What it means to be Catalan: remembering the past, but struggling to move forward

Exiting the subway and making my way down a couple of side streets, I found myself facing an enormous challenge. What lay ahead was a street, half a mile long, heading up a giant hill. I had no idea where I was, but this is somewhere I would have never ventured if I were not on a study tour. For most college students, this would be off the beaten path as it is away from the beach. But as I made it to the top, I was rewarded. Atop was the Parc Guell and it was a beautiful site (http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/gaudi/park-guell.html).

This park is a 20^th century residential development designed by Antoni Guadi (http://www.artchive.com/artchive/G/gaudi.html). His objective was to create an upper-class living quarters that viewed the entire city of Barcelona, while also capturing the Catalonian identity. The top platform is a giant flat area where a market can be held. The goods being sold range from jewelry, sunglasses, and art. Everyday, the market opens around 10am and there are about 50 independent vendors. To the rear, palm trees accent Gaudi’s architecture and transform the market into a garden complex. It gave me a very strong indication and reminder that I was in the Mediterranean and the Sea was not far.

The structure that initially caught my eye was the bench that lines the market to provide visitors with a seat to take in the view. I was able to experience the entire city from one place. I could see the Gothic Quarter, the modern skyscrapers, Sagrada Familia, and I was astounded by the detail. The bench is made up of thousands of mosaic tiles that are of bright color. The tiles are vibrant and produce pictures that symbolize Catalonia. This type of artwork can be traced back to when Muslims inhabited Barcelona during the invasion of the Iberian Peninsula between the 8^th and 13^th Century (http://www.spanish-town-guides.com/Barcelona_History.htm). Even though the Christians prevailed in the Re-Conquista, this influence has been ingrained in Catalonian identity, culture, and nationalism. For me, this was a great place to relax in the sun and listen to the finger plucked guitars playing Spanish music in the background.

Down the stairs, there is another market with more vendors generally selling the same products. But this is a shaded area held up by Doric columns that are 20 feet tall. This translates back to Catalans historical roots with Rome. In 218 A.D., Barcelona was a major port for the empire. It was rich because it could connect Rome with the Mediterranean. Gaudi thought it was important to Catalans history so he included it in the park.

Overall I thought this park was amazing visually and stimulated the senses. I saw architecture that was full of color and listened to music while basking in the sun. I began to understand what it meant to be Catalonian. They had a deep history with the Muslims, Romans, and the overall geography of the Iberian Peninsula. I could understand that they were proud of their identity and wanted to preserve it for future generations.

But then on the train from Madrid back to Barcelona later in the week, I had a conversation with Joan Llorach. He is Chief Executive Officer of Interactora and earned his MBA from MIT. He was proud to be Catalonian and his family could be traced back to Barcelona since 1540. But felt the fight for independence and the belief that Catalonians are different from Spaniards was worthless. He told me it was a waste of time, money, and resources. He explained that this identity had no real context and was an idea in people’s mind that they could not rid. Taking his point of view into context, I got the feeling that Barcelona and the rest of Catalan was in a struggle to cherish their roots or to move forward in the modern age.

To the average tourist like myself, I would be oblivious about Catalan and their separate identity (http://www.catalunya-nord.com/ang/thecatalanidentity1.htm). But this experience has led me to learn more about the subject. I think the park is a great way to visually see what defines Barcelona. I promise that the view will not disappoint either.