Photos from San Sebastián and Zaragoza

Over the last few weeks I've taken two trips to cities located in the northern regions of Spain: Donostia-San Sabastián and Zaragoza. Each city represents a unique aspect of Spanish history and culture, especially in regards to their relationship with the Muslim reign over Spain in the medival ages and the broader Spanish political and cultural community in the 20th century.

In the case of Zaragoza, the city has a unique place in the development of medieval Spanish history: it is an excellent case of the impact of the reconquista by Christian forces, which began in the 10th and 11th centuries and took full force in the 13th and 14th centuries, on the city's architecture. The city's history, however, extends much further back into the times of the Roman Empire. The city, which was founded between 24 and 12 BCE, was a major Roman urban center in Roman Hispania notable for its name: Caesar Augustus. The city's settlers named the city in honor the Roman Empire's first emperor, a gesture that has stood the test of time: Saraugustus in Latin; Saraqusta in Arabic; Zaragoza in Castellano.

The Roman Forum in the City

As the Arabic name indicates, the city was conquered by Muslim forces in the 7th century and became one of the northern regions of the Islamic Caliphate after Charles Martel defeated these forces in the Battle of Tours in 732 and pushed them back to the northern regions of the Iberian peninsula. After the Islamic Caliphate dissolved in the 10th century, the taifa of Saraqusta emerged as an independent kingdom until the end of the 11th century when Christian forces retook the city and established it as the center of the independent kingdom of Aragon.

Given that the new rulers of the city did not expel all Muslims from the city limits, the steady presence of Muslim culture influenced the development of the architecture at the time. Many of the churches in the city were built in the mudejar -- literally those who were allowed to stay, e.g Muslims -- style of architecture by Muslim architects and builders. As a result, many of the churches that exist in the city have a marked similarity to mosques. One only needs to look at the bell towers of these churches to notice their superficial appearance to the minarets of mosques in a country such as Morocco or Syria.

One of several Mudejar churches in the city

One of my Fulbright colleagues once explained to me that the style was very much in vogue in Christian cities during the 11th through 14th centuries even though it was associated with the rival Muslim forces due to the fact that it had permeated the aesthetic sensibility of individuals in the Iberian peninsula over the course of several centuries of Muslim rule. In other words, the style is a distinct product of a fusion of cultures and sensibilities that marked the dynamic interchange of ideas in medieval Spain.

Furthermore, the city's Christian rulers -- namely the famed Prince Ferdinand of Aragon who united Spain with Queen Isabella de Castilla and supported Columbus' trip to the Americas -- took the city's palace, the Aljafería, the place of joy, and continued to use it as the center of administration until the early modern period. The palace, which is now the center of administration for the Communidad Autonoma de Aragon's legislators, represents another example of the prevalence of Islamic and Mudejar style architecture in post-Muslim Zaragoza. In fact, one can rank the palace as one of the three best examples of Islamic architecture in Spain; the other two sites are the Catedral de la Mezquita in Cordoba and the Alhambra in Granada.


This history aside, I should also note that the city was the center of the world expo in 2008, which focused on water preservation and environmental awareness as its theme. This theme wouldn't surprise a Zaragozan: the city has a number of wind farms outside of its city limits to produce renewable energy for consumption throughout the metropolitan area. Zaragoza is also a centrally located city: it is equidistant from Barcelona, Madrid, Bilbao, Velencia, and Toulouse, France.



Given Zaragoza's place in the development of medieval Spanish history, San Sebastián, which is found in the País Vasco or Euskana Hereria in Basque, represents a different component of Spanish history and culture: its regionalism. Spain, as I have noted previously, recognizes four official languages: Castellano, 'Español' in the rest of the world; Catalán, which is the official language of the Communidad Autonoma de Catalunya as well as Valencia, where it is known as Valenciano; Gallego, which is the official language of Galicia; and Vasco, which is the official language of the Communidad Autonoma de el País Vasco.

Within these four languages, Vasco has a unique place in the hearts of linguists everywhere for a special reason. Whereas the other languages are related to Western Romance languages that emerged from Latin, the source of the Basque language is unknown. Most linguists agree that Basque is a form of a pre Indo-European language that managed to survive the arrival of the Romans, who named these tribes 'Vascones,' throughout the southern regions of Roman Gaul (France) and the northwest portions of Roman Hispania (Spain).

One can attribute the persistence of the language into modern times to the Basque people themselves. Much like their language, the Basque people do not have any cultural or genetic connections to other Indo-European peoples. In a certain way, this unique trait reflects the amount of self rule that the Basque people have enjoyed for centuries, mostly in the medieval ages; many Basques have proudly proclaimed that their people have never fallen to invaders to other lands, including the famed Charlemagne, whose rear guard troops were slaughtered in the battle of Ronvevaux Pass after retreating from a failed conquest of Zaragoza in 778.

Although the suppression of Basque self-rule has occurred throughout history, the most recent suppression of Basque culture emerged under the Franco regime. Franco imposed Spanish as the only official language over the Basque country as well as Catalunya and Galicia. Basque cultural traditions were informally banned informally, if officially outlawed. Within this legal and political context, a modern form of Basque nationalism heralded by ETA - 'Euskadi Ta Askatasuna,' Basque Homeland and Country - in the 1960s as a Marxist-Leninist movement dedicated the creation of an independent Basque homeland based on language. (One must remember that this period of time is marked by several national liberation movements throughout the colonies of European powers, a clear inspiration to the founding members of ETA).

Although the terrorist organization does not represent the full range of Basque views of self rule, it demonstrates the complex relationship that exists between Madrid and the Basque Country, even after the Spanish Government granted the Communidad Autonoma del País Vasco a great deal of independence after the transition to democracy in the late 70s. The Basque nationalist position that a historic community with no ties to the wider Spanish culture should remain independent of Spain clashes with the perspective that the Basque Country should preserve its ties with Spain while maintaining its autonomy under the Spanish Constitution. Given that the Basque people had the highest number of abstention rates during the referendum to approve the Constitution in 1977 and 1978, however, these positions can come into direct clashes and demonstrate the intense regionalism that continues impacts the development of Spanish politics.

Of course, this history cannot overshadow the incredible food that is prepared in the city. San Sebastián, which has the third best restaurant in the world according to the Michelin guide (and the highest number of Michelin starred restaurants outside of Paris), is incredible. One of the unique aspects of cuisine in the city and the Basque country in general are pintxos. Although tapas were invented in Andalucía, the Basques took the form and perfected it. The sheer diversity of pintxos that exist in bars throughout the city is absolutely astonishing to someone used to plain tapas from Madrid.


Part of this elaborate presentation of a simple bar food emerges from the all male eating societies that exist in the Basque country. Typically men will gather at a restaurant with fresh ingredients and wine to cook and socialize for hours on end with spectacular culinary results. Of course, the innovation of food does not emerge solely from these societies given that the tradition of preparing excellent food, whether 12 course tasting menus or simple pintxos, extends throughout the Basque culture. Whether this affinity for culinary artistry is related to the region's proximity to France or its defiant independence from Madrid, I am unsure. However, the results are spectacular and have made me incredibly fond of the city, its food, and its beaches, which are among the most beautiful in Europe.


Finally, the País Vasco and the Communidad Autonoma de Aragon, which has Zaragoza as its capital, have a special connection to my research: the parliaments of both Communidades Autonomas filed appeals of unconstitionality against the LO 8/2000. Both Communidades Autonomas maintain progressive positions on the rights of immigrants and continue to advocate for the integration of these individuals within their own borders and throughout Spain as well.

The photos of Zaragoza can be viewed here. The photos of San Sebastián can be viewed here.