Five hundred years ago, Spain was the seat of a great empire. But considering the decline that started with the loss of the Armada in 1588 and bottomed out with the loss of Cuba in 1898—only to be capped off by a brutal civil war and a long dictatorship—one might say the Spaniards have had a rough spell.
And yet, over the past few years, Spain has seemed to get its groove back. Its exports are no longer just oranges, olive oil and cured ham (though those are still all very worthy of note). Consider, if you will, the New Spain:
Clothing:
If you can't do a full-fledged empire yet, start with a clothing empire. Zara, the Spanish clothing retailer, passed Gap last year to become the world's largest clothing retailer. You may or may not have a Zara near you yet, but they are increasingly appearing in U.S. malls. Because they've certainly filled all the available mall space abroad.
Movies:
For a relatively small, non-English-speaking country, Spain sure does clean up lately at the Oscars: Pedro Almodóvar a few years ago, Javier Bardem last year, and this year, Penélope Cruz. I haven't been able to think of another non-English-speaking country that makes such a consistent world impact on the big screen (even France pales by comparison). I welcome you to try, if only to prove my point!
Sports:
2008 was simply Spain's year. Rafael Nadal won the French Open and Wimbledon. The Spanish soccer team won the European championship for the first time in 44 years. The Spanish basketball team won the silver medal at the Olympics, behind only the United States (losing by only 11 points)—and this, after Pao Gasol helped bring the Lakers to the NBA Finals*. And a Spanish guy even won the Tour de France.
(*Spain power has yet to beat the Celtics. But this could be the year.)
Bus stops:
I've saved my best for last. You know Spain is on the comeback trail when even the bus stop in your downtown area is installed by your amigos at Cemusa, a Spanish maker of bus stops and kiosks that now commands this niche worldwide.
First stop, your bus stop. Next stop, the world.
Photo: cesarastudillo via Flickr (CC license)
