The Rediscovery of Galicia in the Revival of the Camino de Santiago: Changing Images of Galicia in Modern Pilgrim Accounts DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Rachael Jean Gulish Graduate Program in Spanish and Portuguese The Ohio State University 2011 Dissertation Committee: Salvador García Castañeda, Advisor Stephen Summerhill Donald R. Larson Copyright by Rachael Jean Gulish 2011 Abstract This study examines the ways in which narratives of modern pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago portray Galicia, the northwestern region of Spain whose cathedral in Santiago de Compostela has been one of the world‘s most important pilgrimage destinations since the Middle Ages. The region has long been depicted as a backward, primitive culture by Spaniards and foreigners alike. These ideas have evolved in recent decades, however, and some of the very same traits for which Galicia was ridiculed are now celebrated. This new perspective emerges in several contemporary accounts written in the midst of a large international revival of the pilgrimage that began in the 1980s. Through an analysis of several modern pilgrim narratives, including Road of Stars to Santiago (1994) by Edward Stanton, El Camino: Walking to Santiago de Compostela (1996) by Lee Hoinacki, Pilgrim Stories: On and Off the Road to Santiago (1998) by Nancy Louise Frey, I’m Off Then: Losing and Finding Myself on the Camino de Santiago (2006) by Hape Kerkeling, Tras los pasos del sol: Hasta el fin del mundo por el Camino de Santiago (2008) by Mariano N. Encina Amatriain, and Mochila y Bordón, reflexiones en el Camino de Santiago (2004) by Teresa Simal, I aim to demonstrate how modern non-Galician pilgrims contribute to or dispel stereotypes of the region. In order to illustrate a change in perceptions of Galicia, I will compare these narratives to older pilgrim and travel accounts such as The Way of St. James (1920) by Georgiana Goddard King and A Hand-book for Travellers in Spain and Readers at Home ii (1845) by Richard Ford. More importantly, I will explore the reasons behind the transformation in pilgrims‘ visions of Galicia by examining certain tendencies in Spanish and Galician literature, as well as several aspects of 20th-century Spanish society. Finally, I will discuss the impact of the Camino de Santiago on Galicia throughout its history, particularly in light of the recent and significant increase in pilgrims and the subsequent commercialization of many aspects of the route to Compostela. I hope that my study will contribute to an understanding of Galician identity today, and the ways in which this has been, and continues to be, shaped by the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. iii To Juanjo, and to my parents iv Acknowledgements I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my advisor, Dr. Salvador García Castañeda, for all of his knowledge, guidance, and support. He has taught me far more than I could give him credit for here, and it has been a true privilege to work with him. I am also incredibly thankful for the wisdom and guidance of my dissertation committee, Dr. Stephen Summerhill and Dr. Donald R. Larson. Many other faculty members have influenced my work, including Dr. Eugenia Romero and Dr. Dorothy Noyes, and I will always be indebted to the many wonderful teachers I had early in my academic career, especially Dr. Komla Aggor and Miss Susan Fahey. I would like to thank the staff of the OSU Libraries, as well as the faculty, staff, and fellow students in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese for their support. This dissertation on Galicia would not have been possible without the generous help of so many in Galicia, including Anxos Sumai at the Consello da Cultura Galega, the staff of the Museo das Peregrinacions, the staff of the Biblioteca da Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, and also the staff at the Biblioteca Pública da Coruña. I would not have been able to conduct any of this research without the help of my family in Galicia, especially Fina, Juan Carlos, and Virginia. I thank them for their generosity, love, and support. v I am most grateful for my family and friends, both here and in Spain. Few people in this world could have been happier than my Grandad, Al Flanigan, to be able to call me ―Doctor‖, and I am relieved that I have not let him down. My brother Tommy has a skill for making most things in life more fun, and writing the majority of this dissertation in his office has been no exception. I also thank my brother Matthew for his encouragement. I could never thank my parents enough for all that they have done for me, and especially for the sacrifices they have made over the years for my education. Finally, I could not have done this without the incredible patience, love, support and encouragement of my husband and best friend, Juanjo. vi Vita 2000................................................................Our Lady of the Sacred Heart High School 2004................................................................B.A. Spanish, John Carroll University 2006................................................................M.A. Spanish, Middlebury College 2011 ...............................................................PhD Candidate, Department of Spanish and Portuguese, The Ohio State University Fields of Study Major Field: Spanish and Portuguese vii Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. v Vita .................................................................................................................................... vii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................. viii Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1: The Early History of the Camino de Santiago .................................................. 4 The discovery of the apostle‘s tomb ................................................................................... 5 Jacobean literature .............................................................................................................. 8 The Baroque epoch ........................................................................................................... 20 The 18th and early 19th centuries ....................................................................................... 22 The rediscovery of the apostle‘s tomb and the pilgrimage in the early 20th century ........ 27 Franco‘s promotion of the Camino ................................................................................... 30 The path to rebirth: What led up to the revival of the Camino in the late 20th century .... 33 Chapter 2: The Transformation of 20th-Century Spanish Society .................................... 36 The technocrats and a new economic policy .................................................................... 38 Opposition to the regime ................................................................................................... 40 viii The 1960s ―boom‖ ............................................................................................................ 45 The survival of the ―Two Spains‖ ..................................................................................... 48 Social values ..................................................................................................................... 52 The end of an era: 1975 .................................................................................................... 55 The Transition begins ....................................................................................................... 57 Democratic Spain and its regions ..................................................................................... 59 Spanish society during the Transition ............................................................................... 63 Religion and the Church ................................................................................................... 63 La Movida ......................................................................................................................... 65 The 1980s: Spain joins Europe ......................................................................................... 68 Chapter 3: Galicia, a History ............................................................................................ 81 Chapter 4: Galicia in Modern Pilgrim Accounts ............................................................ 126 Precious primitivity: Galicia as a land frozen in time ..................................................... 129 The desire for the primitive and Spain ............................................................................ 135 ―Galicia é única‖ ............................................................................................................. 138 Galicia, bucolic paradise ................................................................................................. 140 Magical Galicia ............................................................................................................... 141 Galicia celta ...................................................................................................................