Spanish People

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The Spanish people or more properly Spaniards are a nation native to Spain, in the Iberian Peninsula of southwestern Europe. The Spanish people have varied origins, due to Spaniards long history of invasions and Human migration. Substantial populations descended from Spanish colonists and immigrants also exist in other parts of the world, most notably in Latin America. A more orthodox analysis would be used to class these groups as Spanish, based on common language, culture and a sense of shared ancestry.

Historical background .The earliest modern humans inhabiting Spain are believed to have been Paleolithic peoples that may have arrived in the Iberian Peninsula as early as 35,000-40,000 years ago. In more recent times the Iberians are believed to have arrived or developed in the region between the 4th millennium BC and the 3rd millennium BC, initially settling along the Mediterranean coast.

Celtic tribes arrived in Iberia between the 9th century BC and the 6th century BC. The Celts merged with the Iberians in central Spain, creating a local hybrid culture known as Celtiberians. In addition, a group known as the Tartessos and later Turdetanians inhabited southwestern Spain and who are believed to have developed a separate civilization of Phoenician influence. The seafaring Phoenicians, Greeks and Carthaginians successively settled along the Mediterranean coast and founded trading colonies there over a period of several centuries. The Second Punic War between the Carthaginians and Ancient Rome was fought mainly in what is now Spain and Portugal.

The Roman Republic annexed Iberia during the 2nd century BC and transformed most of the region into a series of Latin-speaking provinces. As a result of Campaign history of the Roman military#Conquest of the Iberian peninsula (218-19 BC), the majority of local languages, with the exception of Basque language, stem from a type of Vulgar Latin that was spoken in Hispania (Roman Iberia), which evolved into the Iberian languages, including Castilian, which became the unifying language of Spain, and now known in many countries as Spanish language. Hispania (including Spain, but also Portugal) emerged as an important part of the Roman Empire and produced notable historical figures such as Trajan, Hadrian and Seneca the Younger.

The Germanic peoples Vandals and their subordinates the Iranian peoples Alans arrived around 409 AD, but were displaced to North Africa by another Germanic tribe, the Visigoth#Visigothic Kingdom in Iberia who conquered the region around 415 AD and became the dominant power in Iberia for a time. Iberian-Roman culture eventually Romanization (cultural) the Visigoths and other tribes. Another Germanic tribe, the Suebi (including the Buri (Germanic tribe)), who arrived at roughly the same time as the Vandals, became established in the old North western Roman province of Gallaecia a kingdom which survived until late 6th century when it too was integrated by the Visigoths.

In 711, the Iberian Peninsula was Muslim invasion of Iberia Arab-Berbers, popularly known as the Moors, who conquered nearly all the peninsula except the Kingdom of Asturias in the very northern part and subsequently ruled part of the region as Al-Andalus, but were Reconquista during their reign, ruling areas from between three to nearly eight centuries, Muhammad XII of Granada#Surrender of Granada in 1492. These Muslim conquests were mainly of Berber people origin with prominent Arab tribe leaders mixed in and they converted many locals to Islam to the point that at certain points in time Muslims outnumbered Christians. Muslims of Hispanic origin were generally known as Muladis (or Muwalladin in Arabic), "those born of foreign parentage" (though the idea "foreign" in this case meant "foreign" to the Arab and Berbers). Muslim Iberia was known as Al-Andalus. Ultimately, most Muslims and Sephardi Jews were either forcibly Conversos or expelled after the Christian reconquest (Reconquista).

The union of the Kingdoms of Castille and Aragon and the conquest of Granada led to the formation of the Spanish state as we know it today and thus to the development of Spanish identity in the form of one people.

Ethnicities and regions Spain's nationalities

n girls in historical costumesSpain itself consists of various regional nationalities including the Castile (historical region) (who most strongly identify with the Spanish identity), the Catalonia, Valencia (autonomous community) and Balearic Islands (speakers of a distinct yet related Romance language in eastern Spain), the Basque people (a distinct people inhabiting the Basque Country (historical territory)), and the Galicia (Spain), who speak a language which is very close to Portuguese. Regional diversity is important to many Spaniards and some regions (other than the ones associated with the different nationalities) also have strong local identities and dialects, such as Asturias, Aragon, the Canary Islands, and Andalusia.

