The Lesson Of The Tower Of Gold
Sevilla is without a doubt the most breathtaking city I’ve ever lived in (admittedly the competition is pretty weak—I love my hometown of West Lafayette, Indiana, but it is not quite as compelling).
The capital of southern Spain is home to the largest Christian cathedral in the world, the oldest still-functioning royal palace in Europe, the oldest bullfighting ring in Spain, the remains of Christopher Columbus and this ridiculously beautiful public plaza, to name a few sites.
But of all the amazing attractions of this city, my favorite is a medium-sized, ugly building. The “Torre del Oro” was built as a military watchtower by Sevilla’s Muslim inhabitants in the beginning of the 13th century.
Why do I love the Torre del Oro? Several reasons.
It’s partly because of its location. Situated in the middle of Sevilla and along the Guadalquivir River – the most relaxing part of the city – the bottom of the tower is the perfect place for a chill picnic or a botellon (outdoor drinking party).
It’s also partly because of its name. “Torre del Oro,” translated to English, literally means “Tower of Gold.”
But most of all, it’s because of the tower’s historical significance.
Years after being used as a watchtower, the Catholic Kings of Spain used the building as their primary storage space for gold and other items obtained in colonizing the Americas. Columbus and other explorers used the Guadalquivir River as their primary way to enter Spain upon returning from sea. And just down the road from the river, the colonists built an immense archive to house the records of their conquests in the New World.
These days, it’s easy for Americans to think that the United States has always been the most powerful place in the world. It’s easy for us to forget that we’re citizens of a relatively new country, colonized thanks to the ingenuity of more powerful nations.
Here in Sevilla, the most important city (in terms of colonization) of the country perhaps most responsible for America’s discovery, there are constant reminders that things were not always the way they are now.
As multiple professors have told us, Spain was the most powerful country in the world 500 years ago. Now it is not, and all that remains to remember the greatness are old and sometimes ugly buildings, like the Torre del Oro.
But that’s a pretty important memory, one that I think is central to the study abroad experience.
I am here to embrace about another culture. In doing that, I’m not only learning about both the present and past of this place. I’m also leaving behind my old thoughts about America’s centrality and superiority to the rest of the world.
The Torre del Oro symbolizes that message to me, and that’s why it’s my favorite place in the city.
I am blogging my adventures in Spain on the195.com, a multimedia site by Northwestern students studying abroad. Please follow me there.
