February 18, 2004
I have completed my time machine after numerous rounds of calculations
malfunctions. My first experiment will be to travel to the University of
Salamanca in Spain at the end of the 15th century. I intend to
bring this journal along with me and have prepared myself a costume to pose
as a man. Here I go.
February 19, 1493
Ahhh, SUCCESS!! I am now in Salamanca, Spain. Wow, the air is so clean and
crisp. My sinuses have disappeared and it is so much easier to breathe
without polluted air clouding my lungs. I hear the people speaking Spanish
around me and have just heard that Christopher Columbus returned from his
voyage to the New World. After careful observation and eavesdropping, I
have discovered that it is the year of 1493. With my costume and height I
seem to blend right in, apparently, as an attractive male Spaniard. My
height seems to be the same as a typical male Spaniard as well. The tallest
person I have seen so far has been approximately 5 feet 7 inches. However,
the ladies that smile at me make me uncomfortable. The city seems to be
divided into two family rival groups, the Santo Tomé and the San Benito.
Apparently the rivalry began because of violent fights among the families in
1465 (Don Quijote 1). Queen Isabella is the current ruler of Spain at the
moment and, news has been received that Christopher Columbus will soon set
out on another journey to the New World.
The city revolves around the University of Salamanca as its highest source for education. I wonder what they study here and how it compares with the education at UT. I will find out after I enroll at the University tomorrow.
February 23, 1493
I have completed enrollment at The University of Salamanca. The University only allows males to attend and also requires us to be in uniform at all times. The students are currently discussing Queen Isabella and Ferdinand and their institution of the Inquisition in Spain. Many students seem to oppose it. One of my classes is being taught by the honorary, Antonio de Nebrija, a historian, botanist, theologian, philosopher, doctor, and an author of encyclopedias. The man is apparently famous all over parts of Europe. The students seem moved by his teachings. Oh what an honor it was to be listening to the words of this man. This was a man who contributed so much to the humanities as well as in the sciences and other areas. In class, he gave us a copy of his most recent writing, Gramática de la lengua castellana, Castilian Language Grammar. Not only does Nebrija teach here, but he studies here as well. He also passed around to us a copy of his Latin-Spanish dictionary that he had published and given to Queen Isabella. He teaches Latin, in class, emphasizing that “language has always been the companion of Empire…” (Tarlton 36). I have taken a picture of him on my Polaroid to remember him.
Antonio de Nebrija
Spain’s political power is a centralized monarchy. The University is heavily influenced by Queen Isabella and her power. The University itself has hierarchy structure is similar to that of a monarchy. The maestroescuela was formally the territorial jurisdiction of the University, but had been changed to the royal jurisdiction (Addy xx). Attendance was given credit for and the new royal jurisdiction of the school determines who would and would not receive their degrees. Going to class makes me tired. I think I’ll skip class tomorrow, get in my time machine and travel to 1540 to see how different the campus is.
February 24, 1540
The campus is delightful. The buildings are Spanish plateresque, plata meaning silver derived from the word to denote the style’s resemblance to silver filigrees (Salamanca 1). It was constructed of Villamayor stone and has curious figures engraved all over. I have taken some pictures. This picture shows the carvings in Villamayor stone on the entrance of the University and the courtyard. Above the main two doors of the entrance is engraved the medallion depicting the Catholic Monarchs representing the unity of Spain. Running around the border of the main façade is an inscription in Greek that states, “The monarchs for the university and the university for the monarchs; Ferdinand and Isabella” (Salamanca 2). What’s interesting is that the courtyard has a statue of Fray Luis de León. The statue must’ve been built sometime in the early 1500s since it didn’t exist in 1493. Although structures did not receive too much emphasis, the doorways and other details show a great deal of ornament. The class sizes are a little bigger now, but Nebrija is no longer here teaching. I think I like 1493 much better. I’m going back tomorrow morning. The courtyard is easier to run around since this statue of León wasn’t in the way.
