Spanish Culture
The Spanish culture is colourful, rich and mysterious. The culture is a result of its geographical location and the people who influenced the area and is a mix of Greek, Roman, Muslim, Phoenician and North African. The location on the Iberian Peninsular which is shared with Portugal and the access to the south and Mediterranean has enabled trading links to these areas and has lead to many diverse influences on Spain and its culture.
Bullfighting is probably the most well known of Spanish traditions and culture that shows the influences that other peoples and races have had on the country. Bullfighting was brought to the Iberian Peninsular by the Phoenicians and Greeks and was then over time adopted into the Spanish culture. Important changes in bullfighting occurred in AD711 when the North African Moors moved to the area of Andalusia. The sport was which originally involved men on horses fighting bulls gradually changed to fighting without the aid of horses. The Moors also changed the bullfight from a sport to a more ritualistic event as is evidenced today in the modern bullfight.
Spanish culture is famously linked to the Flamenco dance style. Flamenco or passionate Flamenco originated in the area of Andalusia and was a traditional gipsy dance.
Artists have also famously impacted on the culture, including El Greco, Diego Velasquez and the 20th century masters as Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali. Spain has also had modern influences and the guitar, the main instrument of modern pop music was developed in Spain when a sixth string was added to the Moorish Lute.
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