dance and music is native to Andalusia. The patrimony of Andalusia has been shaped by its particular history and geography, as well as its complex flows of population. Andalusia has been home to a succession of peoples and civilizations, many very different from one another, each impacting the settled inhabitants. The ancient
Iberians were followed by
Celts,
Phoenicians and other Eastern Mediterranean traders,
Romans,
migrating Germanic tribes,
Arabs or Berbers. All have shaped the Spanish patrimony in Andalusia, which was already diffused widely in the literary and pictorial genre of the
costumbrismo andaluz. In the 19th century, Andalusian culture came to be widely viewed as the Spanish culture
par excellence, in part thanks to the perceptions of
romantic travellers. In the words of
Ortega y Gasset:
Arts in the 19th century invented the current
classical guitar. Andalusia has been the birthplace of many great artists: the classic painters
Velázquez,
Murillo, and
Juan de Valdés Leal; the sculptors
Juan Martínez Montañés,
Alonso Cano and
Pedro de Mena; and such modern painters as
Daniel Vázquez Díaz and
Pablo Picasso. The Spanish composer
Manuel de Falla was from Cádiz and incorporated typical Andalusian melodies in his works, as did
Joaquín Turina, from Seville. The great singer
Camarón de la Isla was born in
San Fernando, and
Andrés Segovia who helped shape the romantic-modernist approach to
classical guitar, was born in
Linares, Jaén. The virtuoso Flamenco guitar player
Paco de Lucia who helped internationalize Flamenco, was born in Algeciras, Cádiz.
Architecture in
Granada Since the
Neolithic era, Andalusia has preserved important
megaliths, such as the
dolmens at the
Cueva de Menga and the
Dolmen de Viera, both at
Antequera. Archeologists have found
Bronze Age cities at
Los Millares and
El Argar. Archeological digs at Doña Blanca in
El Puerto de Santa María have revealed the oldest
Phoenicians city in the Iberian peninsula; major ruins have also been revealed at Roman
Italica near Seville. Some of the greatest architecture in Andalusia was developed across several centuries and civilizations, and the region is particularly famous for its Islamic and Moorish architecture, which includes the
Alhambra complex,
Generalife and the
Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba. The traditional architecture of Andalusia retains its
Roman with Arab influences brought by
Muslims, with a marked Mediterranean character strongly conditioned by the climate. Traditional urban houses are constructed with shared walls to minimize exposure to high exterior temperatures. Solid exterior walls are
painted with
lime to minimize the heating effects of the sun. In accord with the climate and tradition of each area, the roofs may be
terraces or tiled in the Roman
imbrex and tegula style. One of the most characteristic elements (and one of the most obviously influenced by Roman architecture) is the interior
patio or
courtyard; the patios of Córdoba are particularly famous. Other characteristic elements are decorative (and functional)
wrought iron gratings and the
tiles known as
azulejos. Landscaping—both for common private homes and homes on a more lavish scale—also carries on older traditions, with plants, flowers, and fountains, pools, and streams of water. Beyond these general elements, there are also specific local architectural styles, such as the
flat roofs, roofed chimneys, and radically extended
balconies of the
Alpujarra, the cave dwellings of
Guadix and of Granada's
Sacromonte, or the traditional architecture of the
Marquisate of Zenete. The monumental architecture of the centuries immediately after the Reconquista often displayed an assertion of Christian hegemony through architecture that referenced non-Arab influences. Some of the greatest
Renaissance buildings in Andalusia are from the
then-kingdom of Jaén: the
Jaén Cathedral, designed in part by
Andrés de Vandelvira, served as a model for the
Málaga Cathedral and
Guadix Cathedral; the centers of
Úbeda and
Baeza, dating largely from this era, are UNESCO
World Heritage Sites. Seville and its kingdom also figured prominently in this era, as is shown by the
Casa consistorial de Sevilla, the
Hospital de las Cinco Llagas, or the
Charterhouse of Jerez de la Frontera. The
Palace of Charles V in Granada is uniquely important for its
Italianate purism. Andalusia also has such
Baroque-era buildings as the
Palace of San Telmo in Seville (seat of the current autonomic presidency), the
Church of Our Lady of Reposo in
Campillos, and the
Granada Charterhouse.
Academicism gave the region the
Royal Tobacco Factory in Seville and
Neoclassicism the nucleus of Cádiz, such as its ,
Royal Prison, and the
Oratorio de la Santa Cueva.
