This research focuses on the 1885 cholera epidemic in Spain, specifically within the province of Murcia, in the town of Cieza. Analysis of burial plots, death records, chapter records and local literature has identified a miscalculation in the data on cholera deaths as well as in the temporal evolution of the pandemic. The complexity of identifying the disease, its symptoms coinciding with other digestive tract conditions and the difficulty in declaring a city infested by cholera, meant that official counts did not cover all cases. The differences between the deceased are studied by sex, age and occupation.
The regime of Augustus (27 BC-14 AD) marked the transition to a government led by a single individual and the establishment of the Empire, as well as the initiation of dynastic succession. Although the position of princeps was not an official magistracy, Augustus established a system to ensure dynastic continuity, thus avoiding potential civil conflict. Through the granting of honours and positions approved by the Senate, candidates for succession were trained in various fields and familiarised with both the people and the legions. This article examines how this formative process was institutionalised, drawing on the works of ancient historians such as Velleius Paterculus, Suetonius, Tacitus and Dio Cassius.
In the 19th century, thermalism combined the interest in hygiene within the emerging field of modern medicine ‒with hydrotherapy as a key discipline‒ and the bourgeois desire to create leisure spaces away from the city. This escape symbolized the search for an idealized countryside where their way of life could be reproduced. This study, focused on the spa complex of Alhama de Murcia, aims to analyse how the ideology of 19th-century European spas was reproduced in rural Spanish context, importing elements of a class-based society into hygiene and leisure practices.
This paper examines the stylistic and compositional relationships that determined the outputs of the sevillian painter Bernardo L. Lorente Germán (1680-1759) in a range of twelve paintings. Two of them —signed and dated 1722 and 1723— bring forward the date of his first works. Based on the analysis of these ones and the others studied here deep dive the influence of Murillo's style on his artistic production.
The expansion of the avocado industry has generated social, economic and environmental conflicts. Faced with these problems, the production sector has adopted legitimization strategies based on discourses of sustainability, ethical consumption and environmental certifications. This study analyzes the cultural dimension of the networks of ethical value of production in Uruapan (Mexico) and Quillota-La Cruz (Chile), exploring how territorial narratives are constructed that mix symbolic and material elements, forging imaginaries that legitimize production. Both territories are strongly identified with the avocado, proclaiming themselves capitals of the fruit, and promote sustainable images that hide local conflicts. Thus, imaginaries are forged that legitimize production and mask the problems linked to the growth of the sector.
Este artículo analiza los cambios en la geomorfología, la vegetación y los usos del suelo tras tres erupciones volcánicas (San Juan, 1949; Teneguía, 1971; y Tajogaite, 2021) en La Palma (Islas Canarias). Utiliza fotografías aéreas, mapas y bibliografía para estudiar las nuevas formas del relieve (conos, conos de salpicadura, hornitos, lavas) y evaluar la destrucción de la vegetación por caídas piroclásticas y coladas de lava. El método principal empleado fue la fotointerpretación, apoyada por datos bibliográficos y de trabajo de campo. En cuanto a la vegetación, la tendencia de recuperación es casi inmediata tras el final de las erupciones, con la aparición de comunidades vegetales pioneras específicas de cada piso bioclimático. Los usos del suelo han cambiado radicalmente, pasando de usos agrícolas, residenciales e industriales a usos exclusivamente naturales, lo que ha favorecido la creación de espacios protegidos y el desarrollo de cultivos intensivos (deltas y medianías). En conclusión, (1) la erupción de Tajogaite, la más reciente, actuó como un laboratorio para el estudio de estos procesos, (2) a lo largo de las tres erupciones se generaron diversas estructuras volcánicas, y (3) unas 1.800 ha de superficie resultaron afectadas, impactando principalmente en los pinares canarios. Todos estos eventos produjeron profundos cambios en los paisajes afectados.
The purpose of the research is to contribute to improving the planning and sustainable management of greenhouses in the Alpujarra region, especially from an environmental point of view. Two hypotheses are developed. The first is that the regulatory coercive capacity of conservationists conditions the spatial distribution of crops under plastic but does not determine it by itself. The second hypothesis is that greenhouse farms show limitations in terms of environmental agricultural sustainability. The methodology is quantitative and qualitative, with cartography, a questionnaire, and interviews playing an important role. Both hypotheses are confirmed, and some measures are proposed to improve the current situation of greenhouses in the region.
