Portsmouth Hispanic Society

¡Bienvenido!

The Portsmouth Hispanic Society offers presentations and discussions on a wide and eclectic range of Hispanic topics.

Something of interest to anyone interested in all aspects of Hispanic culture and life. We welcome visitors to any of our meetings.

The Aims of the Society

To further the understanding of all aspects of Hispanic culture and life
To provide a meeting point for those interested in the Hispanic world
To provide inexpensive tuition in the Spanish language at a range of levels

Society Activities

The main activities of the Society are Spanish language classes and the Monthly Meetings. The meetings are a social evening, with tapas, accompanied a presentation or demonstration followed by discussions.

One or two external social events are also held during the year.

Our Monthly Meetings are conducted in English. Some Spanish may be spoken but will be translated.

Next Meeting

Thursday 7th November 2024
Fratton Community Centre, 7pm

Bolivia - a presentation by Fatima Sanchez

Bolivia is a country in central South America, with a varied terrain spanning Andes Mountains, the Atacama Desert and Amazon Basin rainforest. Notorious for production and distribution of the narcotic cocaine, Bolivia's history stretches back far beyond the Spanish Conquest. More recently the country has endured political and societal turmoil with protests and, currently, a deeply divided ruling party.

Fatima will give a purely personal perspective of her native country. More details about her presentation will be posted shortly.

Please note that on rare occasions, due to circumstances beyond the society's control, it may be necessary to move the date of, or cancel, a presentation, perhaps at short notice. The society will make every effort to warn it's members via email and update the website in good time. Attendees should consult the website for changes prior to attending the event.

View September '24 to June '25 schedule

Where we meet

Meetings are held at
The Fratton Community Centre
Trafalgar Place.
Off Clive Rd, Portsmouth
PO1 5JJ
at 7.00pm usually on the first Thursday of the month.
Click here for a MAP There is limited free parking. The Centre is twelve minutes walk from Fratton Railway station.
Busses 14 18 21 and 25 stop at St Mary's Church, about 2 minutes walk away.

Membership

Membership currently runs from September 2024 to August 2025

Current Subscription Rates

Adult - £20.00
Full-time students - £10.00 on production of a student card.
One Full Membership, one Student Membership - £30.00
Two Full Memberships - £40.00
Two Student Memberships - £20.00
Native Spanish Speaker - Honorary Membership £0.00

Non‐members are very welcome provided they are at least 18 years of age.

There is a charge of £3.00 for non-members to attend any meeting.

You may apply to join the society by using our on-line form, which can be accessed via the drop-down menu.

Society News

Posted: 6^th October 2024

Machu Picchu – The Great Citadel of the Incas

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.

Posted: 6^th October 2024

Teotihuacan, The City of the Gods

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.

Posted: 3^rd September 2024

Spanish Lesson Schedule for 2024/25

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.

Posted: 22^nd August 2024

The Penguin History of Modern Spain - 1898 to the Present

Society Member Recommendation

Former committee member and chairman Edward Hardy, aka Bruce, has contacted the society recommending a book covering the recent history of Spain.

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.

Please don't forget your local independent bookshop when considering buying a copy!