When the Spanish conquistadors began exploring the Americas in the late 1400s and early 1500s, they quickly began erecting houses, churches, and even cities. The new architectural style of these structures, called Spanish colonial, blended indigenous styles with established European styles such as gothic, neoclassical, and baroque
Spain's King Phillip II developed a set of codes for planners to follow when they designed and built colonial cities. Phillip's Law of the Indies required planners to use a grid system which ordered Spain's New World enclaves around the government and the church. Streets converged on a central plaza dominated by government headquarters and a cathedral, which was the centerpiece of colonial Spanish life.
Colonial cities and churches were often built atop the ruins of ancient empires. This symbolically demonstrated how European culture and Catholicism sought to replace indigenous traditions.
Spanish Catholics built many cathedrals across Latin America using baroque architecture. These churches typically had heavily ornamented twin columns and lush domes. Paintings and sculptures often decorated the interiors and were meant to inspire awe in worshippers.
A typical Spanish colonial house had a red-tiled roof and white, pink, or ochre walls made of stucco. Indoors, multicolored tiles covered walls and thick beams supported sloped ceilings. The floors were made of clay and windows were covered with wrought iron instead of glass. Enclosed courtyards were also a common feature of Spanish colonial houses.
In Latin America, Spanish colonial architecture remains a fixture in places such as Puebla, Mexico; Antigua, Guatemala; Sucre, Bolivia; Santa Cruz de Mompox, Colombia, and Santa Ana de Coro, Venezuela. In the Caribbean, the style is prevalent in Havana, Cuba; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
In the United States, Spanish colonial architecture is most commonly found in California and Florida. In 1565, Spanish colonialists founded St. Augustine. The city, located on the northeastern coast of Florida, was the first permanent European settlement in the U.S. and remains a showcase of Spanish colonial architecture.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Lección Doce- Los artistas españoles
Domenico Theotocopulos was a Greek painter during the Spanish Renaissance known by the nickname "El Greco" (the Greek). In Italy, El Greco studied under Titian, the great Italian Renaissance painter. He then moved to Spain and embraced the school of Mannerism, a movement that emphasized the artist's interpretation of nature. El Greco's paintings of human and divine dramas often resulted in deformed figures and bold colors. His work even had some elements of abstraction, or art without reference to a specific object. El Greco's masterpiece, The Burial of the Conde de Orgaz, a depiction of a count's funeral said to be attended by angels, is a good summary of his style.
Diego Velazquez painted in a realistic style using natural colors, vivid brushstrokes, and strong contrasts of light and shade. In 1623, Velazquez became a court painter to King Philip IV in Madrid. Las Meninas, one of Velazquez's late masterpieces, reveals the experimentation of his final work. In the wall-size biographical painting, Velazquez is interrupted from painting by a young princess and her maids.
Francisco de Goya painted realistic portraits for the Spanish aristocracy but in an era of revolution and personal hardship. In the 1790s, Goya's work took on a darker tone when an illness left him deaf. When Napoleon invaded Spain in 1808, Goya witnessed many French atrocities. In response, he painted The Third of May 1808 in which innocent Spaniards face a French firing squad. The painting's emotional punch and crude human forms greatly influenced the French impressionists. Many called Goya the "father of the Moderns."
Pablo Picasso is credited with creating Cubism, an influential style that stresses geometric shapes and fragmentation. Hints of Cubism could be seen in earlier Picasso paintings such as Les Demoiselles de Avignon. The painting has a brutish beauty that takes cues from native African art. In 1937, Picasso contributed Guernica to the Spanish pavilion at the World's Fair in Paris. The nightmarish mural, named after a Basque town bombed during the Spanish Civil War, foreshadowed the surrealism of Picasso's later work.
Diego Velazquez painted in a realistic style using natural colors, vivid brushstrokes, and strong contrasts of light and shade. In 1623, Velazquez became a court painter to King Philip IV in Madrid. Las Meninas, one of Velazquez's late masterpieces, reveals the experimentation of his final work. In the wall-size biographical painting, Velazquez is interrupted from painting by a young princess and her maids.
