The Portsmouth Hispanic Society is really excited to announce a very special event to open the 2025/26 season. The popular Flamenco dance troupe Mi Flamenco will be presenting a private and intimate evening of Flamenco dance to the society

Mi Flamenco is an established flamenco company, believing in quality, inspirational flamenco performance aiming for authenticity and impact through emotive, exciting performances combining virtuoso guitar, powerful voice and thrilling dance.

Mi Flamenco’s 2024 tour, Echoes & Ignite, played to packed audiences around the country. In September the dance troupe will be returning to the UK to prepare for their 2026 tour and the society is very fortunate to have secured Mi Flamenco to perform for the society.

To view the passion of a Mi Flamenco performance on YouTube click here or scan the QR code.

For more information about the evening's entertainment Click here

To enquire about purchasing a ticket click here.

If you believe that fake news is a new phenomenon then think again. During the mid 1500s both the Spanish and English were spinning lies about each other in what became known as The Black Legend. Kay's presentation unpicked the background of geopolitical and religious tensions that simmered between the countries leading to The Spanish Armada in 1588, whilst also revealing there were other lesser known Armadas. Katy has intensively researched this period of history, often accessing original documentation. A very insightful presentation covering an important period of England's history.

Society members can watch a recording of Katy's presentation by logging into the Member's Only page and selecting the video. To access the Member's Area click here.

Franco's legacy continues to exert an influence over Spanish society and politics. April's News Item explores the political turmoil this controversial figure is still generating fifty years after his death.

Society members can watch Mike's News Item by logging into the Member's Only page and selecting the video. To access the Member's Area click here.

February's meeting was launched into Interstellar Overdrive (oblique reference to Pink Floyd's 1966 album track) with a talk about the cosmos from a Hispanic perspective by Ana Sainz-de-Murieta. Ana is studying for a PhD at the Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation at the University of Portsmouth, after graduating in Theoretical Physics from University College Dublin. Ana's talk introduced her current area of study before taking members on a journey through space, time, and culture from astronomy in early Latin American, through Muslim Andaluzia, Copernicus, and The European Space Agency. The presentation also reviewed research and discoveries from Spain and Chile before a Question and Answer session. The Q&A lasted a good 20 minutes, reflecting the audience's interest.

Society members can watch a recording of Ana's presentation by logging into the Member's Only page and selecting the video. To access the Member's Area click here.

The first meeting of 2025 was delivered over Zoom. David's presentation explored the influences of Spanish master painters over subsequent generations. For example, the Valazquez classic Las Meninas, painted in 1665, was etched by Goya in 1776 before Goya adopted Valazquez's technique when painting Carlos IV and the royal family in 1801. David's presentation traced Valazquez's influence into more modern times, for example Richard Hamilton's 1973 interpretation of Las Meninas.

David has made several presentations to the society. Each one is meticulously researched and delivered with a passion that reflects his interest in the topic.

Society members can watch a recording of David's presentation by logging into the Member's Only page and selecting the video. To access the Member's Area click here.

Unfortunately the presentation for November's meeting had to be changed at the last minute. Attendees were given the opportunity to select one of two Spanish themed documentaries. The Spanish Empire - The First Global Superpower, an FD Ancient History production, was selected. The documentary delivered a breakneck overview of Spanish History from the fall of the Roman Empire, through Moorish occupation, the Inquisition, colonisation of The New World, before finishing with an examination of the empire's decline.

The documentary can be viewed on YouTube by clicking here.

October's meeting was enraptured with Gloria Camino's talk about Machu Picchu. The lecture gave us an insight into the geographical and historical context in which the Incas developed, how and why they built Machu Picchu in such a spectacular location.

Society members can watch a recording of Gloria's presentation by logging into the Member's Only page and selecting the video. To access the Member's Area click here.

September's talk was given by Antonio Dueñas Pérez who was born and raised in Mexico City, has recently completed a degree in Ancient Mexican Civilisations and is an official Teotihuacan History Guide.

Society members can watch a recording of Antonio's presentation by logging into the Member's Only page and selecting the video. To access the Member's Area click here.

The 2024/5 season starts this week with the first meeting at the Fratton Community Centre and commencement of the society's Spanish language tuition schedule.

The society's language classes are led by a Spanish national with teaching qualifications and, compared to many other language tuition sources, are extremely good value.

An outline tuition timetable is displayed here. Click here to contact the society's Language Coordinator for more information.

Society Member Recommendation

I have just finished reading The Penguin History of Modern Spain by Nigel Townson. It is excellent. Anyone really interested in the period from 1898 to the early 2020s, and likes political history, should get a copy. The writer is a much published academic dealing with modern Spanish matters. He is acid in his criticism of writers whose personal, political commitments invade their objectivity. So there is bracing discussion of the Second Republic, the Civil War, the Franco regime, and modern prime ministers. Significant reassessment of things we thought we knew. The text runs to 462 pages plus notes and indexes. It really is worth the £14.99 price

Below is an extract of the book's summary from the Penguin website:
Drawing on over forty years of post-Franco scholarship, The Penguin History of Modern Spain transforms our knowledge of Spain and its politics, society, economics and culture. It interweaves cutting-edge Spanish-led research - never before published in English - and testimonies of peasants, housewives, soldiers, workers, entrepreneurs, feminists and worker-priests, for an original and surprising portrait, which allows us, at last, to discern the country behind the veil of propaganda and romantic myths which still endure today. Click here to visit the Penguin website for more information.