This study highlights the osteological value of hand bones, with particular attention to their potential for sex estimation, age assessment, activity pattern analysis, and the identification of pathological and traumatic signs. Several archaeological sites from Gran Canaria (Canary Islands) were analyzed, documenting possible fractures in various hand bones, degenerative changes consistent with rhizarthrosis, and enthesopathies in phalanges. The results demonstrate the relevance of these bones for reconstructing biological profiles in both forensic and archaeological contexts. Hand bones are proposed as a key tool in bioanthropology, especially in cases where elements such as the skull or pelvis are absent.
This study examines the evolution of Chile's legal framework on water from a critical legal perspective, highlighting how legal norms have reflected and perpetuated power relations. Through a historical analysis of key reforms—particularly the Agrarian Reform and the 1981 Water Code—it shows how water resources shifted from being managed by the state for social purposes to becoming privatized and commodified under a neoliberal logic. This transformation weakened the role of the state and led to a concentration of water rights in a few hands, deepening existing inequalities. In the context of a water and climate crisis, understanding this process is essential for advancing toward a more just, sustainable, and democratic water governance.
The war of the four emperors led to a rebellion that historiography labels the ‘Revolt of the Batavians’ (69-70 AD). However, the conflict dragged various communities of Gauls and Germanic peoples into a series of clashes that became part of the dynamics of the civil war between Vespasian and Vitellius. Starting from the historiographical debate about the motivation and structure of this episode, as well as the preserved sources, mainly Tacitus' Histories, we propose an analysis from the perspective of the rebels. We consider that identity played a relevant role and it is necessary to reflect on the provincial situation that led auxiliary soldiers to rebel against Rome.
There was an increase in request to open processes to investigate baptisms in the interior of Galicia at the end of the 18th century. These proceedings, which required the presentation of witnesses, arose from the absence of the baptismal record and, consequently, from the applicants’ difficulties in verifying their identity. The applicant profile points to a man who was moving outside his home parish. However, this provides a mistake perception that boys were subject to higher rates of omission, when, actually, they were subject to higher rates of correction for missing baptismal records.
This paper determines which educational policies were most important in Bolivia during the 19th century, to what extent the planned results were achieved, and what factors influenced them. Bolivia had its first Education Statute in 1827, only a year and a half after its independence. It was a milestone in the history of education in Spanish America. However, the Bolivian educational project was more of an aspiration than a reality due to a series of factors that limited its development and the advancement of literacy. Archival sources such as the Annual Reports on Education and the Legislative Yearbooks were used for the analysis.
The painting the Marriage of the Virgin (1516) by Hernando de Llanos (fl. 1505-1525), housed in the Cathedral Museum of Murcia, represents a recurring moment in Christian art: the marriage of Mary and Joseph. However, the artist introduced an unusual element: a smiling and enigmatic figure who partially covers their face and is the only character to look directly at the viewer, thus creating a visual and interpretive tension. Inspired by Netherlandish models, such as the character in the panel Laughing Fool (c. 1500, DM 1958.3) attributed to Jacob Cornelisz van Oostsanen (c. 1460/65-1533), their presence adds a symbolic and unsettling dimension to the scene. This article analyzes the traditional iconography of the betrothal and focuses on this singular figure in order to offer an interpretation of its inclusion in the painting.
This paper aims to demonstrate that the development of the secondary sector in the province of Burgos during the First World War produced momentous changes in a theoretically deindustrialized context, following the emergence and consolidation of businesses and infrastructure that paved the way for successful 20th-century industrialization. Using sources unknown to Burgos historiography –primarily the Informes de los inspectores de trabajo of the Institute of Social Reforms– and alongside the usual newspaper and administrative sources, it is revealed that the Great War represented a turning point in the economy of a supposedly backward sector. Furthermore, and as was generally the case in Spanish industry, the business profits obtained contrasted with the deteriorating conditions of the working class.
The circulation of engravings between Europe and America, with a mandatory stopover in the Canary Islands, was constant throughout the Early Modern period. This article analyzes the role of these illustrations as visual sources in the iconography of Saint Didacus of Alcalá, highlighting their significance in shaping formal and narrative models for artists. Through the study of various graphic works, some signed by artists such as Adriaen Collaert, Cornelis Galle, or Schiaminossi, it is shown how these images not only spread devotion to the saint but also inspired original compositions in both European and colonial contexts. The article examines prints in which Saint Didacus appears as the central figure, revealing a rich and complex iconography in which hagiographic elements, Franciscan symbols, and landscape references converge—some of which directly allude to Fuerteventura, a key location in his biography.
