heritage as a status symbol. The feelings of the Latin American students with whom I worked was definitely a favorable one. Those with Spanish heritage were always to be envied and if you were graced with the lisp of Spain, better to exaggerate it than to leave any shadow of doubt as to your heritage. A girl with both a Mexican passport and Spanish passport thanks to the happenstance of birth was to be envied as much as one with both Mexican and American passports thanks to the situation of their birth on the Mexican-American border. One lucky girl enjoyed the prestige of Spanish blood while another enjoyed the ease of United States citizenry.

Like the unfinished La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, perceptions continue to change and evolve concerning the relationship between Spain and the New World. However, as it stands, it seems that Spain would move past their controversial relationship with the Americas, and Latin America would hold onto the legacy of Spain as a sign of their own worth or of their own misfortune.

The Columbus Legacy

About a block from my dormitory, next to the cathedral of San Esteban, stands an old building. In a city filled with ancient architecture, it is easy to overlook the dwarfed structure, but it would be an eternal shame to miss this humble building due to its historical significance to Spain and the New World. It is in this building in 1492, after the Catholic King and Queen reconquered the Spanish lands, that a young Italian man named Christopher Columbus came to Isabel and Ferdinand to ask for permission to go in search of a new route through the Indies. Already refused by Portugal, Columbus laid out his plans to the Spanish King and Queen.

In that modest building beside the towering San Esteban of Salamanca, the course of history was changed. Columbus would fail in his quest for a route through the Indies but succeed in discovering the New World. He would forever change the course of history for both Spain and the Americas. This discovery would mean as much, if not more, for Spain as it did for the Americas for it would sustain the economy of Spain for years to come. Their vast holdings in the Americas would translate to power in the European contest of nations and extensive Spanish holdings that spurred the Spanish King Felipe II to say, “Sobre mi imperio nunca se pone el sol.” “Over my empire, the sun never sets.”

Monuments to Columbus abound in Spain; however, one of the largest can be found in Barcelona. Seville would eventually become the main port of trade with the Americas, but Barcelona is the location where Columbus first brought natives from the New World to Spain. Thus began our cooperation with Spain and, by extension, Europe at large.

Barcelona and Gaudi

Antonio Gaudi owns Barcelona. His architectural masterpieces grace the streets of Barcelona from Park Guell in the far reaches of the mountain, La Sagrada Familia and La Pedrera in the center of the city and the Gaudi museum by the ocean front. His fae-like creations are like none else and characterize Gaudi as much as they characterize the city.

Like many artists, Gaudi was not accepted in his own time by the general populace. His inspired buildings belong in neither the modernist nor the gothic realm of architecture. They are unique creations onto themselves.

Indeed, Gaudi himself was a unique individual - as is evidenced by his unconventional architecture. On the sides of the unfinished Sagrada Familia, perfectly sculpted snails slide along the turrets, taking the place of the traditional gothic gargoyles. Many say that Gaudi opted for snails instead of grander decorations because he thought they were a humble creature and, to Gaudi, humility was the greatest of virtues. How odd that an architect of such magnitude could adopt such a virtue in a field filled with artistic hubris.

Gaudi is not only reflected in the architecture of Barcelona, but in the culture of the city as well. Though Barcelona is in Spain, it is different from the rest of the territory because of its placement in the region of Catalonia. Although Spanish is one of their official languages, nearly all of Barcelona's citizens speak in Catalan - a language quite different from Spanish, though it is also derived from Latin. In fact, most of Barcelona's citizens refuse to speak in Spanish and would prefer that you address them in English should you not understand Catalan.

Barcelona does not wallow in their differences but rather embraces a pride that varies greatly from Gaudi's humility. (A pride that is perhaps warranted as they bring in approximately 25 percent of Spain's GDP thanks to their seafood revenue.) In this way, Barcelona is like Gaudi in their misfit status, but different in the perception of their own genius.

Huerto Calixto y Malibea

I have made mention before of certain well known writers who have planted their roots in Salamanca. Being a city built around its university, it is little wonder that so many famous writers come from this place. On a larger scale the same could be said of the region of Castile & Leon, where Salamanca is located. Several authors, particularly those of the Generations '98 and '27, have come from the Castile & Leon area, including Unamuno, Garcia Lorca, and Azorin.

Perhaps, it’s the environment here that has served to inspire both poet and lover alike. At the southern part of historical Salamanca there is a garden called “Huerto Calixto y Malibea“. It is named after one of the greatest works of Spanish literature, “La Celestina”, and is a public park for any who would like to visit. “La Celestina” is a tragic tale of two lovers, Calixto and Malibea, whose forbidden love caused them to arrange a secret meeting in “El Huerto”.

In the Huerto of Salamanca there is a statue of “La Celestina” standing guard over the garden. The landscaping is beautiful and provides incredible views of the city in the north and the River Tormes in the south. However, the Huerto’s most extraordinary trait is the well at the center of the garden. The arch over the well is covered with locks and below, in the depths of the dark water, lay their corresponding keys. Tradition has it that whenever someone falls in love in the city of Salamanca they attach a lock to the well of the Huerto and throw away the key symbolizing their commitment.

This is yet another example of the deeply rooted tradition in Spain. It is a tradition founded in literature, in poetry, in the deepest parts of the Spanish culture; and, in a symbiotic twist, it is this tradition that serves to inspire another generation of writers.