All  

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ Mobile

spanish

Loarre Castle. Source: FJ / Adobe Stock

The Formidable Castle of Loarre, Jewel of Aragon

Spain has a strong medieval heritage. Specifically, its northern region of Aragon is strongly rooted in the early origins of a modern and unified Spanish nation. As a vestige of that glorious...
The Mayan victim with the jade ring at El Tigre. Credit: INAH Campeche.

Ancient Jade Ring Found on Young Sacrificed Mayan Who Was Buried in a Jar

Amidst the enigmatic enclave of El Tigre in Mexico, archaeologists have unearthed the skeleton of a young, sacrificed Mayan with a large jade ring . Glowing in its muddy grave the bright-green...
Inside the rare 14th century Spanish synagogue. Source: Utrera city hall

Stunning Discovery of a Rare Medieval Spanish Synagogue Under Disco Pub

Over the centuries, this versatile building has been transformed from a holy temple to a hospital, home for abandoned children, a bustling restaurant, and even a lively disco-pub. But that's not all...
Auto de Fe in the Plaza Mayor, an oil painting from 1683 by Francisco Rizi. The painting depicts the ritual public penance carried out by heretics and apostates during the Spanish Inquisition. Source: Public domain

The Spanish Inquisition: The Truth behind the Dark Legend (Part I)

One of the most controversial organizations in history, the Spanish Inquisition has been poorly understood by the general public. This period of religious persecution, which took place between 1478...
The rare and exceptionally preserved Dutch wooden ship figurehead found off the island of Texel in the Wadden Islands in early August 2022. Source: Victor Ayal

400-year-old Ship Figurehead from 80 Years War Caught By Dutch Shrimpers!

An exceptionally well-preserved ship figurehead, in the form of a wooden statue, was “caught” by a shrimp boat crew off the coast of Texel Island in the Dutch Wadden Islands. This super-rare ship...
An amateur has found a new piece of timber from the Spanish galleon known as the Beeswax wreck. To date, many artifact fragments have been found on this rough coastline area, including pieces of Chinese porcelain. This image shows an unnamed wooden shipwreck have buried in a sand beach. Source: Scott Williams / Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

Wreckage from 17th Century Spanish Galleon Found Along Oregon Coast

A beachcomber exploring sea caves along the north coast of western Oregon, USA discovered timbers from the hull of the Beeswax wreck Spanish galleon that sunk in the Pacific Ocean more than 300 years...
In the famous Eighty Years' War or Dutch War of Independence, ice skates played a crucial role in the final outcome between Spain and the Netherlands that also led to the end of the notorious Spanish Inquisition. Blades of ice skates, made by the German company "Kondor," from about 1890. 		Source: Christos Vittoratos / CC BY-SA 4.0

Battles on Ice Skates in the 1500s: The Dutch Against The Spanish!

When you think of Spain, you don’t normally think of ice skates. Yet, that’s exactly what the King of Spain wanted back in 1572. And it wasn’t just a single pair; the king specifically requested 7,...
A skull of one of the Spanish syphilis patients who died in Lima’s fist hospital that was built just 20 years after Pizarro took over the Inca Empire.		Source: Municipalidad de Lima

Syphilis-ridden Spanish Skeletons Found at Lima’s First Hospital

The remains of 42 syphilis-ridden, colonial Spaniards have been unearthed at a 500-year-old hospital in Lima. But it’s suspected that beneath these poor afflicted souls, might lie the lost mummified...
The 1540–1542 Coronado Expedition, in a circa 1900 painting by Frederic Remington, heads north after travelling inland from the Gulf of Mexico.		Source: Frederic Remington / Public domain

16th Century Spanish Coronado Expedition Site Found in Arizona

An Arizona-based archaeologist claims to have found artifacts linked to the famous 16th-century Spanish Coronado Expedition led by Spanish conquistador Francisco Vázquez de Coronado. The Coronado...
Florida Museum archaeologist Charles Cobb holds an axe head known as a celt. To create this distinct shape, a Chickasaw craftsperson reworked a Spanish iron object to mimic traditional stone versions. Credit: Florida Museum, Photo by Jeff Gage

Artifacts Seized from Conquistadors by Chickasaw People in 16th Century Uncovered

A team of archaeologists digging at the Stark Farms Native American site in east central Mississippi have found more than 80 metal artifacts that were not manufactured by the Chickasaw people who...
Hernan Cortes: The Conquistador Who Beat the Aztecs

Hernan Cortes: The Conquistador Who Beat the Aztecs

Hernan Cortes was a Spanish conquistador who lived between the 15th and 16th centuries AD. He is best remembered for his expedition against the Aztec Empire centered in Mexico. This was part of the...
Catherine of Aragon: The Spanish Queen of England

