Las Plazas de España. Around the World. A Special Analysis of Seville’s One. Sources of Inspiration and Symbolism

Abstract

The idea of building «Plaza de España» throughout the country arose spontaneously in some cities in the 1910s, however, it did not become true until 1929 for various reasons: for trade fairs, to commemorate a historical event, or for the centennial of a particular writer. They all had in common their Americanist vocation, the unifying role played by languages, rivers, the sea, literature and history and the civil war. In the case of Seville, it was built on the occasion of the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition designed by Aníbal González. This article analyses the sources of inspiration for the model, its compositional and decorative schemes, and the symbolism it contains.