Beginning Over, 18. Reconquering History.

A statue of the Apostle James has been removed from a prominent spot in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, dedicated to him. It has been deemed inapporpriate, because it represented the Apostle upon a white, rearing horse, with a sword in his hand, trampling on the infidels. It's a popular description from the Middle Ages and the Reconquest, when the Apostle apparently appeared in front of a Christian army just before the battle of Clavijo, which they went on to win. The legend was actually created years later, but was used to help make Santiago the patron saint of Spain, against the candidacy of Teresa of Avila. "Santiago y cierra España!" was a popular battle cry in the wars between Moors and Christians, and was picked up by nationalist groups in the nineteenth century.

So, because the iconography can offend Muslims (the infidels under the horse's hooves), it shouldn't be prominantly displayed. 

I can understand. But, that doesn't change history. That image of Santiago has long been used in Spanish history, and the Reconquest was what it was; a fight between two opposing worldviews over a shared territory. Let's face it, by the time the last Moors were pushed out of Granada, they were as Spanish as Isabella and Ferdinand who kicked them out. Generations of Moors had lived and died on Spanish soil and known no other homeland. Seven hundred years will tend to do that. It's as if the American native tribes were to all band together and drive out all Europeans from the Americas. After all, the Europeans have only been in the Americas for less than six hundred years. The only true Canadians, if seen from that point of view, are those who have been living there for thousands of years, not the invading Europeans that killed off so many, and destroyed tribal land. 

The inherent problem is that we still see the Reconquest as just that, a re-conquering of occupied land. At what point does an occupied territory cease to be occupied and merely inhabited by the descendants of the original occupiers? Spain wasn't even a unified country, but a collection of little kingdoms. It wasn't unified until the sixteenth century under the reign of Isabella and Ferdninand's grandson, Charles V. Many Moors and Christians had intermarried by 1492. In many cities and towns, they lived together in harmony, as peaceful neighbors. The only difference was their religion. There were times when different Spanish states had trade agreements with Al-Andalus, and were even allies against other Spanish states. A religious fanaticism, which was the origin of the Crusades, along with the bickering between the different Spanish states for power and land, was what propelled the Reconquest. In fact, the idea of a "reconquest" does not come from those times, but was first invented in the nineteenth century. In fact, it is a nationalist invention which Franco used freely, to compare with his attempt to "reconquer" Spain from the "communist hordes" of his time. So, one could argue that the Reconquest was merely another chapter of the religious wars fought on European soil. First, against Muslims that were already Spanish, later, between different Christian factions. 

Extreme right-wing Vox tends to use images of the Reconquest to show their followers that they are on a mission of restoring Spain to its former glory. Their leader, Santiago Abascal, has had videos of himself on a horse, galloping across the plain, presenting himself, bearded chin high, against all the "communist-bolivarian" hordes, the new Cid Campeador ready to fight for the heart of Spain. The problem is that too many people believe the image. And the image is still popular, but nowhere is it explained that El Cid, fierce defender of Christian armies against the Moors, was actually a mercenary who rented himself out to the highest bidder. He fought on both sides, sometimes for the Moorish leaders, sometimes for the Christians. He went wherever his price was met. Unfortunately, this won't be found in any school curriculum. Nor will any guide explain the reasoning and the history behind Santiago Matamoros on his white horse. That tolerance and understanding is something we should all strive for, doesn't take away the fact that the past happened and needs to be understood within its context.

Life continues.