Celebrating Spain’s Influence on the United States

Spaniards were among the first explorers to reach the coasts of the future United States, leaving a deep legacy on our culture, cuisine and customs, from Florida to California. We’re celebrating this influence this year in seven exciting new exhibitions on our Cultural Institute platform.



Spain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo and Felipe, Prince of Asturias, along with about 80 Spanish businessmen and officials, recently visited the Google headquarters in California to launch the exhibitions with our CEO Larry Page. The exhibits are timed to commemorate the the 500th anniversary of Juan Ponce de León landing in Florida and Vasco Nuñez de Balboa discovery of the the Pacific Ocean as well as the 300th anniversary of the birthday of Father Junipero Serra, who founded the first Catholic missions in California.


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The exhibitions, curated by a historian appointed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, tell the story of how the Spanish explorers arrived in America and what they did there in more than three centuries. In addition to Florida, Spaniards settled the entire U.S. Southwest: Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado. They built the region’s first cities and their missions, fortifications, and ranches left an indeliable mark on architecture. They build important roads. They brought new livestock and agricultural techniques. They even played a role in winning independence from the British.

Explore the Spanish legacy in the United States, and enjoy an example of how heritage and the Internet, old and new, can be combined to increase our understanding.

Posted by Barbara Navarro, Director, Public Policy, Madrid

Google Europe Blog: Celebrating Spain’s Influence on the United States