Antonio Moreno Ruiz 
We have become accustomed to the adjective «medieval» being used as an insult and to being told that the Middle Ages were a dark period.
However, if we turn to history, this claim is easily debunked—especially when considering our Hispanic legacy.
Examples abound.
Let’s take a look: Sanlúcar la Mayor is an important town located in the southwest of Spain, within the province of Seville, which has historically had close ties with the Atlantic and significant contact with the Americas.
There, we find a spiritual and monumental gem from the second half of the 13th century: the Church of San Pedro, recently restored thanks to the initiative of Félix Macías and Antonio Salado, council members from the VOX party:
These architectural patterns reached the Canary Islands in the 15th century—where settlers from Atlantic Andalusia played a prominent role in the region’s population—and later arrived in the Americas in the 16th century, evolving and merging with subsequent artistic trends.
The Church of San Pedro dates back to the era of King Alfonso X, known as «The Wise,» a Spanish king who has a bust in the United States Capitol.
In the United States, his legal code, Las Siete Partidas, has always been recognized for its influence:
The United States and the Influence of the «Siete Partidas»
In the field of lyric poetry, his Cantigas continue to impress the world and even inspired the Marcha Real of the 18th century—the current national anthem of Spain:
Fernando III, known as «The Saint,» father of Alfonso X, was the king who defeated the Muslims in the Guadalquivir Valley, likely envisioning Spain’s Atlantic importance and the role of Castile in Andalucía’s development. It was between a saintly king and a wise king that Castilian established itself as a political, philosophical, legal, and cultural language, as Spanish researcher Iván Vélez reminds us in his book Reconquista:
The Reconquista is fundamental to understanding our Middle Ages, as Texas historian Stanley Payne states: «It is the most impactful event in Spain’s history. There has never been another case in which, after a significant territory was conquered, subdued, and transformed by Islam, it was recovered by the remnants of the conquered kingdom.» He further adds that «The Reconquista was not merely a geographical endeavor but a cultural and spiritual one: reclaiming Spain for Western civilization.»
The statements of this great Texan Hispanist clash with the propagandistic narrative of a «civilized, tolerant, and progressive Islam» versus a «barbaric and uncultured Christianity.»
Even the term «Middle Ages» is, in itself, a somewhat arbitrary concept, initially coined by some Renaissance authors and later exaggerated by the 18th-century «Enlightenment» thinkers.
A period spanning from the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 to the capture of Constantinople by the Turks in 1453 is so long and complex that characterizing it negatively seems neither fair nor accurate. This negative characterization carries with it an entire propaganda effort aimed at discrediting Christendom, of which we are both heirs and participants.
Ultimately, the goal is not to idealize any historical period but rather to examine the sources and recognize how, in architecture, music, law, and many other disciplines that shape life, we can and should value a legacy that serves as both pride and motivation—rooted in our ancient and Hispanic heritage—to fight for a better future.
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