During its "golden age," Spain was a political giant whose influence
spanned the world from Germany to the Western Pacific. Rich on American
gold and silver, Spain was able to send the Armada against England,
defeat the Turks and challenge France for the hegemony of Europe. This
book will unlock the secrets of Spain's vibrant and colorful past, its
people and culture for the interested traveller. It takes the reader on
a journey from the earliest settlements on the Iberian Peninsula,
through the influences of the Romans, the Goths and the Muslims, the
traumas of expansion and the end of the Empire, right up to the present.