Spain

On 3 October 2015, the award ceremony of the 8th Iberian History Competition was held at the Real Maestranza in Ronda (Málaga). Organised by the Portuguese Association of History Teachers and the Real Maestranza de Caballería, this year’s round had encouraged students from Spain, Portugal and all the countries of America to investigate the topic "America". Both the amount and the quality of the works submitted have improved this year and the library of the institution was glad to welcome a new generation of prizewinners and their tutors.

The winning contribution was “Fray Diego Maroto, arquitecto. Descubriendo sus orígenes” (Fray Diego Maroto, architect. Discovering his origins) by two students from Camarena (Toledo). Nerea Domínguez San José and Laura Pérez García, under the tutorship of José Félix Fernández Megias and Jorge Fernández Gómez (the latter is a former EUSTORY prizewinner), delved into the life of a priest and architect from the 17th century, alleged to be Peruvian, and show he was actually born in the region they come from.

Four second prizes were awarded to students from schools in Villar del Arzobispo (Valencia), Pamplona (Navarra), Écija (Sevilla) and Sevilla, acknowledged for the high level of their research and the exhaustive documentation. The project “Historia de un vínculo: El béisbol en Navarra y sus lazos con América” (History of a bond: Baseball in Navarra and its ties with America) was particularly original. Its author Marcos Gómez García, aided by his tutor Daniel Sánchez Aguirreolea, describes the history of baseball in Navarra and how it became an element of integration of American newcomers.  Works of Pablo López Muñoz and Marina Requeni Martínez, about cultural patronage, and Alba Cruz Roja, Estrella María Díaz González and Isabel Martínez Jiménez, about the historic and artistic landscape of the city of Ecija, were equally outstanding and the participants were proud of their recognition.

Third prizes went to students from Madrid, Ciudad Real, Alcoi (Alicante), Gijon (Asturias) and Ontinyent (Valencia). For the second year in a row, Jordi Ortiz received a EUSTORY award, this time for uncovering the life stories of his fellow citizens in America in 1750-1815. Students from Vallecas also attended the ceremony to receive an award for their work on the Latin-American community they belong to in their lively and diverse neighborhood in Madrid. Jaime Camacho Sumozas, who was mentored by his sister Irene, delved into the life of the conqueror Diego de Mazariegos, and Raül Molla Vidal, who raised awareness on the role of converted leading figures not enough known through history, were also present to receive their awards.

Finally, “A Brasileira”, a research on this well-known coffee company from Lisbon, submitted by two Portuguese students in the form of a board game, gained special recognition. Two works from Argentina, “Raíces a la intemperie” (Roots Outdoors), by Abril Castagnola, and “Una obra que nos une: El cable carril” (A history which ties us: the cableway) by Franco David Astorga Mazza, gave representation to Americans in this year’s list of winners. Students from schools in Ávila, Burgos, Gijón (Asturias), Montoro (Córdoba), Vinaròs (Castellón) and Zamora were honored for their remarkable reconstruction of bonds between locals from Spain and America. That was equally the case of “Rondeños in America”, by a native Rondarian student Rodrigo, Morales Aguilera.

This year’s keynote speaker was Carlos Rodríguez Braun, professor of History of Economic Thought at Complutense University of Madrid. He handed over the awards and congratulated the winners and their tutors for their effort and interest in learning, which he deemed outstanding and stressed the distinction they were receiving.

The ceremony ended with a reception at the patio of the Real Maestranza de Caballería de Ronda and a visit to the bull ring.

Click here for a list of prize winners.