Francisco de Goya painted realistic portraits for the Spanish aristocracy but in an era of revolution and personal hardship. In the 1790s, Goya's work took on a darker tone when an illness left him deaf. When Napoleon invaded Spain in 1808, Goya witnessed many French atrocities. In response, he painted The Third of May 1808 in which innocent Spaniards face a French firing squad. The painting's emotional punch and crude human forms greatly influenced the French impressionists. Many called Goya the "father of the Moderns."
Pablo Picasso is credited with creating Cubism, an influential style that stresses geometric shapes and fragmentation. Hints of Cubism could be seen in earlier Picasso paintings such as Les Demoiselles de Avignon. The painting has a brutish beauty that takes cues from native African art. In 1937, Picasso contributed Guernica to the Spanish pavilion at the World's Fair in Paris. The nightmarish mural, named after a Basque town bombed during the Spanish Civil War, foreshadowed the surrealism of Picasso's later work.
Lección Once- Costa Rica
I know that Costa Rica is in Central America I could point it out on a map, if it had words.
Ccotourism is a type of tourism that focuses on nature, such as plants, animals, or natural formations. About 25 percent of Costa Rica is protected in parks or preserves. This amounts to 1,154,945 hectares, or 4459 square miles of land to be protected by the government. Costa Rica has the highest percentage of protected land in the world.
At Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, an national park, there are over 2,000 plant species and over 30 species of hummingbirds. Costa Rica is also the home of some species that are being threatened with extinction, such as jaguars, pumas, and scarlet macaws.
This image came from http://www.monteverdeinfo.com/.
One place recommended for beach camping is Naranjo Beach in Santa Rosa National Park, which is a popular camping ground and surfing location. Barra Honda Caverns National Park is another recommended place for tourists who want to stay in a small cabin, which is equipped with bunk beds and a bathroom. In addition, visitors can have park rangers cook their food for them.
I have never been camping before. I would never go camping to Costa Rica because there is just too much wildlife and plantlife.
GoAnimate.com: 11 by khaldijah.stuart.dplc
Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!
Ccotourism is a type of tourism that focuses on nature, such as plants, animals, or natural formations. About 25 percent of Costa Rica is protected in parks or preserves. This amounts to 1,154,945 hectares, or 4459 square miles of land to be protected by the government. Costa Rica has the highest percentage of protected land in the world.
At Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, an national park, there are over 2,000 plant species and over 30 species of hummingbirds. Costa Rica is also the home of some species that are being threatened with extinction, such as jaguars, pumas, and scarlet macaws.
One place recommended for beach camping is Naranjo Beach in Santa Rosa National Park, which is a popular camping ground and surfing location. Barra Honda Caverns National Park is another recommended place for tourists who want to stay in a small cabin, which is equipped with bunk beds and a bathroom. In addition, visitors can have park rangers cook their food for them.
I have never been camping before. I would never go camping to Costa Rica because there is just too much wildlife and plantlife.
GoAnimate.com: 11 by khaldijah.stuart.dplc
Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Lección Diez: Los instrumentos
I dont have much interest in music but my favorite kind is hip-hop. I never played any musical instruments.
African instruments and sounds heavily influenced the music of the Caribbean islands and the Caribbean coast of Central and South America. This is because slaves were used in great numbers in that region. Congas, bongos, timbales and other drums are essential to all types of Latin American music. They were all originally African drums that were adopted by, and now serve as the basis for, salsa, rumba, merengue and reggaeton, all types of Latin music and dances
One example of an African instrument that was adopted by a South American country is el cajón peruano. African slaves brought to Peru were not allowed to play drums. But the slaves found that wooden boxes produced a sound similar to a drum when they beat them with their hands. A simple box with a sound hole in the back, became the national instrument of Peru.
The marimba is made of wood bars or keys that are struck with mallets. Under each key there is a resonator, a gourd or metal tube that vibrates when the bar is hit. Each resonator is a different length, so every key produces a unique tone when it is hit. The marimba is the national instrument of Guatemala. It is also very popular in southern Mexico and Central America. Marimbas can be very large and can be played by up to five musicians.
El güiro, a hollow gourd with parallel notches or grooves. It is played by scraping a wooden stick along the notches to produce a raspy, ratchet-like sound. Taino Indians are believed to have invented the güiro. It is popular in Puerto Rico and Cuba, as well as in other countries.
