What Tribe Do You Belong To?
If your name is Mary Jean Smith and you come to Spain on vacation, when you sign in to your hotel or pension, the receptionist will probably say, "Welcome, Ms Jean." He didn't make a mistake reading your name. It's just that his name is possibly Antonio Martín García, and he is Mr. Martín.
Everyone in Spain has two surnames and is called by the first surname, which happens to be handed down from the father, and therefore the most important one. So, automatically, when people see three names together, they assume the last two are the surnames. This tradition goes back to the beginning of the Registro Civil in 1870 in which all births and deaths are inscribed, when parents were obliged to register their children's birth and give them surnames. That was when the rules were established giving every child his father's surname (patronym) and his mother's surname (matronym). Therefore, for example, if someone named Juan Martínez Soria marries someone named María Gómez Butelo, and has a son, that son would be called José Martínez Gómez. But the origins go back even further. And, despite all the machismo that is typically associated with Spain (most of it with good reason) a woman was not considered the property of her husband. She was still property, but of the family she was born into. Therefore, she maintained the surname she was born with.
In fact, the use of two surnames began in the seventeenth century in certain areas of Spain and mostly among the nobles. It didn't become widespread until the nineteenth century and finally law in 1870. Though there were areas, such as Galicia, where it wasn't practiced. In fact, until around the end of the eighteenth century, in Galicia it was common for a son to receive his father's patronym and a daughter her mother's matronym. So a brother and sister usually had different surnames, reflecting the different families they were descended from. Sometimes, a child would be given the patronym of another family member, if that member was rich and had properties. It was seen as a way of attracting an inheritance. "Give your baby my name, and it gets my wealth.", was probably a promise that would ensure someone's name would live on.
Extended family was extrememly important in Spain, and it still is. I assume it goes back in time to an era when extended family was the only people you could trust in a world of administrative chaos (that still exists, but the chaos is organized now) and lack of trustworthy political structure (that also still exists but we've stopped expecting miracles). It doesn't matter if it's your mother's or your father's, family is the most important thing in Spain. If you're looking for someone for a specific job or to ask for some advice, you always feel better if whoever shows up is a cousin, no matter how removed. Nepotism is seen as normal because the first person you should trust is a family member. Families here get nicknames, and when someone asks, they'll ask to whom you belong. The normal answer is, for example, "Meu pai era dos Xastres, e miña nai dos Ratoneros." (My father was from the Xastres, and my mother from the Ratoneros.) As soon as you mention the family nickname, a villager knows who your extended family is and just where you belong. It's almost like being part of a tribe. And in this old country if you're not a part of a tribe you will always be an outsider. Recently, someone who moved here from Andalucía fifty years ago to marry someone, died. He was always referred to as the Andalúz, because he was an outsider. Accepted, but outsider.
I suppose I had it easy when I first came here. Both my families are from here and people accepted me within the scheme of these villages and families. But I have always seen these parishes through an outsider's eyes. Despite having visited here in childhood and knowing people who are my kin to the umpth degree, I have never felt as much a part of the tribe as someone who has lived here all their lives. Childhood conditions you, and even though my parents had always told me about kith and kin and neighbors, my everyday reality was the apartment in Boston and our house in Spain was occasional summer fun. Still, if I need help, I've got plenty of cousins and aunts to go to. Family is family.
Everyone in Spain has two surnames and is called by the first surname, which happens to be handed down from the father, and therefore the most important one. So, automatically, when people see three names together, they assume the last two are the surnames. This tradition goes back to the beginning of the Registro Civil in 1870 in which all births and deaths are inscribed, when parents were obliged to register their children's birth and give them surnames. That was when the rules were established giving every child his father's surname (patronym) and his mother's surname (matronym). Therefore, for example, if someone named Juan Martínez Soria marries someone named María Gómez Butelo, and has a son, that son would be called José Martínez Gómez. But the origins go back even further. And, despite all the machismo that is typically associated with Spain (most of it with good reason) a woman was not considered the property of her husband. She was still property, but of the family she was born into. Therefore, she maintained the surname she was born with.
In fact, the use of two surnames began in the seventeenth century in certain areas of Spain and mostly among the nobles. It didn't become widespread until the nineteenth century and finally law in 1870. Though there were areas, such as Galicia, where it wasn't practiced. In fact, until around the end of the eighteenth century, in Galicia it was common for a son to receive his father's patronym and a daughter her mother's matronym. So a brother and sister usually had different surnames, reflecting the different families they were descended from. Sometimes, a child would be given the patronym of another family member, if that member was rich and had properties. It was seen as a way of attracting an inheritance. "Give your baby my name, and it gets my wealth.", was probably a promise that would ensure someone's name would live on.
Extended family was extrememly important in Spain, and it still is. I assume it goes back in time to an era when extended family was the only people you could trust in a world of administrative chaos (that still exists, but the chaos is organized now) and lack of trustworthy political structure (that also still exists but we've stopped expecting miracles). It doesn't matter if it's your mother's or your father's, family is the most important thing in Spain. If you're looking for someone for a specific job or to ask for some advice, you always feel better if whoever shows up is a cousin, no matter how removed. Nepotism is seen as normal because the first person you should trust is a family member. Families here get nicknames, and when someone asks, they'll ask to whom you belong. The normal answer is, for example, "Meu pai era dos Xastres, e miña nai dos Ratoneros." (My father was from the Xastres, and my mother from the Ratoneros.) As soon as you mention the family nickname, a villager knows who your extended family is and just where you belong. It's almost like being part of a tribe. And in this old country if you're not a part of a tribe you will always be an outsider. Recently, someone who moved here from Andalucía fifty years ago to marry someone, died. He was always referred to as the Andalúz, because he was an outsider. Accepted, but outsider.
I suppose I had it easy when I first came here. Both my families are from here and people accepted me within the scheme of these villages and families. But I have always seen these parishes through an outsider's eyes. Despite having visited here in childhood and knowing people who are my kin to the umpth degree, I have never felt as much a part of the tribe as someone who has lived here all their lives. Childhood conditions you, and even though my parents had always told me about kith and kin and neighbors, my everyday reality was the apartment in Boston and our house in Spain was occasional summer fun. Still, if I need help, I've got plenty of cousins and aunts to go to. Family is family.
Will there be a quiz?????
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