In an analysis published in La República, Ramiro Santa reflects on the complex historical relationship between Spain and America, beyond narratives of guilt or heroism.
Ramiro Santa, in his article 'The Symbiotic Amalgam' published on January 18, 2026, in La República, critiques contemporary discourses that turn history into a moral tribunal laden with hate and guilt, useful for recruiting political followers. Instead, he proposes analyzing the Hispanic American DNA as an encounter of immense complexity after 1492, which integrated the known world and generated unprecedented cultural mestizaje.
Santa highlights Hispanic contributions such as the Castilian language, the printing press, alphabetic writing, and legal traditions, along with the early founding of universities in Santo Domingo, Lima, and Mexico, which introduced classical thought. Catholicism, with its lights and shadows, replaced ancestral practices like human sacrifices and promoted new views of social life and women's roles, intertwining with local traditions in unique cultural expressions.
In food, America contributed tomato, cacao, potato, corn, and more, transforming global cuisines, while Spain introduced coffee, wheat, and livestock, creating mestizo traditions. Castilian was enriched in Hispanoamerica, giving voice to literati like Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Rubén Darío, and Gabriel García Márquez.
Insisting on a narrative of hate impoverishes this shared history, argues Santa; recognizing the symbiosis is an act of lucidity that celebrates a complex and extraordinary civilization.
