Spain facts for kids: culture, food and history

History: the Alhambra and Al-Andalus

Spain’s history includes Romans, Visigoths, Muslim rulers and Christian kingdoms. For several centuries, much of southern Spain, called Al-Andalus, was ruled by Muslim dynasties. Their art and architecture left a lasting mark, especially in the city of Granada.

The Alhambra in Granada was built by the Nasrid dynasty. UNESCO calls it the only preserved palace city of the Islamic period and the best example of Nasrid art.^[2] Next to it is the Generalife, a country residence of the emirs with gardens and farms built in the 1200s and 1300s.^[2] Across the river Darro lies the Albayzín, the old neighborhood where the city of Granada began.^[2]

The Albayzín mixes buildings from the Nasrid era with later Christian, Renaissance and Baroque ones.^[2] Together, the Alhambra, the Generalife and the Albayzín form a UNESCO World Heritage site.^[2] Visiting them helps students see how different cultures shaped Spain over time.

Gaudí and Barcelona

Antoni Gaudí (1852 to 1926) was an architect from Barcelona with a style unlike anyone else’s.^[3] Seven of his buildings in or near Barcelona form one UNESCO World Heritage site.^[3]

The most famous is the Sagrada Família, a giant church that is still being built today.^[3] Only the parts Gaudí worked on himself, the Nativity façade and the crypt, are included in the World Heritage listing.^[3] Park Güell, with its colorful mosaics, is still a public park, just as Gaudí planned.^[3] Casa Milà, also called La Pedrera, is a building with wavy stone walls that is used for apartments, offices and visitors.^[3]

UNESCO recognizes Gaudí’s work for its creative contribution to architecture and building technology.^[3] Students can look at photos of his buildings and spot the shapes he borrowed from nature, such as trees, shells and waves.

Flamenco and music

Flamenco is Spain’s most famous music and dance. It brings together three arts: song (cante), dance (baile) and guitar playing (toque).^[4] Singers often perform seated, and dancers use different techniques for men and women.^[4]

Andalusia, in southern Spain, is the heartland of flamenco, although it also has roots in Murcia and Extremadura.^[4] The Gitano, or Roma, community has played an essential role in its development.^[4] Flamenco is passed on through families, social groups and flamenco clubs.^[4]

Flamenco joined UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage in 2010.^[4] Today it is performed in theaters and festivals around the world. Spain is also home to many other music traditions, from bagpipes in Galicia to choirs in the Basque Country.

Festivals and food

In Valencia, the Fallas festival runs every year from March 14 to 19.^[5] Neighborhood groups spend months building huge monuments filled with figures called ninots.^[5] At the end of the festival, the giant fallas are set on fire to celebrate the arrival of spring.^[5] The Fallas joined UNESCO’s intangible heritage list in 2016.^[5]

Spain shares the Mediterranean diet with Italy, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Croatia and Morocco.^[6] UNESCO describes it as traditions about crops, fishing, cooking and, above all, sharing meals, since eating together is the base of community life.^[6]

Many students know paella, tortilla de patatas (a potato omelet) and churros as Spanish favorites. Spanish families often eat lunch later than in the United States, and meals are an important time to talk and be together.

Languages and the Camino de Santiago

Spanish, also called Castilian, is spoken throughout Spain and is the main language of schools and government. Some regions also have their own languages, such as Catalan, Galician and Basque.

On the island of La Gomera, in the Canary Islands, people use the Silbo Gomero, a whistled version of Spanish.^[7] UNESCO calls it the only fully developed whistled language practiced by a large community, and it has been taught in schools since 1999.^[7]

In the north, pilgrims have walked the Camino de Santiago for centuries to reach the tomb believed to be that of Saint James in Santiago de Compostela.^[8] The French Route alone is 738 kilometers long.^[8] Students who learn Spanish can use it in Spain and in most countries of Latin America.

The Camino, the Alhambra and Gaudí’s buildings are only a few of Spain’s treasures. Spain has dozens of UNESCO World Heritage sites, one of the largest numbers of any country, from the Roman aqueduct of Segovia to old university towns such as Salamanca.^[9]