Revivalist architecture in the 19th and 20th centuries contributed the buildings of the
Ibero-American Exposition of 1929 in Seville, including the
Neo-Mudéjar Plaza de España. Andalusia also preserves an important industrial patrimony related to various economic activities. Besides the architecture of the cities, there is also much outstanding rural architecture: houses, as well as ranch and farm buildings and
dog houses.
Sculpture The
Iberian reliefs of
Osuna,
Lady of Baza, and , the Phoenician
sarcophagi of Cádiz, and the
Roman sculptures of the
Baetic cities such as
Italica give evidence of traditions of sculpture in Andalusia dating back to antiquity. There are few significant surviving sculptures from the time of
al-Andalus; two notable exceptions are the lions of the Alhambra and of the
Maristán of Granada (the
Nasrid hospital in the Albaicín). The
Sevillian school of sculpture dating from the 13th century onward and the
Granadan school beginning toward the end of the 16th century both focused primarily on Christian religious subject matter, including many wooden
altarpieces. Notable sculptors in these traditions include
Lorenzo Mercadante de Bretaña, ,
Juan Martínez Montañés,
Pedro Roldán, ,
Jerónimo Balbás,
Alonso Cano, and
Pedro de Mena. Non-religious sculpture has also existed in Andalusia since antiquity. A fine example from the Renaissance era is the decoration of the
Casa de Pilatos in Seville. Nonetheless, non-religious sculpture played a relatively minor role until such 19th-century sculptors as .
Painting As in sculpture, there were and the schools of painting. The former has figured prominently in the history of Spanish art since the 15th century and includes such important artists as
Zurbarán,
Velázquez and
Murillo, as well as art theorists such as
Francisco Pacheco. The
Museum of Fine Arts of Seville and the
Prado contain numerous representative works of the Sevillian school of painting. A specific
romantic genre known as
costumbrismo andaluz depicts traditional and folkloric Andalusian subjects, such as bullfighting scenes, dogs, and scenes from Andalusia's history. Important artists in this genre include
Manuel Barrón,
José García Ramos,
Gonzalo Bilbao and
Julio Romero de Torres. The genre is well represented in the private
Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection, part of which is on display at Madrid's
Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum and
Carmen Thyssen Museum in Málaga. Málaga also has been and is an important artistic center. Its most illustrious representative was
Pablo Picasso, one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. The city has a
Museum and
Natal House Foundation, dedicated to the painter.
Literature and philosophy Andalusia plays a significant role in the history of Spanish-language literature, although not all of the important literature associated with Andalusia was written in Spanish. Before 1492, there was the literature written in
Andalusian Arabic. Hispano-Arabic authors native to the region include
Ibn Hazm,
Ibn Zaydún,
Ibn Tufail,
Al-Mu'tamid,
Ibn al-Khatib,
Ibn al-Yayyab, and
Ibn Zamrak or Andalusian Hebrew poets as
Solomon ibn Gabirol.
Ibn Quzman, of the 12th century, crafted poems in the colloquial Andalusian language. In 1492
Antonio de Nebrija published his celebrated
Gramática de la lengua castellana ("Grammar of the Castilian language"), the first such work for a modern European language. In 1528
Francisco Delicado wrote
La lozana andaluza, a novel in the orbit of
La Celestina, and in 1599 the Sevillian
Mateo Alemán wrote the first part of
Guzmán de Alfarache, the first
picaresque novel with a known author. The prominent
humanist literary school of Seville included such writers as
Juan de Mal Lara,
Fernando de Herrera,
Gutierre de Cetina,
Luis Barahona de Soto,
Juan de la Cueva,
Gonzalo Argote de Molina, and
Rodrigo Caro. The Córdoban
Luis de Góngora was the greatest exponent of the
culteranismo of
Baroque poetry in the
Siglo de Oro; indeed, the style is often referred to as
Góngorismo. Literary Romanticism in Spain had one of its great centers in Andalusia, with such authors as
Ángel de Saavedra, 3rd Duke of Rivas,
José Cadalso and
Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer.
