Author(s): Justin Wintle

Travel

Spain's history includes periods when the country was a global superpower, and Spanish cultural influence continues to be fundamental to an understanding of society in almost every country in Latin America. As a European nation, Spain today is in many respects in the artistic and cultural vanguard, and yet, until only a generation ago, it was held back artificially by the scourge of Franco's dictatorship. The context for these contrasting themes, and Spain's uniquely cross-cultural Christian-Islamic heritage, are brought into focus in this stylishly produced and fascinating pocket history.