Study Guide for Spanish – Cultural Competency Assessment
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Geography
o Location Spanish-speaking regions, countries, and capitals in
 Europe
 North America
 Central America and the Caribbean
 South America
 Spanish-speaking areas within the United States
o Identifying major geographical features of Spanish-speaking regions and countries such
as
 Climate and seasons
 Opposite seasons in Northern and Southern Hemispheres
 Agricultural features, natural resources, exports
 Landmarks (e.g., Chichén Itzá, Nazca, Lake Titicaca, Iguazú Falls_
 Rivers, mountains areas, borders
Lifestyles and Societies
o Food and mealtimes
 Traditional dishes
 Regional dishes
 Food and beverages important to cultural traditions
o Customs
 Salutations
 Register
 Monetary units
 Family events (e.g., quinceañeras)
 Surnames
 Expression of times of day, weeks (calendars usually begin on Monday)
 Expression of dates
 Extended family units
o Holidays
 Año Nuevo,
 El Día de los Reyes Magos
 Carnaval
 Semana Santa
 El Día de los Muertos
 Las Fallas
 La Tomatina
 Cinco de Mayo
 Los Sanfermines
 Navidades
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 Nochebuena
o Regional Variations
 Good
 Languages
 Schedules
o Foreign Influences
 Bordering nations
 Language influences
Sociolinguistic Elements of Spanish
o Social interaction patterns
 Greetings and good-byes
 Introductions
o Language appropriate to task and audiences
 Situationally appropriate discourse
 Conversational transitions
o Idiomatic expressions, common sayings, proverbs
 Me estás tomando el pelo. (You’re pulling my leg.)
 Hay que dejarle tiempo al tiempo. (You have to let time take its course.)
 Más vale pájaro en mano que cien volando. (A bird in the hand is worth two in
the bush.)
History
o Key eras
 Pre-Columbian civilizations in the western hemisphere
 Toltec, Maya, Inca, Aztec, Chibcha, Guaraní
 Early civilizations in the Iberian peninsula
 Jewish, Moorish, and Christian civilizations in Iberia/Spain
 Exploration of the “New World”
 Columbus, Cortés, Pizarro, Ponce de León
 Colonization and expansion in the Western Hemisphere
 Notable monarchs and other figures in Spain
 The Catholic Monarchs
 Independence movements of Spanish America
 Notable figures
o Bolívar
o San Martín
o Martí
 The Mexican Revolution and its reforms
o Benito Juárex
o Pancho Villa
o Father Hidalgo
 United States Intervention
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 The Spanish-American War
 Current events in Spanish America
 Farm workers in the United States
o César Chávez
 Revolution and change
o Juan Perón
o Salvador Allende
o Fulgencio Batista
o Violeta Chamorro
o Fidel Castro
o Che Guevara
o Óscar Arias
 Current events in Spain
o Notable figures and transitions
 The Spanish Civil War
 Francisco Franco
 Juan Carlos I
 Contributions of the Spanish language/culture to other countries
o English words derived from Spanish
o Spanish words derived from English
 Basic economic and trade factors
o Currencies
o Vocabulary
o The Panama Canal
o Tourism
Literature and the Arts
o Major works and authors of the literature of Spain, Spanish America, and Spanish or
bilingual writers in the United States. For example,
 El Cantar del Mío Cid
 El libro de buen amor
 La Araucana
 La Celestina
 Don Quijote de la Mancha
 Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
 Literatura picaresca
 Literatura del Siglo de Oro
 Literatura gauchesca
 Gustavo Adolfo Béquer
 La Generación del ‘98
 Federico García Lorca
 El realimso mágico
o
 Gabriel García Márquez
 Isabel Allende
 Esmeralda Santiago
Significant figures, works, and events in the arts
 Pre-Columbian art and architecture
 Isla de Pascua
 Líneas de Nazca
 Machu Picchu
 Teotihuacán
 Tulúm
 Uzmal
 Early art in the Iberian Peninsula
 Las Cuevas del Altamira
 Roman architecture
 Moorish architecture
o La Alhambra
o La mezquita de Córdoba
 Art and architecture of Spanish America
 Colonial art and architecture
 The muralist movement
o Rivera
o Orozco
o Siqueiros
 Kahlo
 Botero
 Art and architecture of Spain
 El Greco
 Velázquez
 Goya
 Picasso
 Miró
 Dalí
 Gaudí
 Music and musicians
 Pasodoble
 Tango
 Salsa
 Flamenco
 Zarzuelas
 Andrés Segovia
 Pablo Casals
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 Celia Cruz
 Isaac Albéniz
 Plácido Domingo
Theater
 Calderón de la Barca
 Lope de Vega
 Tirso de Molina
 Los corrales
 García Lorca
 Teatro campesino
Museums
 El Prado en Madrid
 Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao
 El Museo del Barrio in New York