Costumbrismo andaluz existed in literature as much as in visual art, with notable examples being the
Escenas andaluzas of
Serafín Estébanez Calderón and the works of
Pedro Antonio de Alarcón. Andalusian authors
Ángel Ganivet,
Manuel Gómez-Moreno,
Manuel and
Antonio Machado, and
Francisco Villaespesa are all generally counted in the
Generation of '98. Also of this generation were the
Quintero brothers, dramatists who faithfully captured
Andalusian dialects and idiosyncrasies. Also of note, 1956
Nobel Prize-winning poet
Juan Ramón Jiménez was a native of
Moguer, near Huelva. , prominent poet executed by Francoists during the
Spanish Civil War A large portion of the
avant-garde Generation of '27 who gathered at the
Ateneo de Sevilla on the 300th anniversary of Góngora's death were Andalusians:
Federico García Lorca,
Luis Cernuda,
Rafael Alberti,
Manuel Altolaguirre,
Emilio Prados, and 1977 Nobel laureate
Vicente Aleixandre. Certain Andalusian fictional characters have become universal archetypes:
Prosper Mérimée's gypsy
Carmen,
P. D. Eastman's
Perro,
Pierre Beaumarchais's
Fígaro, and
Tirso de Molina's
Don Juan. As in most regions of Spain, the principal form of popular verse is the
romance, although there are also
strophes specific to Andalusia, such as the
soleá or the ''''. Ballads, lullabies, street vendor's cries, nursery rhymes, and work songs are plentiful. Among the philosophers native to the region can be counted
Seneca,
Avicebron,
Maimonides,
Averroes,
Fernán Pérez de Oliva,
Sebastián Fox Morcillo,
Ángel Ganivet,
Francisco Giner de los Ríos and
María Zambrano.
Music of Andalusia The music of Andalusia includes traditional and contemporary music, folk and composed music, and ranges from
flamenco to
rock. Conversely, certain metric, melodic and harmonic characteristics are considered Andalusian even when written or performed by musicians from elsewhere. Flamenco, perhaps the most characteristically Andalusian genre of music and dance, originated in the 18th century, but is based in earlier forms from the region. The influence of the traditional music and dance of the
Romani people or Gypsies is particularly clear. The genre embraces distinct vocal (
cante flamenco), guitar (
toque flamenco), and dance (
baile flamenco) styles. The Andalusian Statute of Autonomy reflects the cultural importance of flamenco in its Articles 37.1.18 and 68: Fundamental in the history of Andalusian music are the composers
Cristóbal de Morales,
Francisco Guerrero,
Francisco Correa de Arauxo,
Manuel García,
Manuel de Falla,
Joaquín Turina, and , as well as one of the fathers of modern
classical guitar, the guitarist
Andrés Segovia. Mention should also be made of the great folk artists of the
copla (music) and the
cante hondo, such as
Rocío Jurado,
Lola Flores (
La Faraona, "the
pharaoh"),
Juanito Valderrama and the revolutionary
Camarón de la Isla. Prominent Andalusian rock groups include
Triana and
Medina Azahara. The duo
Los del Río from
Dos Hermanas had international success with their "
Macarena", including playing at a
Super Bowl half-time show in the United States, where their song has also been used as campaign music by the
Democratic Party. Other notables include the singer, songwriter, and poet
Joaquín Sabina,
Isabel Pantoja,
Rosa López, who represented Spain at
Eurovision in 2002, and
David Bisbal. On 16 November 2023,
Seville will host the
24th Annual Latin Grammy Awards at the
FIBES Conference and Exhibition Centre, making Seville the first city outside of the
United States to host the
Latin Grammy Awards.
Film The portrayal of Andalusia in film is often reduced to archetypes: flamenco,
bullfighting, Catholic pageantry,
brigands, the property-rich and cash-poor
señorito andaluz and emigrants. These images particularly predominated from the 1920s through the 1960s, and helped to consolidate a clichéd image of the region. In a very different vein, the province of Almería was the filming location for many
Westerns, especially (but by no means exclusively) the Italian-directed
Spaghetti Westerns. During the dictatorship of
Francisco Franco, this was the extent of the film industry in Andalusia. Nonetheless, Andalusian film has roots as far back as
José Val del Omar in the pre-Franco years, and since the
Spanish transition to democracy has brought forth numerous nationally and internationally respected directors: (
Heart of the Earth),
Chus Gutiérrez (
Poniente), (
Carlos Against the World),
Alberto Rodríguez (
7 Virgins),
Benito Zambrano (
Solas), and
Antonio Banderas (
Summer Rain). Counting together feature films, documentaries, television programs, music videos etc., Andalusia has boomed from 37 projects shooting in 1999 to 1,054 in 2007, with the figure for 2007 including 19 feature films. Although feature films are the most prestigious, commercials and television are currently more economically important to the region. The , headquartered in Córdoba, is a government-run entity in charge of the investigation, collection and diffusion of Andalusian cinematic heritage. Other important contributors to this last activity are such annual film festivals as the
Málaga Spanish Film Festival, the most important festival dedicated exclusively to cinema made in Spain, the
Seville European Film Festival (SEFF), the
International Festival of Short Films—Almería in Short, the
Huelva Festival of Latin American Film, the
Atlantic Film Show in Cádiz, the
Islantilla Festival of Film and Television and the
African Film Festival of Tarifa.
