Spanish Steps

From scavenging the vast hills to observing blind alleys, ancient homes, and courtyard houses, there is more to just Spain then what meets the eye. If you was to truly dig deep into the beauty of Spain, you will find what truly is the essential value of history. According to the article, “The Resilient Roman Ruins of Spain”, it states that “…There are many wonderful things to discover when checking out the Roman ruins in Spain, and while it is easy to

The portrait that I decided to analyze was called The Ponte Salario by “Hubert Robert. The reason that I decided to choose this painting was because it had a very natural feel to it. The painting takes place outdoors and there is an older building that looks as if it dates back thousands of years. The bridge connected to the tower made of rock which looks very run down; I am assuming it is from age. According to Robert ‘The Ponte Salario takes its name from the Via Salaria,

Many decades’ architects have failed to seal the enormous hole in the roof of the great Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore. In 1418, the city Fathers announced a contest for the idea dome design; a promise of gold and eternal fame was granted for anyone who is able to construct it. A goldsmith, Filippo Brunelleschi won the contest by proposing his design of “double dome” to the Fathers.

During the last decades, Madrid has surfaced as the heartbeat of modern business, art, technology, and fashion. Traveling to Spain on a tourist travel will only show me a glimpse of what Spain’s history treasures are, but this program will unveil many aspects of the Spanish culture that are unique and exclusive to the country. In addition, it will be a great opportunity to learn about my own culture a little better. As we already know, Spain conquered a vast majority of what is now the American continent. While in Madrid, and since I will be only a few hours from Seville, Spain; I would love to be able to visit the General Archive of the Indies which holds the records and complete documentation of the historical administration and discoveries made by the Spaniards in the New World during its prominent years in exploration. As a native Guatemalan, it would be fascinating to learn about my own roots from the accounts of the Spaniards who set foot on my country and many of the other American countries that were conquered by Spain. Sometimes, we get a better appreciation of history when it is viewed from both perspectives. It’s not the same to learn history of a country based on the narratives of a textbook, than to be actually experience it from its culture and people. The study abroad program will consist of a total of ninety classroom hours of interaction with native Spanish students and professors. In addition, one of the courses will be taught fully in Spanish, which will benefit me greatly by strengthening my Spanish speaking, reading, and writing skills. While in Spain, I hope to be able to interact with Spaniards and exchange information in order to compare and contrast their culture from my own. I’d also like to explore the city of Madrid,

In her article “These strange castles are all over Ecuador’s capital. And they may be in danger,” the author, Jim Wyss, explains that there are some castles in Ecuador which are seen as a burden because they are different from the cities architecture. These castles are located in the Mariscal Sucre neighborhood, the new commercial hub of Quito, Ecuador’s capital. They were designed and built by Ruben Vincy, a Mexican immigrant who loved the fantastic things. He built more than a dozen castles, some of which are still standing intact externally, but they had been changed internally and turned into offices, hotels, and restaurants. In addition, Castillo Larrea and Rickie’s department store, are two of Vinci’s original masterpieces that maintain

It is a 12-foot-high and 72 x 72 foot piece, it is relatively large in size, one can observe it by looking at the piece from different angles. This piece is made of grass, concrete, composite steel, granite, plaster, paint and programmed LED lights. The installed LED lights are programmed to change just before sunrise and sunset. The symmetrical balance of the piece conveys a sense of stability. The diagonal lines of the stairs suggest a feeling of movement, also the thin vertical line of the pole makes the roof look like it is floating. Turrell took this image from a low angle and we as viewers are drawn to look upwards and forward through the doors and into the

