Una Mezcla de Culturas

One of the best things about living in a place full of culture is that every corner I turn there is something new and exciting to see.  Sevilla is the capital of Andalusia, the southernmost community of Spain.  Sevilla was under Moorish rule from the start of the 8th century until the 13th century.  Much of the architecture of Sevilla was influenced by the Moors during this time period.

The Alcázar, one of the most famous cites in Sevilla, was originally a Moorish Palace.  Even though the building has been altered many times and now belongs to the Royal Family, there are still remains of the palace.  The rooms of the Alcázar are lined with eye-grabbing tessellations that were part of the mosque.  The black stars on the wall in my picture represent the Moors themselves, as individuals.  The shapes that branch out from each star represent various life journeys.  The Moors believe in an afterlife that is eternal.  The paths on this wall seem to never end, symbolizing this eternity.  Since the Moors could not put pictures of their gods in their mosques or palaces, they instead used colors to represent their god, Allah.  Allah is represented by the color green, which was very noticeable in the tessellations. 

During “la Reconquista” (The Reconquest), King Fernando III seized Sevilla from Moorish rule.  Instead of destroying the palace, he moved in and if I was in his shoes, I would have done the same thing.  The Alcázar has been property of the Royal Family ever since.  On the upper levels of the building, there are lots of sculpted lions, a symbol of power and royalty in Spain.  Many Spanish royal crests have lions in them.  The upper levels once housed the royal family but today, they live in Madrid even though the Alcázar remains one of their many homes.  The house was beautiful and unlike anything I have ever seen before.  The backyard was filled with gardens flourishing with orange trees and other Spanish plants, some that our tour guide said are even used for cooking!  I keep forgetting that it is only January and, to the Sevillanos, it's cold.  I can't imagine how beautiful the Alcázar gardens are during the spring when everything is in full bloom.  I will definitely need to come back.

I think I enjoyed visiting the Alcázar today more than some of the other students in my program because I had learned a lot about it already.  I took a class at Providence called Hispanic Civilization that taught me about the art of Spain and how it shows Spanish history.  We learned about the unique “mezcla” (mix) of cultures in Sevilla and the Alcázar was one of the examples my professor used.  Today I couldn’t believe that I was standing inside the same building that I learned about in Providence.  It’s rare to have an opportunity like this and I am lucky that I can have these kinds of experiences while I am in Sevilla.