The Roma

Spain is home to around 700,000 Spanish-Roma people (Roma in Spain). Roma are a formerly-nomadic group, originating in Northern India, which spread across Western Asia, North Africa and Europe, reaching Spain in the 15th century. Gitanos, for a number of historical and cultural reasons are not considered a separate or "foreign" population in Spain, but a distinct ethnicity which overlaps with the wider Spanish ethnicity. Indeed, Gitanos play an important role in particularly Andalusian folklore, music and culture. There are no official statistics on the Gitano population in Spain. Estimates range from 600 000 to 700 000, making Spain, together with Romania and Bulgaria, home to one of the largest Roma communities in Europe. Over 40% of Gitanos live in the region of Andalusia, where they have traditionally enjoyed a higher degree of integration than in the rest of the country. A number of Spanish "gitanos" also live in Southern France, especially in the region of Perpignan.

Ancestry The ancestry of the Iberian peoples is largely consistent with the geographic position of the Iberian peninsula, located on the extreme southwest of Europe. There are clear connections with the Mediterranean peoples as well as with those of Atlantic Europe and Western Europe.

The Paleolithic and Neolithic basis of Iberian ancestry Recent development of methodologies for defining population structure using genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism markers has led a 2006 study to conclude that there is clear and consistent division between “northern” and “southern” European population groups. This study, involving 74 Spanish participants strongly suggested a close genetic relationship between Greeks, Italians, Portuguese and Spaniards, whereas all European populations north of the Alps and the Pyrenees (except for Ashkenazi Jews) fell squarely into a separate "Northern" population group.

A similar 2007 European-wide study including 20 Valencian Spaniards, found Iberian populations to cluster the furthest from other continental groups, implying that Iberia holds the most ancient European ancestry. In this study, the most prominent genetic stratification in Europe was found to run from the north to the south-east, while another important axis of differentiation runs east-west across the continent. It also found, despite the differences, that all Europeans are closely related. Measuring European Population Stratification using Microarray Genotype Data

Previous Y-chromosome and mtDNA analysis already pointed to Paleolithic ancestry among Iberian populations. Although this methodology does not provide strong inferences on genetic population structure, it is useful in tracing parts of the routes of migration in the populating of Europe. Both Y-chromosome haplogroups [R1b and Mtdna haplogroup H, reach frequencies above 60% in most of Iberia, R1b peaking at 90% in the Basque region. This shows an ancestral bond between Iberia and the rest of western (and particularly Atlantic) Europe which share high frequencies of these haplogroups. Y-chromosome and mtDNA analysis seems to support the theory according to which founder populations in northern Iberia colonized the rest of western Europe at the end of the last glaciation. Y-chromosome and Mtdna analysis also points to pre-historic population movements into Iberia from North Africa, probably during the Capsian diffusion.

Autosomal studies using a small number of classical genetic markers, supported by more recent analysis of Microsatellite data, have not only lent support for a large Neolithic element in the European genome, but have also been the basis for the demic diffusion model from the near east. Broad gradients across Europe, largely on a South East/North West cline using a small number of classical genetic markers would thus link the populations of Western Europe (including Iberia) by a common "paleolithic" ancestry and those of eastern (and particularly south eastern) Europe by a common "neolithic" ancestry Nevertheless the demic diffusion model remains controversial, to the degree that studies of ancient Mtdna point to the total absence of Neolithic contribution to modern European populations.

The Legacy of Muslim Rule There exists a number of studies which focus on the genetic impact of the eight centuries of Timeline of the Muslim presence in the Iberian peninsula (al-Andalus) on the genetic make up of the Iberian population. Recent studies agree that there is a genetic relationship between (particularly southern) Iberia and North Africa as a result of this period of history. Iberia is the only region in Europe with a significant presence of the typically North West African Y-chromosome haplotypes E-M81

{{cite web ] origin, mostly as a result of Berber people colonisation and, to a lesser extent African slavery, both during and after Muslim rule. According to a summary study by Pereira et al. 2005, sub-Saharan mtDNA L haplogroups were found at rates of 0.62% in a German-Danish sample, 1% in the British, 3.83% in Iberians (Portuguese and Spanish), 2.38% in Albanians, 2.86% in Sardinians and 0.94% in Sicilians

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Nevertheless, the North African element in modern day Iberians' ancestry is minor compared to their pre-Islamic ancestral basis.Isabelle Dupanloup, Giorgio Bertorelle, Lounès Chikhi, Guido Barbujani (2004). Estimating the Impact of Prehistoric Admixture on the Genome of Europeans, Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution 21 (7), p. 1361-1372.

