476 



THE LIVING RACES OF MANKIND 



number of separate kingdoms, and even at the present time the people of the different 

 provinces have their distinctive dialect, customs, and national characteristics. Before glancing 

 at these subdivisions, it will be well to give some account of the racial elements found in 

 the country. 



According to a generally accepted theory, before the Aryan migration there existed in 

 Europe at a period known as the Neolithic Age a race of small, but sinewy, dark-haired 

 people. These were the Iberians. Wilhelm von Humboldt, who originated the theory, believed 

 that they were scattered throughout Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia, Southern France, and the British 

 Isles. Spain was the last stronghold of these people, who were conquered by and fused with 

 the immigrant Celts, and thus produced the Celtiberian race. The Basques, who are found 

 principally in the north-west of Spain, although there are a few over the French side of the 

 Pyrenean border, are considered to be the direct representatives of these Neolithic Iberians. 



Taking the ethnic basis at the time of the Roman invasion to be Celtiberian, we fin-l 

 that Spain has been influenced by considerable admixture with other races. Greece and 

 Carthage both established colonies on her shores. Teutonic invaders gained a footing 



Alani in Catalonia, Suevi in Galicia, 

 Vandals in Baetica, and Visigoths 

 in Castile though of course their 

 influence must not be confined by 

 too hard and fast a rule to particular 

 localities. It is, however, in the 

 long dominion of the Moors that 

 we find the most important modifica- 

 tion of Spanish characteristics. The 

 Arabs and Berbers who crossed to 

 Spain from Africa under the name 

 of Moors (the Mauri of the Roman 

 writers) intermarried with the people, 

 and have left their traces on the art 

 and rich architecture of the country. 

 The Moors were finally driven out, 

 but their blood still shows itself in 

 the people of certain districts. These 

 are the descendants of the Morescoes, 

 the Spanish Moors who escaped the 

 terrors of the Inquisition by adopting 

 the creed of their Spanish mothers. 

 The Gypsies have also contributed 

 to the ethnical amalgam. 



The people of Andalusia in the 

 south are muscular, but incorrigibly 

 idle. They are good-natured, con- 

 tented, clever, and distinguished for 

 gallantry to the fair sex. The Cas- 

 tilians may be taken as the repre- 

 sentatives of the proud hidalgo of 

 history and fiction. They are digni- 

 fied and solemn, and the mainte- 

 nance of an intense ceremoniousness 

 may be taken as their most notable 

 characteristic. Too proud to work, 

 they are past-masters in the art of 



Photo by Valentine & Sons, Ltd.] 



A GYPSY OF GRANADA. 



[Dundee. 