El guitarrón is the heartbeat of Mexican mariachi music. It is a very large acoustic bass, similar to a guitar, with six strings. When it was first introduced, it replaced the harp as the bass for mariachi bands, which allowed the musicians more freedom of movement. Still, the guitarrón is a very large instrument.
The siku or zampoña is the Andean version of a flauta de Pan, or a pan-flute. It is believed that pan-flutes originated in ancient Greece and Rome, but the Ayamara and Quechua Indians of South America created their own version before the Spanish conquest and even before the Inca and Maya civilizations. It was made the national instrument in some Andean countries, including Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador.
African instruments and sounds heavily influenced the music of the Caribbean islands and the Caribbean coast of Central and South America. This is because slaves were used in great numbers in that region. Congas, bongos, timbales and other drums are essential to all types of Latin American music. They were all originally African drums that were adopted by, and now serve as the basis for, salsa, rumba, merengue and reggaeton, all types of Latin music and dances
One example of an African instrument that was adopted by a South American country is el cajón peruano. African slaves brought to Peru were not allowed to play drums. But the slaves found that wooden boxes produced a sound similar to a drum when they beat them with their hands. A simple box with a sound hole in the back, became the national instrument of Peru.
The marimba is made of wood bars or keys that are struck with mallets. Under each key there is a resonator, a gourd or metal tube that vibrates when the bar is hit. Each resonator is a different length, so every key produces a unique tone when it is hit. The marimba is the national instrument of Guatemala. It is also very popular in southern Mexico and Central America. Marimbas can be very large and can be played by up to five musicians.
El güiro, a hollow gourd with parallel notches or grooves. It is played by scraping a wooden stick along the notches to produce a raspy, ratchet-like sound. Taino Indians are believed to have invented the güiro. It is popular in Puerto Rico and Cuba, as well as in other countries.
El guitarrón is the heartbeat of Mexican mariachi music. It is a very large acoustic bass, similar to a guitar, with six strings. When it was first introduced, it replaced the harp as the bass for mariachi bands, which allowed the musicians more freedom of movement. Still, the guitarrón is a very large instrument.
The siku or zampoña is the Andean version of a flauta de Pan, or a pan-flute. It is believed that pan-flutes originated in ancient Greece and Rome, but the Ayamara and Quechua Indians of South America created their own version before the Spanish conquest and even before the Inca and Maya civilizations. It was made the national instrument in some Andean countries, including Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador.
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Lección Nueve: Las medicinas tradicionales
Folk remedies use household ingredients, such as herbs and food to solve medical problems. Most cultures have folk remedies for curing common ailments.
According to Mexican folk healing, one way to treat sore muscles is to rub a tincture of avocado pit on the muscle. In fact, many parts of the avocado are used in home remedies: the fruit itself, the peel, the leaves, and the bark are also used. Preparing the avocado in different ways makes it useful in treating ailments such as dandruff, menstrual cramps, and spider bites.
There many other folk healing practices for common pains and illnesses. For example, jellyfish stings can be healed with a cold papaya poultice. Another example involves a jalapeño. If you have a mosquito bite, rub a fresh jalapeño pepper on it to soothe the itch.
Some folk healing remedies use unusual ingredients. For instance, one interesting technique that eases tonsil pain is to take the baba, or foamy saliva, from a horse's mouth and rub it on the neck.
Folk remedies even have cures for modern-day problems. For example, chewing on cinnamon or ginger candy can help with car and seasickness.
One folk remedy my family use is drinking cranberry juice to cure unrinary tract infections.
According to Mexican folk healing, one way to treat sore muscles is to rub a tincture of avocado pit on the muscle. In fact, many parts of the avocado are used in home remedies: the fruit itself, the peel, the leaves, and the bark are also used. Preparing the avocado in different ways makes it useful in treating ailments such as dandruff, menstrual cramps, and spider bites.
There many other folk healing practices for common pains and illnesses. For example, jellyfish stings can be healed with a cold papaya poultice. Another example involves a jalapeño. If you have a mosquito bite, rub a fresh jalapeño pepper on it to soothe the itch.
Some folk healing remedies use unusual ingredients. For instance, one interesting technique that eases tonsil pain is to take the baba, or foamy saliva, from a horse's mouth and rub it on the neck.