The Canary Islands The inhabitants of the Canary Islands, hold a gene pool that is halfway between the Iberians and the ancient native population, the Guanches (a proto-berber population), although with a major Iberian contribution. Guanche genetic markers have also been found, at low frequencies, in peninsular Spain, probably as a result of slavery and/or later immigration from the Canary Islands.{{cite web |url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15598218&query_hl=14&itool=pubmed_docsum|title=A tale of aborigines, conquerors and slaves: Alu insertion polymorphisms and the peopling of Canary Islands |accessdate=2007-04-25 |format= |work=PubMed.org -->

Other Historical Influences The ancestry of modern Spaniards has been influenced by the many peoples which have passed on its territory throughout history. These peoples include the Iberians, Celts (Celtiberians), Phoenicians (Punics), Greeks, Carthaginians, Ancient Rome, Vandals, Suebi, Visigoths, Saqaliba (Slavs), AlansByzantines, Berbers and Arabs (Moors) , Jews (Sephardim) or Marranos, and particulary in Andalusia,the Roma people (Gitanos).

During the early 19th century, when Spain was fighting against the Napoleonic invasion, Britain sent a large army to assist the Spaniards. It was very common for British soldiers to take Spanish wives and have children during campaign (although many were abandoned after the war). This intermingling left a significant impact on the Spanish bloodline.

Modern Immigration The Spanish population is becoming increasingly diverse due to recent immigration. Spain now has among the highest per capita immigration rates in the world and immigrants now make up about 10% of the population. They come mainly from Europe, Latin America and North Africa. {{cite web |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/spain/article/0,,1830838,00.html|title=Spain attracts record levels of immigrants seeking jobs and sun |accessdate=2007-04-25 |format= |work=The Guardian -->(see Immigration to Spain).

Language Languages spoken in Spain include Spanish language (Castellano), Catalan language (Català), Galician language (Galego), Basque language (Euskara), Asturian Language (Llingua Asturiana), Aranese (Aranés) and Aragonese language (Aragonés), each with their own various dialects. Although Castilian is but one of the many languages of Spain, it is this language which is commonly known as being the "Spanish language" since it is the official state language, although minority languages are co-official in a number of autonomous communities.

On the peninsula, Castilian Spanish is divided in two dialects: The northern dialect spoken in the Castilla y Leon, and the northern half of the country more generally, and the southern dialect, spoken in Andalusia, most of Castilla la Mancha, Murcia and Extremadura. The southern dialect is further differentiated in Andalusia by phonetical peculiarities such as the "ceceo" and "seseo". The Canary Islands also have a distinct dialect of Castilian Spanish which is very close to Cuban and Venezuelan Spanish. Linguistically, the Spanish language is a Romance languages and therefore Spaniards are considered a Latin peoples (linguistic). The strong Arabic influence on the Spanish language (nearly 4000 words are of Arabic origin) and the independent evolution of the language itself through history, most notably the Basque influence at the early stages of the Castilian Romance, partially explain its difference from other Romance languages. The Basque language left a strong imprint on the language both linguistically and phonetically. Other changes in Spanish have come from borrowings from English language and French language, although English influence is stronger in Latin America than in Spain.

The number of speakers of Names given to the Spanish language, as a mother tongue, is roughly 35.6 million, while the vast majority of other groups in Spain such as the Galicians, Catalans and Basque people also speak Spanish as a first or second language, which boosts the number of Spanish speakers to the overwhelming majority of Spain's population of 45.9 million.

Spanish language was exported to the Americas over three centuries of Spanish colonial rule in that continent, starting with the arrival of Christopher Columbus to Santo Domingo in 1492. Spanish is spoken natively by over 400 million people, and spans across most countries of the Americas; from the Southwestern United States in North America down to Tierra del Fuego, the most southernly region of South America in Chile and Argentina. Mexico has the largest Spanish-speaking population in the World, with approximately 100 million speakers. A variety of the language, known as Judæo-Spanish or Ladino (or Haketia in Morocco), is still spoken by descendants of Sephardim (Spanish and Portuguese Jews) who fled Spain following a Alhambra decree in 1492. Also, in Asia, a Spanish creole language known as Chabacano is spoken by nearly 1 million people in the Philippines, and developed from the mix of Spanish with native Tagalog language and Cebuano languages during Spain's rule of the country through Mexico from 1565 to 1898. In Russia, the Spaniards who moved there during World War II, speak in a mix of Russian and Castillian Spanish. Some speak Catalan.

