Spain’s 17th Century: Crisis and Economic Shifts
After the Spanish hegemony, a crisis occurred, which offered the possibility of making changes to maintain hegemony. Why did change not occur? Because the institutions did not make it possible.
The mid-seventeenth century produced a new phase of population growth, agricultural products, maritime trade, American trade, and the emergence of Spanish bankers replacing foreigners. It also produced the diffusion of crops (maize) that are diversified and specialized. There is a difference between the Spain
Read MoreEarly Hominins: Evolution, Traits, and Tool Use
**Difference Between Hominins and Hominids**
- Humans and human ancestors only are referred to as hominins.
- African-derived great apes (chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas) and humans, along with their ancestors, are referred to as hominids.
**Hominin Traits**
- Modifications in the pelvic girdle (hip bones) and lower limbs that make them capable of bipedal locomotion (bipedalism).
- Changes in the upper arm and vertebral column indicate that weight is supported only by the legs.
- Smaller canine teeth (canines are
Spanish Baroque Architecture and Sculpture: 17th-18th Centuries
Spanish Baroque Architecture: 17th and 18th Centuries
Spanish Baroque architecture does not present the European character of splendid urban creations or unique buildings due to the economic and social conditions existing in the 17th century. Civil constructions are part of the Baroque style of Herrera de los Austrias: towers on the corners crowned with spires, slate roofs, brick and stonework at the corners and walls, mansard roofs, and sober ornamentation. There is no equivalent to European urbanism
Read MoreImperialism and Its Impact: 19th and 20th Centuries
Imperialism
Imperialism is a doctrine that leads to the domination of one state over another by military, economic, or political force. Key aspects include:
- Strong nationalism
- Use of force to control as many territories as possible
- Systematic exploitation of these territories
- Developed from the last third of the 19th century
Imperial Expansion
Between 1870 and 1914, European countries created colonial empires, mainly in Africa and Asia.
Causes of Imperial Expansion
Demographic
By 1900, the European population
Read MoreChristian Kingdoms: Expansion and Consolidation in Medieval Spain
Navarre and Aragon: Independence from the Franks
At the beginning of the 9th century, Hispanics in Jaca created the county of Aragon and expelled all Franks, creating the Kingdom of Navarre-Pamplona (817).
Vifredo the Velloso made the office hereditary. Count Borrell II refused to renew the oath of allegiance to the Frankish king. Thus, the Catalan counties were born, with Barcelona becoming the most important.
Consolidation of the Kingdoms
In the 11th century, under the reign of Sancho III the Great
Read MoreUrban Structure: Old Town, Expansion, and Periphery in Spanish Cities
Urban Structure of Spanish Cities
As a result of the long process of urbanization, Spanish cities with complex plans can be structured into three distinct areas: the old town, the expansion (ensanche), and the periphery.
1. The Old Town
1.1.1 The Origin
- Location of the city in relation to a wider geographical area (e.g., confluence of rivers or roads, along a communication axis) and its relation to the functions of the city on the surroundings (e.g., political or military control of an area, a region’