Courtyard with Entrance (left)
February 25, 1943
My time machine operates very well. I’m back now and it’s as if I had never left. I’m going to return to my campus observation. The University has an enormous library, La Biblioteca Antigua, with manuscripts from several writers including Leonardo de Vinci whom is becoming famous at the moment all over Europe. The structure is much different from our main library, UGL. UGL is much bigger to begin with and consists of a very rectangular structure. The building itself is very modern and the first floor can clearly be seen since the walls surrounding it of glass. La Biblioteca Antigua has glass as well, but they are elevated on the walls, rather than the wall itself, making it more difficult to stare out of. Since I am indeed from the future, the word antique matches this campus perfectly.The Gothic, Plateresque form of architecture is prevalent throughout the city and can be seen with this single story Baroque style building, comparable to the University’s façade, shown on the right. The buildings are generally tall; causing it to appear grand, but the campus size itself is not that big. UT’s campus is a lot bigger. However, I feel more at peace in the presence of the University than I do normally at UT. There is a lot of green grass in the courtyard as opposed to the brow, green grass struggling to survive on UT’s campus. However, the weather here is cooler and the skies are clear here, making it easier for grass to maintain its health. The ornate structure and significance of the symbols on this campus has helped me to gain a deeper appreciation for my surroundings. I’m beginning to miss home though. I will make plans to return back to Austin in 2004 tomorrow.
University’s façade showing
February 25, 2004
I am back in Austin. My experience is wonderful and I’m sure no one will
suspect me missing at the University of Salamanca since students skip quite
a bit there (Addy xvi). It’s funny how that didn’t change over time. The
campus was much different from the campus here at UT. UT definitely has a
lot more students than the University of Salamanca. However, I am sure the
student population has grown quite a bit there now. Students and the
population in general were shorter in height than the average height of most
Americans here in Austin. During my stay in Salamanca, language and
translations were a big deal especially after the first publications from my
teacher, Antonio de Nebrija.
Oh what an interesting experience it was!
The colors used on the UT campus seem more
vibrant since brighter colors and the many windows bring in sunlight. The
architectural structures at UT seem more straight edged than Salamanca’s
campus, since it is more common to see rectangular structures with less
curves. The architect consisted of ornamental carvings, consistency in
shades of colors, and many arched curves around areas of the campus in
Salamanca and throughout the city. I’ve enclosed some additional pictures
of the campus taken back in time in the year of 1539. This is the same
picture of the façade as shown in the previous picture, only at a different
angle.
courtyard
This picture was taken from the Roman Bridge depicting the University and the city surrounding it. --->
View from the Roman Bridge
Although, students skipped quite a bit in Salamanca, they seemed a great deal more interested in receiving their education since education was not widely available for everyone. The class sizes were fairly small even in for the ones of lower classmen. Students at the University were informed that education is necessary for understanding the arts, humanities, sciences, languages, etc. much like here on the UT campus. The news of Christopher Columbus and the Spanish Inquisition was of great deal of interest to the students since a couple individuals were being hung or tortured because of their refusal to adopt Catholicism.
Religion however is not enforced in America and the UT campus itself consists of more left winged beliefs, quite different from the conservative beliefs of the students at Salamanca. The monarchy has made it quite difficult for Spaniards during the 15th century to think in a liberated manner. However, University of Salamanca is now the 3rd largest university of Europe. I’ve enjoyed my stay and will hopefully return in a later century with my time machine to see how much the city and the people have evolved.
Word Count: 1600
Sources Used
AboutSalamanca.com <http://www.aboutsalamanca.com/salamanca/history.asp>
Addy, George M. The Enlightenment in the University of Salamanca.
Duke University Press, 1996.
Bibliografía Nebrisense <http://www.benjamins.com/cgi-bin/t_bookview.cgi?bookid=SiHoLS_90>
Don Quijote <http://www.dq-salamanca.com/dq-salamanca/city_salamanca.asp>
History of Salamanca <http://www.spanishabroad.com/prog_semester/salamanca/cityguide/sala_history.htm>
Historia de Salamanca <http://www3.usal.es/rel-int/ects/ingles/historia.htm>
Monuments <http://www.town-guides.unispain.com/Salamanca%20Monuments.htm>
NationMaster <http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/History-of-Spain>
Salamanca <http://212.128.146.13/web/shortstory/salamanca.html>
Salamanca (Spain) <http://www.racingclubsalamanca.es/english/Salamanca.htm>
Tarlton Law <http://www.law.utexas.edu/rare/dictsweb.html>
Wanadoo <http://html.rincondelvago.com/1492-la-conquista-del-paraiso.html>