SPAIN
Geography
Roughly 85% of the present day Iberian Peninsula is occupied by Spain as Portugal covers the remaining western territory. Discovered by the ancient Greeks around 500 BC, Iberian Peninsula was the name given to the area not described by a single political entity of specific population. Mostly surrounded by water, the eastern coastline of the Peninsula is over 2,059 mi bordering the Mediterranean and 1,653 mi on its west end on the Atlantic ocean.
History
The oldest remains of human civilization within the Peninsula have been found in the Pradera de San Isidro, near the Manzanares; "in the cave of Perneras. It is thought that not one but two races inhabited the Peninsula." (Rafael 7) At a later date also deemed undeterminable, the Cromagnon population then inhabited the entire land now understood as Spain. Traces of their community appear in the form of weapons, stone tools, primitive types of sculpture and ornamented items such as garments. These could be the earliest signs of complexity within the evolving society. Skulls have also been traced to this period showing distinctive characteristics that are only relative to this early era. As civilizations continued to develop in the Iberian Peninsula, not much history is being recorded by other means than small items that have survived time. Gradual improvements within human technologies are seen through examples of methods of craft and building technique. "Stones are polished instead of merely shaping- was the first thing noticed in this culture." (Rafael 9) Interest in mysteries of life are shown with megalithic monuments which "seem to have a conception original to Spanish civilization, for the monuments of this type found in Southern Europe are from a ...
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...date royal officials) was pushed unfavorably onto citizens. Through placement of doors and windows, the goal of Casas a la malicia was to create the illusion that residential units were smaller and contained less rooms. Most of these housing types can be found near the Barrio de las Letras district.
[Casas de Malicia + Barrio de las Letras district on map]
TOPIC - Architecture
Alcazar
The Alcazar in Madrid was originally built by the Moors as a fortress in the second half of the 9th century. The grandson of the Catholics kings, Emperor Carlos I, made important architectural reforms in the Alcazar, where he stayed during his visits to the city. He turned the old and uncomfortable castle into a home with the renaissance taste of the period. It was a time of development and boom for the city, therefore creating a foundation for many churches and convents.
The settlements in the complex show a multimodal distribution which means that there is an extensive use of shaped and faced stone walling. Out of the three sites there are, only one has produced stone walling and that is Lago de Handel. Obsidian flows were identified in the Amontillado region and their products ca...
Debate started to arise when an archaeologist by the name of Thomas D. Dillehay found artifacts of people existing 14,600 years ago, before Clovis, in Monte Verde, a site in southern Chile. These people slept in hide tents, had access to seafood and potatoes, and shared similar characteristics to other artifacts found in North Ame...
Bartolomé de Las Casas begins by providing a vivid description of each land being invaded by the Europeans and the type of peopl...
Around 3500 B.C.E to 3000 B.C.E., civilizations emerged in many places. Egypt and Mesoamerica are distinctive two of them. Considering the different aspects of civilization, historians can find some same characteristics and differences which are valuable for historians to understand civilization in-depth.
Architecture, like many things, can also be made for the use of or inspired by the symbols people believe in. Therefore, art and architecture in Ancient Mesoamerica can be stated to be made for the use of religious symbols. Making architecture and art forms takes effort, dedication, and patience. Architecture can take years to make, as was s...
The Spaniard civilization can date all the way back to the Stone Age. Because of its agricultural wealth, Spain was acknowledged to have people occupy its land approximately 32,000 years ago. In A.D. 409, Spain was overrun by German invaders, but they were later forced out of the country and into Africa by a group called the Visigoths. The Visigoths, however, would soon lose control over Spain from a battle lost by the Byzantine Empire in 507. By 585, they would regain control over Spain and lived side by side under two separate laws between themselves and the Spaniards. In 711, North African Moors sailed across the straits, swept into Andalusia, and within a few years, pushed the Visigoths up the peninsula to the Cantabrian Mountains.
The Maya were an advanced society, rich and full extraordinary architecture with great complexity of patterns and variety of expressions, that flourished in Mesoamerica long before the arrival of the Spanish in the sixteenth century. They were skilled architects, building prodigious cities of primarily of limestone that remain a thousand years after their civilization fell into decline. Greatness and Grandeur was the signature of all Mayan cities, from the terminal pre-classic period and continued until the abandonment of all the city states by the beginning of the ninth century. The Maya built pyramids, temples, palaces, walls, residences and more. The limestone structures, faced with lime stucco, were the hallmark of ancient Maya architecture.
