Culture of Spain
Spanish culture blends Roman, Muslim, and Catholic legacies.
The culture of Spain is influenced by its Western origin, its interaction with other cultures in Europe, its historically Catholic religious tradition, and the varied national and regional identities within the country. It encompasses literature, music, visual arts, cuisine as well as contemporary customs, beliefs, institutions, and social norms. Beyond Spain, Spanish culture is considered the historical basis of Hispanic American culture and an important influence on Filipino culture.
- field
- Culture
- nationality
- Spanish
- known_for
- Influencing Hispanic American and Filipino cultures; UNESCO World Heritage Sites; literary works such as Don Quixote; artists including Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí
Lore & Background
The ancient peoples of Spain included Celts, Iberians, Celtiberians, Tartessians, Vascones, as well as Phoenician, Greek and Carthaginian colonies. It was entirely conquered by Rome, becoming the province of Hispania. The ancient Romans left a lasting cultural, religious, political, legal and administrative legacy. The Visigoths later established a united Hispania and kept the Latin and Christian legacy. Muslim influences played a significant role during the Early Middle Ages in areas conquered by the Umayyads, but these were not completely assimilated, leading to conflicts and ultimately to the Christian Reconquista that largely shaped the country's culture.
Reader's Guide
Spanish culture has been shaped by its Mediterranean and Atlantic environment, its Roman heritage, and the Reconquista. Its literature includes foundational works such as the Cantar de Mio Cid, La Celestina, Lazarillo de Tormes, and Don Quixote, the latter considered a founding work of modern Western literature. In visual arts, Spain produced world-renowned painters from the Golden Age—El Greco, Murillo, Velázquez, Goya—and 20th-century figures like Picasso, Dalí, Juan Gris, Joan Miró, and Antoni Tàpies. Architecture spans Roman projects like the Aqueduct of Segovia, Islamic structures such as the Great Mosque of Córdoba and the Alhambra, and later styles including Mudéjar, Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Catalan Modernisme. Spanish cinema gained international recognition through directors Luis Buñuel and Pedro Almodóvar, and actors such as Penélope Cruz, Antonio Banderas, and Javier Bardem. The Spanish language, a Romance language derived largely from Latin, has become a global language and one of six official languages of the United Nations.
Did You Know?
- Around 85% of modern Spanish vocabulary is derived from Latin.
- Spain has one of the highest numbers of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the world.
- Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes, is considered a founding work of modern Western literature.
- Spanish cinema generated only 10 to 20% of box office receipts in Spain as of the article's writing.
More in National Cultures And Ethnic Groups 1-24
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