Spanish views from a small town

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 M...