New York Spanish NYC

New York Spanish NYC is spread out now, but used to be in Manhattan’s “Little Spain” on 14th St between Seventh and Eighth Avenues, on the border of Chelsea and the West Village.

Spain is the tip of the European peninsula. Many peoples mixed together there, including North Africans, Arabs, and the Romani with their flamenco.

Like many European nations, Spain had Roman and Renaissance civilizations, but it had one more great civilization: Islamic Spain. It was also a center of Judaism. Sephardic poets who wrote in Arabic and read Latin and Greek, recovered the classical foundations of Western Civilization from the great libraries of Islam. There is no “West” without this.

All that was before the Spanish Empire of 1492-1898 planted Spanish culture across the Americas and the world. But “conquistadors” deserve no respect. They conquered through division and betrayal, then led an orgy of thievery, abuse, rape, enslavement, murder, and cultural destruction. The Spanish church enabled it all.

But we are left with the Hispanic culture of the Americas and many beautiful blends of geography, people, and history.

Spanish history is an important part of American history too. Two thirds of the U.S. where once New Spain. We have the second largest Spanish-speaking population, after Mexico.

The first American thanksgiving was in St Augustine, Florida in 1565, two generations before the Pilgrims. It was a meal shared among equals, including the Native Semoy, and the first Africans in the Americas, who were free men.

The Spanish church allowed intermarriage which created us: Latin Americans.

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Spanish Flamenco

Spain is a cultural powerhouse in both the past and present, but flamenco is our most famous tradition.

It began as a Romani expression of family and community. The Romani were traveling court musicians from Northern India. They picked up many cultural influences on the northern migration through the Balkans, and the southern migration through Arab lands and Mother Africa.

From caves, cellars, and patios, flamenco jumped to roadside bars as tablao. It came to the Americas and went back to Spain as rumba flamenca. Flamenco is now performed on the world’s greatest stages.

Audiences love “duende,” the flamenco spirit. It’s an opening to the One, the same One for everyOne.

Purists don’t like the singer Rosalía because she is from Barcelona, not the flamenco heartland in Andalucía. But by making urban flamenco, she triggered a global flamenco renaissance among the young. ¡Olé!

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Spanish NYC

Spanish New York dispersed after the Spanish-American War of 1898.

NYC’s “Little Spain” used to be on 14th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues. La Nacional, the Spanish social club, is the only remnant. Spanish immigrants used to disembark at what is now Chelsea Piers and walk over to La Nacional for friendly help getting settled.

Spanish people and culture are pretty cool. The language has a natural poetry in it. Spain is famous for its art, architecture, food, Flamenco and soccer. Much of the Americas, including two thirds of what became the United States, was once New Spain, so American culture has a lot of Spanish influence.

As a former colonizer, the people of the Americas have a complicated relationship with Spain. The Hispanic culture which we now cherish as our own, was forced on us through extreme violence, abuse, thievery, rape, human slavery, murder, and genocide in the Colonial Era.

So called “conquistadors” only “conquered” through betrayal. They were common criminals. Colonizers stole everything, including our Indigenous identities and self esteem. We should all be ashamed at what was done in the name of Spain and the Spanish god.

That said, it’s important not to fall into the trap of endless Colonial complaint. The horror happened. We should accept it fully and move on to see what good we can create together.

Even Columbus who made Spain rich, was called back, stripped of his wealth, jailed and tried for what he did to Indigenous Americans. That was for his own actions. It says nothing about the human slavery, and Indigenous and African genocide he unleashed.

But the Spanish church allowed interracial marriage. That led to the “browning” of the Americas and us, the people we now call Latin.

New York Spanish Culture

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• Circulo Español de Queens
• Instituto Cervantes

New York Spanish Art

Eva Davidova is a New York Spanish multimedia artist. 🇪🇸

Hispanic Society has the best collection of Colonial Spanish art outside of Madrid.

New York Spanish Dance

Bárbara Martínez is a New York flamenco singer and dancer. 🇪🇸🇻🇪🇦🇷

The Flamenco Festival New York brings a new crop of the best flamenco dancers and musicians from Spain, as they start their American tours.

Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana is a New York flamenco dance company.

