Spain-Extremadura, the Mother of the Conquistadores
111 images Created 3 Mar 2013
SPAIN – EXTREMADURA, WHERE FIVE CENTURIES AGO ARE BORN TWENTY LATINOAMERICA NATIONS
Extremadura, wedged between the most tourist Castile and Andalusia and missed by many tourists, is the heart of an old Spain with intact medieval cities, but this harsh environment was the cradle of the Conquistadores who exactly five hundred years ago opened up a new world for the Spanish empire, and Europe, and it was said that Extremadura created about twenty nations of Latin America. Trujillo, a UNESCO World Heritage, is the birthplace of Pizarro, the conqueror of the Inca empire in Peru, and Francisco de Orellana, the first European to travel to Rio Amazonas. Still, today is like a movie location untouched since the sixteenth century. The small town of Guadalupe, perched up in the mountains, is dominated by the great Monasterio de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, which for five centuries has brought fame and pilgrims to the area. The famous sanctuary of the same name in Mexico City, protector of the Americas for the Catholic Church, owes the same name because many Conquistadores were faithful to Our Lady of Guadalupe. In Jerez de los Caballeros, a totally white city with the seductive look of an Andalucian town related to the knights Templar who fought the Muslim were born Balboa, the first European to discover the Pacific Ocean, and Hernando de Soto, the first European to travel through Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, and also the first European to cross the Mississippi River. In the old town of Plasencia was born Inez Suarez, one of the few women leading the conquistadores, who participated in the Conquest of Chile with Pedro de Valdivia. Remote before and forgotten since Extremadura enjoyed a brief golden age when its heroes returned with their gold to live in splendor. Still, the harshness of life, architecture, food, soul, and traditions of Extremadura have left in Latin America roots more lasting and profound than any other European influence.
Extremadura, wedged between the most tourist Castile and Andalusia and missed by many tourists, is the heart of an old Spain with intact medieval cities, but this harsh environment was the cradle of the Conquistadores who exactly five hundred years ago opened up a new world for the Spanish empire, and Europe, and it was said that Extremadura created about twenty nations of Latin America. Trujillo, a UNESCO World Heritage, is the birthplace of Pizarro, the conqueror of the Inca empire in Peru, and Francisco de Orellana, the first European to travel to Rio Amazonas. Still, today is like a movie location untouched since the sixteenth century. The small town of Guadalupe, perched up in the mountains, is dominated by the great Monasterio de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, which for five centuries has brought fame and pilgrims to the area. The famous sanctuary of the same name in Mexico City, protector of the Americas for the Catholic Church, owes the same name because many Conquistadores were faithful to Our Lady of Guadalupe. In Jerez de los Caballeros, a totally white city with the seductive look of an Andalucian town related to the knights Templar who fought the Muslim were born Balboa, the first European to discover the Pacific Ocean, and Hernando de Soto, the first European to travel through Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, and also the first European to cross the Mississippi River. In the old town of Plasencia was born Inez Suarez, one of the few women leading the conquistadores, who participated in the Conquest of Chile with Pedro de Valdivia. Remote before and forgotten since Extremadura enjoyed a brief golden age when its heroes returned with their gold to live in splendor. Still, the harshness of life, architecture, food, soul, and traditions of Extremadura have left in Latin America roots more lasting and profound than any other European influence.
