Hispanidad, Second Only to the Word

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October 12th, the Feast of Our Lady of the Pillar and a commemoration of Hispanidad, which still flows today in our blood and customs.

It is a day filled with beautiful sentiments but also with deep convictions, firmly rooted in the Hispanic world. This day must be, at once, a day of celebration and joy among family and friends, as well as a sort of retreat or penance to pray for the many things that need to be rebuilt, especially for us, the defenders of Hispanic tradition. To the Pilarica, as She is affectionately called in Aragón, a term widely used elsewhere due to its endearing nature, we should offer all our ideas for restoration and ask Her to guide us through this valley of tears, such as we pray in the Salve.

But in addition to setting aside time for prayer, it would also be very beneficial for us, modern Spanish, to read about the great work that is Hispanidad, to find a quiet moment where we can seek and discover, among old books (and thus filled with wise reflections), or in sound places, documentation about the construction our ancestors undertook, wherever they set foot. Often, when we speak of Hispanidad, we too narrowly think of the Americas, but while that was the accomplishment of the Castilians, the Aragonese expanded across the Mediterranean, conquering Naples and Sicily, and later the Philippines. Hispanidad, or rather the Spains, are also the regions of the Iberian Peninsula that, based on historical fueros, shaped the fatherland as we know it.

I will adamantly refuse to think of Hispanidad as something of the past; it is a historical whole very much alive today, and it must be preserved and strengthened. According to Ramiro de Maeztu’s vision, Hispanidad fulfills a very high duty, which is the propagation of Truth, that is, the Gospel of Christ, beyond the seas.

It is well known that behind the Spanish conquistadors came the religious orders—more than one, in fact. And the consequences of that evangelization, of treating the natives as children of God, thanks to Isabel the Catholic, were culture and mestizaje.

If we briefly compare the historical results of French, English, or Dutch colonial processes with the Spanish vision, the difference is staggering. Perhaps due to the Protestant influence so present in Central European politics, colonies were used primarily as places for economic exploitation, with centralized management from European capitals, and natives were considered slaves at the service of the invading government, as seen in constitutional laws. This obviously had devastating consequences for the natives. In contrast, the kings of the Spains eradicated the barbaric customs of the lands they conquered, meticulously educated the native children, and many Spanish even married natives under the Law of God.

All that has been explained thus far is well captured by Fr. Osvaldo Lira in Verbo magazine, issues 375-376. He masterfully extracts the thought of Ramiro de Maeztu when he emphasizes the idea of Spanish humanism, in opposition to other materialistic or modern humanisms, all of which stem from the vice of pride. And the key lies in love. The love that moves through the actions of Spanish of old, who, without arrogance and avoiding that very Protestant idea of being possessors of truth rather than transmitters of it—since truth must remain confined to a select social class—rolled up their sleeves, girded themselves, and in the most Spanish style, leaped into the bullring of evangelization in all the lands they touched. Why did they do this? According to Maeztu, because of that Catholic essence ingrained in our being—the equality of men as creatures of God and free souls, far removed from the false modern liberties and equalities that, in their ultimate destruction of man, only succeed in enslaving people further and stifling all forms of true progress.

We Spanish should feel very satisfied today, today and always, for being Spanish, and trust that all is not lost. In the words of Fr. Osvaldo Lira, what is needed are great doses of charity to continue evangelizing the Catholic Faith, to which I humbly add equally great doses of patience, for the difficult but necessary task that lies ahead for us.

Today more than ever, with our hearts full of noble ideas, we must shout in unison and all respond:

¡VIVA ESPAÑA, VIVA LA VIRGEN DEL PILAR!

LONG LIVE SPAIN! LONG LIVE THE VIRGIN OF THE PILLAR!

Ignacio Giner Ruiz, Círculo Tradicionalista San Rafael Arcángel

Translated by the Gremio San Jerónimo