Munsey's Magazine, March 1916

This March 1916 issue of Munsey's Magazine features a lengthy illustrated article on Spain and Portugal by Austin Osy (or similar), covering two millennia of Iberian history. The piece traces successive invasions and occupations: prehistoric Berber settlers, Phoenicians and Greeks, Romans (establishing Latinized culture across six centuries), Visigothic kingdoms, and the transformative Moorish conquest beginning 711 A.D. It describes the Moorish era as marked by religious tolerance, flourishing cities like Cordova, and cultural achievements in architecture, art, literature, and science—advances particularly noted against contemporary medieval European standards. The text examines how Arabic irrigation techniques and new crops increased agricultural productivity, and how Spanish crafts including Cordovan silks and Toledo sword-blades gained international renown. The article is accompanied by numerous photographs of Spanish architectural landmarks including the Royal Palace, the Escorial, Barcelona's harbor and Columbus monument, and Cordovan structures.