Soledad Barrio and Noche Flamenca is a New York flamenco dance company.

Sonia Olla & Ismael Fernández is a New york flamenco dance couple.

New York Spanish Fashion

Ágatha Ruiz de la Prada is a Spanish fashion designer who regularly presents her fashion shows at Fashion Designers of Latin America.

Chus Burés is a Spanish jewelry designer who got famous for jewelry used in Pedro Almódovar movies.

Custo Barcelona presents his fashion shows at Fashion Designers of Latin America.

Desigual is a Spanish fashion house with stores in New York City.

Manolo Blahnik is a legendary Spanish shoe designer.

Zara is a fast fashion leader.

New York Spanish Festivals

There is a problem with celebrations of Christopher Columbus. Not only did he help start Atlantic slavery and unleash a genocide on Indigenous Americans, the man was so personally evil that his own Spanish sponsors called him back to Spain, jailed him, stripped his power, and put him on trial because of what he did to Indigenous Americans. His name is an eternal stain on all who celebrate him.

Columbus Day Parade celebrates the Italian community. Spaniards march too. [Columbus was evil.]

Flamenco Certamen USA is a New York Spanish flamenco talent competition.

Flamenco Festival New York brings the best Flamenco artists from Spain to NYC.

Hispanic Heritage Month is a celebration of the Americas from September 15 – October 15. 🇦🇷🇧🇴🇧🇷🇨🇱🇨🇴🇨🇷🇨🇺🇩🇴🇪🇨🇸🇻🇬🇶🇬🇹🇭🇳🇲🇽🇳🇮🇵🇦🇵🇾🇵🇪🇵🇷🇪🇸🇺🇾🇻🇪

Hispanic Heritage Month, from September 15 to October 15, is America’s national celebration of Hispanic culture.

Hispanic Day Parade brings together marchers from over 20 Latin countries.

Italian Heritage Day/Indigenous People’s Day (formerly Columbus Day)

New York Spanish Food

Mercado Little Spain restaurants, kiosks and bars by by Chef Andrés and the Adría Brothers in Hudson Yards.

New York Spanish Language

Instituto Cervantes is a language school and cultural center sponsored by the government of Spain.

New York Spanish Music

Bárbara Martínez sings and dances Spanish flamenco. 🇪🇸🇦🇷🇻🇪

New York Spanish Parades

The Queens Hispanic Parade 2022 marches on 37th Avenue from 69th St to 86th St in Jackson Heights, Queens on Sunday, September 25, 2022 starting at 11am. 🇦🇷🇧🇴🇨🇱🇨🇴🇨🇷🇨🇺🇩🇴🇪🇨🇸🇻🇬🇶🇬🇹🇭🇳🇲🇽🇳🇮🇵🇦🇵🇾🇵🇪🇵🇷🇪🇸🇺🇾🇻🇪

New York Spanish Social Clubs

La Nacional in Chelsea and Circulo Español de Queens in Astoria are Spanish social clubs.

New York Spanish Sports

Atlético Madrid NYC is New York’s Atlético Madrid soccer supporters club.

FC Barcelona NYC is New York’s Barcelona soccer supporters club.

Peña Madridista is New York’s Real Madrid soccer supporters club.

Spanish Culture

Spanish Film

Alcarràs, Carla Simón’s 2022 film about a Catalan family facing a future where the land they farm will be turned into a solar farm, won the Golden Bear for best film at the Berlin International Film Festival, and is Spain’s 2022 Oscar entry. 🇪🇸

Spanish Music

Alejandro Sanz is a Spanish pop star.

Antonio Rey is a Latin Grammy-winning Flamenco guitarist. 🇪🇸

Ara Malikian is an Armenian Lebanese Spanish pop violinist. 🇪🇸

Spanish Music

Olga Cerpa y Mestisay is a popular folk music group from the Spanish Canary Islands off the coast of Mother Africa. 🇪🇸 🇮🇨

Spain Calendar

Mother’s Day in Spain is Sunday, May 7, 2023.

The Feast of St James (Santiago Apóstol), patron saint of Spain, is July 25.

Spain’s National Day (La Fiesta Nacional de España) is October 12.

Three Kings Day, at the end of Christmas season on January 6, is the Hispanic gift-giving day.