Folk remedies even have cures for modern-day problems. For example, chewing on cinnamon or ginger candy can help with car and seasickness.
One folk remedy my family use is drinking cranberry juice to cure unrinary tract infections.
Lección Ocho: Guevara y Granado
Ernesto "Che" Guevara was born on June 14, 1928, in Rosario, Argentina. He is best known for being a political revolutionary: he worked closely with Fidel Castro during Cuba's revolution. But before he met Castro, Che Guevara and his childhood friend Alberto Granado traveled around South America on an old motorcycle.
Guevara and Alberto Granado planned to spend three weeks at a leprosarium, or leper colony, in San Pablo, Peru.
The pair set off from Alberto's home in Córdoba, Argentina, in the winter of 1951. As they left Granado's home, they nearly drove into a street car while the whole Granado family watched. After the near-accident, Granado and Guevara traveled to Buenos Aires to see Guevara's parents.
The Motorcycle Diaries is a 2004 biopic about the journey and written memoir of the 23-year-old Ernesto Guevara,
I personally think the two travling across the country was epic. They were brave to do all that travling on an old motorcycle!
Guevara and Alberto Granado planned to spend three weeks at a leprosarium, or leper colony, in San Pablo, Peru.
The pair set off from Alberto's home in Córdoba, Argentina, in the winter of 1951. As they left Granado's home, they nearly drove into a street car while the whole Granado family watched. After the near-accident, Granado and Guevara traveled to Buenos Aires to see Guevara's parents.
The Motorcycle Diaries is a 2004 biopic about the journey and written memoir of the 23-year-old Ernesto Guevara,
I personally think the two travling across the country was epic. They were brave to do all that travling on an old motorcycle!
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Lección Siete: Los Festivales
The Chicago Latino Film Festival, which was founded in 1984, showcases the work of filmmakers from Latin America, Portugal, Spain, and the U.S. For two weeks in April, tens of thousands of movie fans and aficionados flock to the Windy City to view more than 100 films in genres such as fiction, animation, documentary, and shorts.
Each March, Miami's Little Havana neighborhood is the site of the Calle Ocho Carnaval, a bustling street party filled with dancing, music, festive costumes, and ethnic cuisine. Started in 1978 as a celebration of South Florida's Cuban culture, the event now features food and entertainment from across the Latin world. Domino, a popular game in Cuba, is a particular draw. A televised tournament is held at the carnival each year.
In 2007, the first Ibero American Guitar Festival was held in Washington, D.C. The three-day concert staged at the National Museum for the American Indian highlights the diverse heritages and rhythms of guitar musicians from across the Americas and the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal). Guitar virtuosos strum flamenco, classical, folk, and jazz compositions and pay homage to guitar legends of the past.
The Latin Grammy Awards, the Latino version of the Grammys, is the country's biggest awards show for Spanish-and Portuguese-speaking musicians. Since 2000, industry professionals have nominated artists for awards in 49 categories including Best Latin Rock Album, Best Merengue Album, Best Norteño Band, and Best Brazilian Artist. The competition culminates in an awards show broadcast on national television.
Each March, Miami's Little Havana neighborhood is the site of the Calle Ocho Carnaval, a bustling street party filled with dancing, music, festive costumes, and ethnic cuisine. Started in 1978 as a celebration of South Florida's Cuban culture, the event now features food and entertainment from across the Latin world. Domino, a popular game in Cuba, is a particular draw. A televised tournament is held at the carnival each year.
In 2007, the first Ibero American Guitar Festival was held in Washington, D.C. The three-day concert staged at the National Museum for the American Indian highlights the diverse heritages and rhythms of guitar musicians from across the Americas and the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal). Guitar virtuosos strum flamenco, classical, folk, and jazz compositions and pay homage to guitar legends of the past.
The Latin Grammy Awards, the Latino version of the Grammys, is the country's biggest awards show for Spanish-and Portuguese-speaking musicians. Since 2000, industry professionals have nominated artists for awards in 49 categories including Best Latin Rock Album, Best Merengue Album, Best Norteño Band, and Best Brazilian Artist. The competition culminates in an awards show broadcast on national television.
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