Religion According to several sources (Spanish official polls and others, www.ine.es), about 76% self-identify as Christian Catholics, about 2% with another religious faith, and about 19% identify as non-believers or atheists. Other related peoples .

Tens of millions of Spanish descendants can be found throughout the Hispanic countries of Latin America in the form of Spanish Criollo peoples (predominantly Spaniards born in the Americas), mestizos (mixed Spanish/Amerindian), mulatos (mixed Spanish/African) or triracial (Spanish/African/Amerindian). In the United States, the number of Mexican-Americans represent a significant portion of the Spanish descended population, as the majority -over 70% of the population of Mexico- have Spanish ancestry, though most also have Amerindian ancestry. See Demographics of Mexico.

On a smaller scale, in addition to approximately 17,000 Spanish citizens in the Philippines, there is also a small but important minority of Filipinos of Spanish descents (mixed Spanish / Austronesian people ancestry).

Spanish Heritage in the Americas Near half of the total ascendance of people living in Latin America has predominantly Spanish ancestry. The major cases occur in Mexico (30%, about 25 million people), Colombia (50%, about 20 million people), Argentina (50%, about 15 million people), Brazil (8%, about 15 million people), Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores y de Cooperación. España. and Chile (60%, about 10 million people).

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Spanish make-up in Latin America may be mixed with different ethnies from different places around the world: For example, in Mexico it is mainly mixed with Aztec and other Indigenous peoples of the Americas blood, in Colombia it is mixed with Native American and African ancestry, in Argentina it is mixed with other European groups, such as the Italian people, the Germanic, and the Briton, and in Chile it is mixed mainly with both Native Americans and other European ethnic groups.

Spanish culture had even greater impact than the mere arrival of Spaniards in the Americas. This can be seen in the fact that Spanish language is spoken as official language in almost all, if not in all, countries conquered by the Spanish Reign, and the Roman Catholic religion is the main religion in the region. There are other matters, such as architecture and politics, that show the major influence that Spain has had in Latin America. In the United States, more than 15% of the population is of Hispanic origins, with more than 40 million people who are partly or fully of Spanish ancestry.

See also

Genetic history of Europe

Spanish Nationalities

Andalusian people
Aragonese people
Asturian people
Basque people
Canarian people
Cantabrian people
Castilian people
Catalan people
Galician people
Valencian people

Languages of Spain Official languages

Spanish language (see also Spanish dialects and varieties#Spain)
Catalan language
Basque language
Galician language
Aranese language

Unofficial languages

Aragonese language
Astur-Leonese language

Asturian language
Leonese language
Cantabrian language
Extremaduran language

Ancient Spanish peoples

Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula
Iberians
Basques
Celts
Punics
Greeks
Ancient Rome
Visigoths
History of the Jews in Spain
Moors

People of Spanish descent

Spanish Americans
Spanish settlement in Argentina
Spanish Brazilians
White Brazilian
White Cuban
Spanish Britons
Filipinos of Spanish descent
White Latin American
Demography of Mexico
White Hispanics

Footnotes References

Castro, Americo. Willard F. King and Selma Margaretten, trans. The Spaniards: An Introduction to Their History. Berkeley, California: University of California Press, 1980. ISBN 0520041771.
Chapman, Robert. Emerging Complexity: The Later Pre-History of South-East Spain, Iberia, and the West Mediterranean. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990. ISBN 0521232074.
Goodwin, Godfrey. Islamic Spain. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1990. ISBN 0877016925.
Harrison, Richard. Spain at the Dawn of History: Iberians, Phoenicians, and Greeks. New York: Thames & Hudson, 1988. ISBN 0500021112.
James, Edward (ed.). Visigothic Spain: New Approaches. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1980. ISBN 0198225431.
Thomas, Hugh. The Slave Trade: The History of the Atlantic Slave Trade 1440 – 1870. London: Picador, 1997. ISBN 033035437X.

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