Catherine of Aragon: The Spanish Queen of England

Catherine of Aragon was the first wife of the infamous King Henry VIII. Known for her failure to produce a male heir, she was the mother of Mary, later Queen Mary I of England. Catherine would spend...
Archaeologists Astounded by Iberian and Roman Armor and Weapon Find

Archaeologists Astounded by Iberian and Roman Armor and Weapon Find

Spanish archaeologists have unearthed an exceptional collection of Iberian and Roman armor and weapons in an ancient, conflict-ridden city. Valuable helmets, swords, daggers, and shields have all...
Sunbeams illuminating a church

A Sacred Light in the Darkness: Surprising Winter Solstice Illuminations at Spanish Missions

On Monday, Dec. 21, nations in the Northern Hemisphere mark the winter solstice – the shortest day and longest night of the year. For thousands of years people have marked this event with rituals and...
Will Pope Apologize to Mexico for Church Complicity during Spanish Conquest?

Will Pope Apologize to Mexico for Church Complicity during Spanish Conquest?

The President of Mexico has written a letter to Pope Francis asking for an apology over the Catholic Church’s role in the brutal repression of indigenous people during the Spanish conquest of the...
The Column of Death at Mitla has been closed off from hugging by the public for a long time, as repeated hugging causes damage. But the column in the top photo is exactly identical, in every way, to the true Column of Death hugged by Mesoamericans for centuries.

The Column of Death at Mitla, Hugged by Mesoamericans For Millennia

The Column of Death is the name given to a pillar at the archaeological site of Mitla , in the southwestern Mexican state of Oaxaca . The column was named for a legendary ritual in which it appeared...
The Battle of Trafalgar, oil on canvas by John Christian Schetky, c. 1841.        Source: Yale Center for British Art / Public Domain

The Battle of Trafalgar and the Deafening Thunder of English Cannons

There have been crucial periods in the modern history of Europe that shaped its future and dictated the destinies of many nations. Sadly, these periods were often marked by wars and conflicts in...
Representational image of Moors in Spain.   Source: Théodore Chassériau / Public domain

Deciphering the Truth Behind the Moors in Spain

Al-Andalus is the name given to the Iberian Peninsula when it was under Muslim rule. Islam arrived in that region with the arrival of the Moors during the 8 th century AD, and succeeded in conquering...
The Last of the Clan’ (1865) by Thomas Faed. Attempts for a Scottish colony in Panama were futile. Source: Public Domain

The Caledonian Dream: A Scottish Colony’s American Nightmare

The conquest of the New World was devastating for its ancient cultures; its aftershocks are still deeply felt today in communities across the Americas. Soon after Spain’s subjugation, other European...
Priest in Tenochtitlan Plucks the Heart from Human Sacrifice. Date: circa 1500. Credit:  Archivist / Adobe Stock

Secrets of Living Human Heart Extraction Revealed

In the mid-16th century the hyper-violent forces of Spanish conquistadors burned, tortured, raped and spread diseases as they made their way across Mesoamerica in the name of their one god. Yet they...
A lost Spanish Jesuit missionary fort has been found at Mound Key     Source: Florida Museum of Natural History

Archaeologists Verify Location of Elusive Spanish Fort at Florida's Mound Key

Florida Museum of Natural History Florida and Georgia archaeologists have discovered the location of Fort San Antón de Carlos, home of one of the first Jesuit missions in North America. The Spanish...
Representation of Hannibal and the Carthaginians before battle.       Source: Iuliia KOVALOVA / Adobe stock

New Site Identified For Battlefield Of Hannibal’s First Great Victory

Archaeologists in Spain have discovered the lost battlefield where the legendary Hannibal won his first great victory before his march on Rome. Hannibal was the famous Carthaginian statesman and...
El Cid's crucifix, Cristo de las Batallas. (Garciadelosbarros / CC BY-SA 4.0)       Right: Representation of a knight. (Marla / Adobe stock)

Ancient Letter Reveals Clues to Spanish Warlord’s Battle Crucifix

A Spanish professor has established that a historic crucifix in a Christian cathedral was owned by one of medieval Europe’s greatest warriors. Based on documentary evidence, the professor has proven...
Individual XVIII teeth from la Sima de los Huesos, Atapuerca. Source: M. Modesto-Mata / CENIEH

Atapuerca Hominids Grew Much Quicker Than Modern Humans

Scientists have proven that tooth enamel developed much quicker in ‘other’ hominids groups. Fossilized bones and teeth tell scientists when organisms lived, and morphological differences provide...

Pages