THE LOSS OF CULTURE AND IDENTITY IN RURAL AREAS IN SPAIN FROM THE 19TH CENTURY

This paper explores the erosion of cultural and territorial identity in rural Spain during the 19th century, focusing on the transformative role of cartography and administrative reforms. Drawing on the legacy of Enlightenment rationalism and the influence of French cartographic models, it examines how the imposition of linear boundaries and standardized provincial divisions culminating in Javier de Burgos’s 1833 territorial reform redefined Spain’s spatial logic. These changes marginalized historically rich and symbolically distinct rural regions, such as León and Aragón, by subsuming them into homogenized administrative units. The study highlights how cartographic practices, far from being neutral, acted as ideological tools that silenced local identities and reshaped collective memory. Through the lens of Castilla y León, it illustrates the long-term consequences of this rationalist spatial order, including contemporary movements for regional autonomy and cultural reclamation. Ultimately, the paper advocates for a humanized geography that reconciles administrative eficiency with historical continuity and cultural pluralism.

KEYWORDS / KLJUČNE REČI: 

Cartographic rationalism, territorial identity, rural Spain, Enlightenment, cultural erasure

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT / PROJEKAT:

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