Portugal: Did you mean...?

European explorers began to probe the Western Hemisphere in the early 1500s, and they found to their utter amazement not only a huge landmass but also a world filled with several diverse and populous indigenous cultures. Among their most...

As the 15th century ended, Europeans were still mostly in the dark about the Eastern world. Early travelers like Marco Polo had given the West tidbits of information, but these accounts were too highly colored and fragmentary to provide a...

Professor Emeritus David Gitlitz is one of the world’s leading experts on Jewish-Catholic interactions in Iberia and the Americas. While initially drawn to the literature of the Spanish Golden Age as a student at Oberlin and Harvard, the...

The Chicken’s Wedding panel (1660-1667 CE) is an azulejo (glazed ceramic tile) from the 17th century CE. A chicken is conveyed in a carriage that is escorted by a cortege of monkeys playing musical instruments. Singerie (French for “Monkey...

Temple of Diana in Largo Conde Vila Flor Square Evora, Portugal - night photo. The temple was constructed in the 1st century CE. Photo take 2005 CE.

Retábulo de Nossa Senhora da Vida (1580 CE) or Our Lady of Life is Portugal’s oldest azulejo (glazed ceramic tile) and is an important piece of 16th century CE Portuguese tile production. It is on display at the National Tile Museum in Lisbon...

Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones) Evora, Portugal showing hanging skeleton. Photo taken 2015 CE.

Sculptures of the twelve apostles at Evora Cathedral, Portugal - attributed to Pero and Telo de Garcia (Spanish sculptors of the 14th century CE). Photo take 2006 CE.

Azulejos (glazed ceramic tiles) on a building in Lisbon, Portugal. Date of photo unknown.

Interior of Evora Cathedral, Evora Portugal. Photo taken 2011 CE.