Spring break is prime time for teachers—and students—to incorporate travel into their vacation plans. Many people, both young and mature, know that travel, in addition to being fun and intellectually stimulating, is one of the most meaningful learning opportunities available. Last month, I was able to enjoy the fun, stimulation, and learning opportunities to be gained from a tour of Spain, Portugal, and Gibraltar.

Terry Lee Marzell contemplates the monument dedicated to Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes located in the Plaza de Espana in Madrid, Spain. Photo credit: Hal Marzell

While touring the Iberian peninsula, I was able to reflect on the numerous contributions of Spanish authors to the canon of world literature. For example, Don Quixote, written by celebrated author Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra and published in the early 17th century, has always been one of my favorite works of literature. I’m not alone in my appreciation, as this novel is one of the most-often translated books in the world, and it’s one of the best-selling novels of all time.

While in Madrid, we stumbled across a monument dedicated to Cervantes and his epic novel which has been erected in the city’s Plaza de Espana. The monument is comprised of several figures. Prominently displayed near the base of the memorial is the author himself. Beneath his seated figure are the mounted figures of his two most famous characters, the appealingly delusional Don Quixote de La Mancha, and his trusted sidekick, the humble farmer Sancho Panza. The fictional peasant girl Dulcinea is also represented. In addition, the memorial offers a personified depiction of the entire collection of Spanish literature, dressed in 17th-century clothing and holding a book in his right hand. And finally, the monument also displays the five major continents, all of them reading the works of Cervantes. This depiction is intended to represent the universality of the author’s novels. This monument is a memorial that any teacher of English, World Literature, or Spanish language courses would surely appreciate.

Statue of Spain’s most celebrated national hero Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, also known as El Cid, located in Seville, Spain. Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons

But Don Quixote is not the only Spanish character that came to mind in my travels through Spain. While visiting the city of Seville in the region of Valencia, I was reminded of the legendary tales of the 12th-century knight known as El Cid. This historical figure, whose real name was Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, became well known during his lifetime for his military service in the armies of both Christian and Muslim rulers. Today, he is recognized as Spain’s most celebrated national hero. El Cid is the protagonist of the most significant medieval epic poem written in the Spanish language, El Cantar de Mio Cid. In this work, Rodrigo de Vivar is portrayed as embodying all the qualities of the ideal medieval knight: strength, courage, generosity, loyalty, chivalry, and piety. The poem is read all over the world, in versions for both adults and children. Before I retired from the teaching profession, I enjoyed sharing these entertaining tales with my World Literature students for many years.

You and  your students can examine a free ebook version of Don Quixote at this link: Project Gutenberg. Biographical information about Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar can be viewed online at Encyclopedia Britannica. To read El Cantar de Mio Cid in English, click on noorbook.com. To read the book in modern Spanish, click on caminodelcid.org.