Portsmouth Hispanic Society

As the Society will know, historians tell us that Spain was one of Rome’s first overseas provinces beyond their Italian islands (Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica).

The Roman Empire conquered Hispania in 218 BC and took on a process of imposing their cultural practices to the native population of the Iberian Peninsula which remained under Roman control for longer than most parts of their Western Empire, with northeastern Spain under at least nominal Roman control until 474 CE.

The arrival of the Romans in Iberia was no accident. They landed there as a military force determined to defeat their rivals, the Carthaginians.

The Carthaginians were already well established on the Iberian Peninsula, and as long as they controlled it, they were a threat to Roman expansion. The war in Iberia lasted some 12 years after which, Carthage was finished as a Mediterranean power.

The Romans claimed to be the liberators of tribes under Carthaginian dominance, but once in Iberia, they soon realised the economic potential of the territory.

As early as 197 BC, Rome signalled its intentions by dividing the east coast and inland into two provinces, Hispania Ulterior and Hispania Citerior.

The Romans introduced the Latin language to their new territory. It is generally held that the Spanish language has derived many of its rules of grammar and syntax from Latin, and around 75% of Spanish words have Latin roots.

Six hundred years of Roman presence in the Iberian Peninsula inevitably left indelible traces as in all lands they occupied. Research and evidence found in towns or in the countryside, the sculptures, jewellery and artefacts in the museums are palpable witnesses to the passage of a great civilisation. Apart from Roman language, law and Christian-Roman religion have permeated Spanish life, albeit modified by subsequent generations

In return for cereal, food preservation techniques, wines, olive oil, minerals, soldiers for the army, writers and emperors, Spain was left with a rich Roman legacy, the building blocks for its own identity.

When the Roman Empire collapsed at the beginning of the 5th century, Hispania was wrenched from those political and cultural ties that had kept it attached to another power’s destiny. It was cut adrift and left without an internal political or cultural “infrastructure” of its own, a focus around which it could organise itself, it was as vulnerable as Rome itself to the incursions of new invaders. They came and they stayed.

In 711, the Moors arrived from North Africa and remained until King, Boabdil, the last Naṣrid sultan of Granada was removed in 1492.

During this full illustrated presentation, we will remind ourselves of the Roman legacy throughout the country and ask members for their own reminisces and experiences of travel when seeking out this rich legacy.

This presentation was recorded but has now been archived. If you wish to view Richard's presentation please contact the webmaster.

Two pensioners ride a motorcycle with a tent and primus stove from Ushuaia to Alaska meeting a President, some wild bears and too many guns in the “world's most dangerous city”. Travelling from Brazil to Ushuaia is the same distance as London to Islamabad. From there they headed north on the infamous Ruta 40 and crossed the Andes heading for the Atacama desert. Eventually they arrived in Alaska. Nigel and Sharyn will be giving us a talk about their epic trip along the Pan American Highway by motorcycle. Please join us and hear their tale.

Jan studied for a Master's degree in Anthropology at the Universidad de las Américas, Cholula, Puebla, Mexico.

Jan's talk will take you on a trip across Mexico...

• Baja California, Mexico City, Oaxaca, Yucatán
• Grey whales, Monarch Butterflies
• Ruins, Art, History
• Music, Dance, Food, Drink

Alan’s presentation will be an illustrated talk about his recent trip to Argentina and he will share with us his enthusiasm for the country and for its wines. Argentina is one of the world’s top 10 wine exporters, both by volume and by value. Alan will introduce us to a selection of Argentinian wines and invite us to taste them.

For this evening we will request from attendees a contribution of £4 to cover costs.

At most monthly meetings Mike English delivers a short presentation discussing recent and relevant news items from the Hispanic world. At March's meeting Mike delivered a really interesting overview of how climate change on the Iberian peninsular is impacting the Stork population in terms of numbers and behaviour. Mikes News Item was recorded and is now available to view.

Click here to start the video in a new tab.

Alan has provided a copy of his presentation, which is now available to view.

Click here to see Alan's presentation in a new tab.

David's presentation will introduce Spanish abstract painters and their work, focusing on Chillida and Palazuelo, whose works are housed in the Museo Abstracto Espanol de Cuenca, one of the historic 'casa colgadas' of Cuenca.

Society member Andres was born and brought up in England but his name gives a hint to his ancestry. Join us to hear Andres unfold the remarkable journey his father made from Spain to England during the tumultuous years surrounding the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War.

Andres's presentation includes photographs and documentation tracing his family roots back to rural Spain. This will be a truly fascinating story.