Culture Customs and society , with the altar of the
Virgin of El Rocío Each sub-region in Andalusia has its own unique customs that represent a fusion of Catholicism and local folklore. Cities like Almería have been influenced historically by both
Granada and Murcia in the use of traditional head coverings. The
sombrero de Labrador, a worker's hat made of black velvet, is a signature style of the region. In Cádiz, traditional costumes with rural origins are worn at bullfights and at parties on the large estates. The
tablao flamenco dance and the accompanying
cante jondo vocal style originated in Andalusia and traditionally most often performed by the gypsy (
Gitanos). One of the most distinctive cultural events in Andalusia is the
Romería de El Rocío in May. It consists of a pilgrimage to the
Hermitage of El Rocío in the countryside near
Almonte, in honor of the
Virgin of El Rocío, an image of the
Virgin and Child. In recent times the
Romería has attracted roughly a million pilgrims each year. In
Jaén, the
saeta is a revered form of Spanish religious song, whose form and style has evolved over many centuries. Saetas evoke strong emotion and are sung most often during public processions.
Verdiales, based upon the
fandango, are a flamenco music style and song form originating in Almogia, near Málaga. For this reason, the Verdiales are sometimes known as
Fandangos de Málaga. The region also has a rich musical tradition of flamenco songs, or
palos called
cartageneras. Seville celebrates
Semana Santa, one of the better known religious events within Spain. During the festival, religious fraternities dress as penitents and carry large floats of lifelike wooden sculptures representing scenes of the
Passion, and images of the Virgin Mary.
Sevillanas, a type of old folk music sung and written in Seville and still very popular, are performed in fairs and festivals, along with an associated dance for the music, the
Baile por sevillanas. All the different regions of Andalusia have developed their own distinctive customs, but all share a connectedness to Catholicism as developed during baroque
Spain society.
Andalusian Spanish . In other areas, all three letters are pronounced (), which is known as Seseo''. Still other areas retain the distinction found elsewhere in Spain. Note that the city of
Cádiz has seseo. Andalusian Spanish is one of the most widely spoken forms of
Spanish in Spain, and because of emigration patterns was very influential on
American Spanish. Rather than a single dialect, it is really a range of dialects sharing some common features; among these is the retention of more
Arabic words than elsewhere in Spain, as well as some
phonological differences compared with
Standard Spanish. The
isoglosses that mark the borders of Andalusian Spanish overlap to form a network of divergent boundaries, so there is no clear border for the linguistic region.
A fringe movement promoting an Andalusian language independent from Spanish exists.
Religion The territory now known as Andalusia fell within the sphere of influence of ancient Mediterranean
mythological beliefs. Phoenician colonization brought the cults of
Baal and
Melqart; the latter lasted into Roman times as
Hercules, mythical founder of both Cádiz and Seville. The
Islote de Sancti Petri held the supposed tomb of Hercules, with representations of his
Twelve labors; the region was the traditional site of the tenth labor, obtaining the cattle of the monster
Geryon. Traditionally, the
Pillars of Hercules flank the
Strait of Gibraltar. Clearly, the European pillar is the
Rock of Gibraltar; the African pillar was presumably either
Monte Hacho in
Ceuta or
Jebel Musa in
Morocco. The
Roman road that led from Cádiz to Rome was known by several names, one of them being '''', Hercules route returning from his tenth labor. The present
coat of arms of Andalusia shows Hercules between two lions, with two pillars behind these figures.
Roman Catholicism is, by far, the largest religion in Andalusia. In 2012, the proportion of
Andalusians that identify themselves as Roman Catholic was 78.8%. Spanish Catholic religion constitutes a traditional vehicle of Andalusian cultural cohesion, and the principal characteristic of the local popular form of Catholicism is devotion to the
Virgin Mary; Andalusia is sometimes known as
la tierra de María Santísima ("the land of Most Holy Mary"). Also characteristic are the processions during
Holy Week, in which thousands of
penitents (known as
nazarenos) sing
saetas. Andalusia is the site of such
pilgrim destinations as the
Santuario de Nuestra Señora de la Cabeza in
Andújar and the
Hermitage of El Rocío in
Almonte.
Bullfighting : Joselito "El Gallo". While some trace the lineage of the
Spanish Fighting Bull back to Roman times, today's fighting bulls in the Iberian peninsula and in the former
Spanish Empire trace back to Andalusia in the 15th and 16th centuries. Andalusia remains a center of bull-rearing and
bullfighting: its 227
fincas de ganado where fighting bulls are raised cover .
