Spain is a country in Southewestern Europe with 47.3 million residents, bordering France, Portugal and Andorra.
r/place 2022
R/place 2022 was reddit's 2022 april fools event, where the reddit community collaborated on making art. As most other countries did, on the first day r/Spain started to create their flag on the top-right quadrant, above Portugal.
Artwork
Along with the flag, r/Spain did many artworks related with spanish culture.
Cervantes
Miguel de Cervantes is a very famous Spanish author, most notable for writing Don Quixote, considered by many to be the first modern novel.
Italy and Portugal decided to honour their peace by creating an art-piece of two of the most famous writers from both countries. In Italy's side is Dante Alighieri, a poet from Florence who is famous for writing an extensive work called the "Divine Comedy," following Dante, the author, and Virgil, a roman poet, as they travel through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. In Portugal's side is Luís de Camões, a Portuguese poet most notable for his epic "The Lusiads," a fantastic interpretation of Portuguese voyages.
It was later proposed that around Spain's side, be painted Miguel de Cervantes. The first design was voted yes by the Portuguese but veto'd by the Italians, and a second one was proposed with a different depiction which was voted. The second design was finished on the spanish flag, but some angry Portuguese kept griefing the part that fell on its side, and thus was never finished. Though after a second round of voting, the first design was accepted and finished by the time r/place ended.
Near the end as they were starting to sleep, the Spanish defend its artwork but the goal was not achieved overnight, and the final design before the staff mostly went to sleep included the second design, which is why two depictions of Cervantes appear in the final canvas.
Iberian Lynx
Since Portugal and Spain are neighbours, and on good terms, it was decided to make a depiction of the Iberian Lynx, an endangered species found in both countries on the Iberian Peninsula.
Don Quixote
Don Quixote de La Mancha is the most famous novel from Spain, revolving around a person named Alonso Quijano, who reads so many chivalric romances that he either loses or pretends to have lost his mind in order to become a knight-errant (caballero andante) to revive chivalry and serve his nation, under the name Don Quixote de la Mancha.
As he is the most famous Spanish character recognized worldwide, it was decided to make a depiction of him, as well as the famous windmills of Toledo he believed were ferocious giants.
Mortadelo & Filemon
When it comes to comics, the most famous characters are Mortadelo & Filemon, who work for an agency and cause many shenanigans, created by Francisco Ibañez in 1958, they have become very iconic characters in Spanish culture.
Dragonite
Españita
Mercadona
Mercadona is a family-owned supermarket chain with 1636 stores in all autonomous communities of Spain. Can one live without Mercadona? No, said the spanish, and created the logo of Mercadona in r/place to forever commemorate its lifeblood.
Ecce Homo
Originally a fresco painted around 1930, an untrained "restorer" by the name of Cecilia Gimenez made worldwide news for her failed restoration of the fresco, turning it from a figure of Jesus to what looked like a monkey. It was such a viral meme that it made its way into r/place.
Tortilla
A popular traditional dish in Spain, made with eggs and potatoes it has become a staple of spanish cuisine.
Spanish Guitar
The Classical Guitar, or the Spanish Guitar, is part of the guitar family and was developed in 19th century Spain. Spanish music is filled with guitar pieces, most famously Flamenco.
Las Meninas
Las Meninas, or "The Ladies-In-Waiting" is a very famous piece by Diego Velazquez showing a scene in the studio. The artwork in r/place features 2 central figures, La Infanta Margaret Theresa, at the point the only surviving child of the king and queen, and a Menina, a young companion for royal children.
Spanish Ship
A Spanish ship is represented joining the Portuguese at sea. In the 15th and 16th centuries, exploration was a key feature of the Europeans, and the Portuguese and Spanish did so extensively.
Jamon Iberico
Another famous spanish food is Jamon Iberico, a type of cured leg of pork produced in Spain.
El Risitas
A Spanish Comedian who was famous for his laugh, and even became a popular emote as "KEKW." There used to be a RIP KEKW sign next to the depiction in r/place but was later removed in favour of the aquaduct.
Aqueduct of Segovia
In Segovia, you can see one of the best preserved ancient roman aqueducts, built around the 1st Century AD. It is a very famous symbol of Segovia, and Spain as a whole, and is represented going through the mural-spanning GME line. The GME proposed a sign saying "R/GREENROAD" but due to the fact by that point it was decided that there should be no more changes to the design it was rejected.
Spanish Monuments
To the right of the Aqueduct of Segovia are other spanish monuments, including the Giralda tower, a moorish tower in Seville, the Gate of Europe, twin office towers thought of as the first inclined skyscrapers, and the Sagrada Familia, a church famous for still currently being built even after 200 years.
Spanish Coat of Arms
In the official Spanish flag, you can see the spanish coat of arms, it shows 5 medieval kingdoms, not 4 as most people seem to believe. The Kingdoms are Castille, Leon, Aragon, Navarre, and Granada, represented by the pomegrante. Along with the pillars of Hercules, a name given to Giblartar.
Canarian Banana
The Banana Club proposed to place a banana in some free place in the spanish flag, it was eventually modified to include the "Platanos de Canarias" sticker. The bananas cultivated in the Canary Islands produce over 60% of Europe's bananas.