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Seville: A Regional Capital
culture, history and traditions 121
The secularization of church wealth had far-reaching consequences for Seville. Its beneficiaries
formed a wealthy upper-middle class who tried to re-launch the economy. In 1848, the Dukes of
Montpensier took up residence in Seville and established a liberal court that favored progress and
the arts. In 1874, the Feria de Abril, an important cattle market, was established. The predominantly
agricultural economy strengthened, while the population increased. The city’s railroad and
port, which received ever increasing volumes of maritime traffic, made it an important trading
center. Seville, the capital of western Andalusia, exported agricultural (oil, cork, and oranges) and
mining products, while industry was expanding (particularly tobacco, foundries, and ceramics).
Modern Seville
The Spanish economy was weakened by the war with the United States and the loss of the last
overseas colonies in 1898. Nevertheless, between the launch of the joint Hispanic-American
Exhibition project in 1909 and its opening in 1929, Seville experienced a period of renewed economic
activity, particularly in the area around the port. The city, which was the subject of an extensive
building program, spread both southward and eastward, and impressive, broad avenues
were opened up in the historic center.
Republic, Civil War, and Dictatorship
The General Crisis of 1929 and the failure of the joint Hispanic-American Exhibition led to
increased tensions, and Seville became a center of conflict during the Second Republic (1931-
1936). It was also an important political battleground for the confrontation between the ruling
conservative classes and the powerful anarchist-union and communist movements. During the
Civil War, the city fell easily into the hands of the rebels (Nationalists) in July 1936. The economic
and political isolation of Franco’s dictatorship led to a period of post-war stagnation. However,
the 1960s marked the development of steady economic growth.
Modernization and Democracy
During the 1970s, economic growth and the institution of democracy transformed Seville into
a modern city with a population of 700,000. The creation of the Comunidad Autónoma de
Andalucía in 1982 made it the capital of the new region and the seat of the Andalusian parliament
and government. The World’s Fair, hosted in Seville in 1992, brought a significant strengthening of
service industries, and the development of the Isla de la Cartuja, the somewhat futuristic-looking
island situated west of the town center.
RELIGIOUS FESTIVALS AND EVENTS
Semana Santa
For an entire week in the spring, passion and religious fervor flow through the streets of Seville. It
is a mixture of art, spirituality, and devotion that is very hard to explain. Although Semana Santa is
celebrated in many regions of Spain, it is in Seville where it takes on incredible proportions.
Semana Santa consists of eight days of processions beginning with Palm Sunday and continuing
through Easter Sunday. The processional practice derives from the 16th century tradition of Via
Crucis, a journey of prayers and reverence for the 14 stations of the Passion and Death of Christ
(i.e. the entrance to Jerusalem, The Last Supper, the beating of Christ). Initially, brotherhoods
(known as hermandades or cofradias) made the Via Crucis in or near the church. As time passed,
however, longer more elaborate processions became the norm. Today, Seville has 50-60 brotherhoods
that take to the streets during Semana Santa in processions that can easily last more than
14 hours.
Each Semana Santa procession begins with a Cruz de Guía, followed by rows of nazarenos
wearing long tunics and pointed hooded caps. Nazarenos carry candles, banners, and various
religious relics, and march just in front of an elaborate float, known as a paso. Normally each
procession has two pasos, one representing a scene from the Passion of Christ and another
representing the Sorrow of the Virgin Mary.
culture, history, and
traditions