Fried fish—
pescaíto frito—and
seafood are common on the coast and also eaten well into the interior under coastal influence.
Atlantic bluefin tuna (
Thunnus thynnus) from the
Almadraba areas of the
Gulf of Cádiz,
prawns from
Sanlúcar de Barrameda (known as
langostino de Sanlúcar), and deepwater rose shrimp (
Parapenaeus longirostris) from Huelva are all highly prized. Fishing for the transparent goby or
chanquete (
Aphia minuta), a once-popular small fish from Málaga, is now banned because the techniques used to catch them trap too many immature fish of
other species. The mountainous regions of the Sierra Morena and Sierra Nevada produce cured
hams, notably including
jamón serrano and
jamón ibérico. These come from two different types of pig, (
jamón serrano from white pigs, the more expensive
jamón ibérico from the
Black Iberian pig). There are several
denominaciones de origen, each with its own specifications including in just which
microclimate region ham of a particular denomination must be cured.
Plato alpujarreño is another mountain specialty, a dish combining ham, sausage, sometimes other pork, egg, potatoes, and olive oil.
Confectionery is popular in Andalusia.
Almonds and
honey are common ingredients. Many enclosed
convents of
nuns make and sell pastries, especially Christmas pastries:
mantecados,
polvorones,
pestiños,
alfajores, ''
, as well as churros
or , meringue cookies (merengadas
), and ''. Cereal-based dishes include
migas de harina in eastern Andalusia (a similar dish to
couscous rather than the fried breadcrumb based
migas elsewhere in Spain) and a sweeter, more aromatic porridge called
poleá in western Andalusia. Vegetables form the basis of such dishes as ''
(similar to ratatouille'') and the chopped salad known as '
or '. Hot and cold soups based in olive oil, garlic, bread, tomato and peppers include
gazpacho,
salmorejo,
porra antequerana,
ajo caliente,
sopa campera, or—using almonds instead of tomato—
ajoblanco. Wine has a privileged place at the Andalusian table. Andalusian wines are known worldwide, especially
fortified wines such as
sherry (
jerez), aged in
soleras. These are enormously varied; for example, dry sherry may be the very distinct
fino,
manzanilla,
amontillado,
oloroso, or
Palo Cortado and each of these varieties can each be sweetened with
Pedro Ximénez or
Moscatel to produce a different variety of sweet sherry. Besides sherry, Andalucía has five other
denominaciones de origen for wine:
D.O. Condado de Huelva,
D.O. Manzanilla-Sanlúcar de Barrameda,
D.O. Málaga,
D.O. Montilla-Moriles, and
D.O. Sierras de Málaga. Most Andalusian wine comes from one of these regions, but there are other historic wines without a
Protected Geographical Status, for example
Tintilla de Rota,
Pajarete,
Moscatel de Chipiona and
Mosto de Umbrete. Andalusia also produces D.O.
vinegar and
brandy:
D.O. Vinagre de Jerez and
D.O. Brandy de Jerez. The
Museum of Arts and Traditions of Sevilla has collected representative samples of a great deal of the history of Andalusian dress, including examples of such notable types of hat as the
sombrero cordobés, sombrero calañés,
sombrero de catite and the ''
, as well as the traje corto and traje de flamenca''. Andalusia has a great artisan tradition in
tile,
leather (
see Shell cordovan),
weaving (especially of the heavy
jarapa cloth),
marquetry, and
ceramics (especially in Jaén, Granada, and Almería),
lace (especially Granada and Huelva),
embroidery (in
Andévalo),
ironwork,
woodworking, and
basketry in
wicker, many of these traditions a heritage of the long period of Muslim rule. Andalusia is also known for its dogs, particularly the
Andalusian Hound, which was originally bred in the region. Dogs, not just andalusian hounds, are very popular in the region. Andalusian equestrianism, institutionalized in the
Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art is known well beyond the borders of Spain. The
Andalusian horse is strongly built, compact yet elegant, distinguished in the area of
dressage and
show jumping, and is also an excellent horse for
driving. They are known for their elegant "dancing"
gait. File:Alhambra - decorazioni2.JPG|Tiles from the Alhambra File:Andalusian, in "Majo" dress.jpg|Andalusian, in "Majo" dress, wearing a
sombrero calañes File:«Vaquero de Andalucia» - Colección de trajes de España (1825).jpg| Andalusian vaquero (herdsman) wearing a
sombrero pavero (1825) File:Chorromujo.jpg|
Sombrero de catite File:Conjunto sombreros.jpg|
Sombreros cordobeses ==Sports==