The Olmecs are the earliest known Mesoamerican civilization. Around 1200 B.C. the Olmecs originated as a primitive people living and farming on the shores of Mexico (Stanton 91). Soon, however, they began to build cities such as San Lorenzo, La Venta, and Monte Alban. These “cities” were religious centers where people gathered to worship, and were not populated (Stanton 91). The first of these centers, San Lorenzo, was built c. 1150 B.C., on a flat topped, man-made mountain. It was mysteriously abandoned 200 years later (Stanton 92-93). La Venta, built between 1000 and 600 B.C., sat on an island in a swamp (Stanton 93). Later, around 500 B.C., Monte Alban, which was used as a religious center even after the Olmecs faded, was built on an immense mountain (Stanton 93). The cities were made up of temples and plazas, and decorated by monumental stone heads, which weighed up to 50 tons (Stanton 93)! These heads probably represented their early kings and had distinct helmets (Kingfisher 32). It is incredible how the Olmec people transported the stone from the distant mountains to La Venta, near the shore, without the aid of work animals or carts. It appears that the Olmecs did this grueling work for their gods willingly, as there is no evidence of forced labor (Stanton 93). The Olmecs probably worshipped the jaguar, as it appears so often in their artwork. There are also many e...
Parada, P., & Pando, E. De. (2006). America ’ s First City ? The Case of Late Archaic Caral. In Andean Archaeology III North and South (Vol. 3, pp. 28–67). doi:10.1080/08858198809527931
audi's style could be described as a mix of Art Nouveau and his own unique organic style, which was influenced by shapes and structures from the natural world. One of Gaudi's most impressive and beautiful buildings is Casa Batlló. Gaudí designed the building for Josep Batlló, a wealthy aristocrat, as an upmarket home. He had asked Gaudi to tear down the old one to reconstruct a new one. Gaudí managed to convince Battló to remodel the existing building instead of tearing it down, and between 1904 and 1906 he redesigned the facade and roof, added an extra floor and completely remodeled the interior. This building clearly illustrated Gaudi’s work. His use of flowing organic lines are evident and can be seen in my details in the structure. There are no sharp edges or straight lines but the walls feel as a membrane composed of ceramics, or rather waves on the ocean. Much of the façade is decorated with mosaics made of tiles that start in shades of golden orange moving into greenish blues. Not only that but it also seems that it is made form bones and stones. The "Skulls" are in fact balconies and the "bones" are supporting pillars. As you enter the building, the viewers greeted with a wide and curving stairway, which leads to the second floor of the building and the main rooms of the Batlló apartment. Where as the roof is made as though it is a spine of a huge reptile. In the center of the building, Gaudí expanded the existing patio and installed a large skylight. He placed the elevator shaft and stairwell inside here, while incorporating a way to distribute light evenly through the building. The long gallery of the main suite, the Noble Floor, overlooking Passeig de Gràcia, is composed of wooden-framed windows which are opened and clo...
Ventura R. Perez (2006) THE POLITIZATION OF THE DEAD: AN ANALYSIS OF CUTMARK MORHOLOGY AND CULTURALLU MODIFIED HUMAN REMAINS FROM LA PLATA AND PENASCO BLANCO (A.D 900-1300). Dissertation
They re-emerging as mentioned earlier in the year 950. "They spread to Campeche, Yucatan, Tabasco, Chiapas; Quintana Roo, Guatemala, Honduras and Belize.”8 We can learn about the history of this civilization thanks to Mayas " recorded the events of greater importance in their works of art such as the frescoes of Bonampak and stone boards found in Palenque "9 that they have been deciphered with the passage of time and through thousands of studies and analyzes . Therefore, today most of the Maya glyphs have been deciphered and thanks to that we know who some of their rulers were, the dates on which they lived, the buildings they built, the wars they had with other cities, their gods and sacrifice, etc. . . .
The sixteenth century was a time of economic growth for Portugal and Spain because of their various voyages to places, such as China and Brazil. Spain and Portugal were competing for land, resources, trade posts, and profit in the New World and Asia as seen in the making of the Treaty of Tordesillas and Treaty of Saragossa in 1494 and 1529, respectively. The Treaty of Tordesillas created a demarcation in the Atlanta Ocean for the future empires of the Spanish and Portuguese. The Treaty of Saragossa added another demarcation, but the demarcation was in the Pacific Ocean. Economic prosperity was not immediate and there were plenty of obstacles to overcome in these new lands. Spain and Portugal’s culture, people, and environment differed
The author says that the building belonged to none of the traditional style. He notes the commonly used construction materials of this time would have included stone, brick and wood but these building did not use the same materials, instead they used a combination of steel, glass and concrete. The structures forms did not follow recognised architectural styles and their interiors were not divided by traditional rooms, they were open and spacious. The buildings were lacking in ornamentation or decoration which was unusual in comparison to the more avant garde styles of this time.
One of my greatest hobbies is travelling the globe and I love to see new places. I enjoy experiencing new environment and culture. There are many countries to visit around the world and each country has something unique to offer. In every country, there are many beautiful places to see and tradition to learn. However, the country I have always wanted to visit is Italy. Italy is located in Europe and it is famous for its ancient history, architectural heritage, culture and even food. It is my dream to visit Italy with my family one day.