The first thing that one’s eyes lay on is the amazing trade mark of marble stone from the architect Rafael Guastavino. The façade out of this building shows Spanish Renaissance architecture at its very best. The brick work could not be copied and is no longer done in this day and age. This herringbone pattern is also the trademark that Guastavino uses in all the buildings that he created (Carrasco, Mercè Piqueras). On the top of the church stands the churches Saint; Saint Lawrence. He holds a gridiron; which is the method by which he was martyred (saintlawrencebasilica.org). Saint Lawrence is flanked by Saint Steven, the very first martyr, who holds a stone; which was the method of his martyrdom. On the opposite side, Guastavino’s favorite saint, stands Aloysius Gonzaga. He was a young seminarian at the time of the plague that died assisting other people (Swain, Elisabeth). The inside of this building contains no structure, but yet in the last one hundred years there was never one tile that was lost. Inside the church one can’t help but notice the many banners hanging around the perimeter. The banners on the eastside of the building are the coated coats of arms of all the popes who have reined since

The church of San Francisco stretches the length of its plaza, and is one of the oldest in Quito. Construction started a month after the Spanish arrived in the city, and an Incan Palace lies underneath the churches’ foundations. Converted catacombs, accessible from street level, are filled with shelves of Ecuadorian pottery, jewelry, and art work for sale. The plaza also hosts art and photography exhibits sponsored by the

The Pantheon being one of the main tourist attractions in Rome, Panini’s depiction of this architectural model is populated with a lively mix of Romans and other foreign visitors who are visiting the Pantheon to admire the marvellous architecture, chat, and to pray. Panini being a trained expert in theatrical design and architecture has provided a larger view of the interiors of Pantheon than what is possible in real from a single point. The viewpoint is intense while it faces the entrance. Panini's attempt to show the bright blue sky through the oculus in the centre of the dome just adds to the magnificence of the painting. The psychic line towards the sunlight creates a soft feeling that is not too harsh on eyes but directs the vision to the right point. The ground is a terracotta-coloured layer that is reddish and contains several translucent white pigments to provide a certain depth. The lines were incised using straightedge into the

Traveling to Spanish speaking countries and understanding the culture will make any trip the ultimate experience!

The manipulation of materials used by the Romans has still not been equaled to this day. This reality is surprising when considering the span of time which has passed since the completion of the Pantheon. A period of almost two thousand years has come and gone without any other dome structure equivalently matching the enormity and importance of the Pantheon. Hadrian’s commencement of the Pantheon has created one of the more “influential works in Western architectural history (Fazio, Moffett, and Lawrence). Keeping in mind the pantheon was created as a temple to commemorate all the pagan gods of ancient Rome (Alcott). At the time it was a very large undertaking and Hadrian felt that using architecture was a sufficient course of action to demonstrate his imperial prowess. The Roman Empire was outstretched over a vast expanse of land and could not sustain itself, however Hadrian used his knowledge of the lay to procure some elements for his reconstruction of the Pantheon. Literally meaning “many gods” the pantheon also served as a sundial with an oculus opening at the apex of the dome. Hadrian’s belief in pagan deities coerced him to create a grand structure suitable to express the divine influence of the gods over the Roman Empire. In fact, Hadrian’s reign produced many architectural exploits that had never been seen or even attempted before his

The fortress is large and rises up to 140 feet above the sea. In addition to this, the museum composed of six huge levels of ramps, dungeons, towers and tunnels. This is a favorite for tourist who enjoy learning about history while on their trip. The museum offers a lot to learn and beautiful displays and views. This also a very popular attraction because of the attention this large fortress bring by just its simple display. This is one location you can not miss if you’re in Puerto Rico.

Wonderful and picturesque churches were constructed by Spanish like “Templo de Santo Domingo” or the “Zocalo”, this two places are quaint and you can see the all the handmade work. On the other hand you can visit the “20 de Noviembre market”

TRANSITION: To begin I am going to give you the well-known aspects of La Siesta and how Spaniards long practiced this tradition.

This place is located in Granada, Spain. The name of this palace means "the red one". It was originally constructed as a small fortress in 889 and then largely ignored until Moorish emir Mohammed ibn Al-Ahmar of the Emirate of Granada renovated and rebuilt its ruins in the mid-11th century. He was the one who built its current palace and walls. In 1333 Yusuf I, Sultan of Granada converted it into a royal palace.