Spanish America in the context of "Hispanic America"

The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict, fought between 1701 and 1714. The death of Charles II of Spain in November 1700 without children resulted in a succession struggle between rival claimants. In his will, Charles named his heir as Philip of Anjou, who was backed by his grandfather Louis XIV. His opponent, Archduke Charles of Austria, was supported by the Grand Alliance. Significant related conflicts include the Great Northern War (1700–1721) and Queen Anne's War (1702–1713).

Although no longer the predominant power in Europe, the Spanish Empire remained a vast global power, including the Spanish Netherlands, large parts of Italy, the Americas and the Spanish East Indies. Its union with either France or Austria threatened the European balance of power, and the proclamation of Philip as king of Spain on 16 November 1700 led to war. Although by 1709 the Grand Alliance had forced France onto the defensive, Philip had confirmed his position in Spain, the ostensible cause of the war.

The pomegranate (Punica granatum) is a fruit-bearing, deciduous shrub in the family Lythraceae, subfamily Punicoideae, that grows between 5 and 10 m (16 and 33 ft) tall. Rich in symbolic and mythological associations in many cultures, it is thought to have originated from Iran before being introduced and exported to other parts of Asia, Africa, and Europe, though also considered to be native to Indian Subcontinent (particularly Northern India) and Afghanistan.

It was introduced into Spanish America in the late 16th century and into California by Spanish settlers in 1769. It is widely cultivated throughout West Asia and the Caucasus region, South Asia, Central Asia, north and tropical Africa, the drier parts of Southeast Asia, and the Mediterranean Basin. The fruit is typically in season in the Northern Hemisphere from September to February, and in the Southern Hemisphere from March to May.

Bullfighting is a physical contest that involves a bullfighter attempting to subdue, immobilize, or kill a bull, usually according to a set of rules, guidelines, or cultural expectations.

There are several variations, including some forms which involve dancing around or leaping over a cow or bull or attempting to grasp an object tied to the animal's horns. The best-known form of bullfighting is Spanish-style bullfighting, practiced in Spain, and a few of its former American colonies, as well as parts of the Philippines, Portugal (see: Portuguese-style bullfighting) and Southern France. The Spanish Fighting Bull is bred for its aggression and physique, and is raised free-range with little human contact.

Colonial Brazil (Portuguese: Brasil Colonial), sometimes referred to as Portuguese America, comprises the period from 1500, with the arrival of the Portuguese, until 1815, when Brazil was elevated to a kingdom in union with Portugal. During the 300 years of Brazilian colonial history, the main economic activities of the territory were based first on brazilwood extraction (brazilwood cycle), which gave the territory its name; sugar production (sugar cycle); and finally on gold and diamond mining (gold cycle). Slaves, especially those brought from Africa, provided most of the workforce of the Brazilian export economy after a brief initial period of Indigenous slavery to cut brazilwood.

In contrast to the neighboring Spanish possessions, which had several viceroyalties, the colony of Brazil was settled mainly in the coastal area by the Portuguese and a large black slave population working on sugar plantations and mines.

Casta (Spanish: [ˈkasta]) is a term which means "lineage" in Spanish and Portuguese and has historically been used as a racial and social identifier. In the context of the Spanish Empire in the Americas, the term also refers to a controversial 20th-century theoretical framework which postulated that colonial society operated under a hierarchical race-based "caste system". From the outset, colonial Spanish America resulted in widespread intermarriage: unions of Spaniards (españoles), indigenous people (indios), and Africans (negros).

Basic mixed-race categories that appeared in official colonial documentation were mestizo, generally offspring of a Spaniard and an Indigenous person; and mulatto, offspring of a Spaniard and an African. A plethora of terms were used for people with mixed Spanish, Indigenous, and African ancestry in 18th-century casta paintings, but they are not known to have been widely used officially or unofficially in the Spanish Empire.

Callao (Spanish pronunciation: [kaˈʎao]) is a seaside city and constitutional province in Peru. Located next to the Pacific Ocean, it forms part of the Lima metropolitan area alongside Lima province. Its autonomous status dates back to 1836, when it was declared a Littoral Province of the Peru–Bolivian Confederation, after which it was declared a Constitutional Province by the government of Ramón Castilla in 1857.

Callao is Peru's chief seaport and home to its main airport, Jorge Chávez International Airport. Founded in 1537 by the Spaniards, the city has a long naval history as one of the main ports in Latin America and the Pacific, having been a vital Spanish town during the colonial era. Central Callao is about 15 km (9.3 mi) west of the Historic Centre of Lima.

The Cortes of Cádiz was a revival of the traditional cortes (Spanish parliament), which as an institution had not functioned for many years, but it met as a single body, rather than divided into estates as with previous ones.

The General and Extraordinary Cortes that met in the port of Cádiz starting 24 September 1810 "claimed legitimacy as the sole representative of Spanish sovereignty", following the French invasion and occupation of Spain during the Napoleonic Wars and the abdication of the monarch Ferdinand VII and his father Charles IV. It met as one body, and its members represented the entire Spanish Empire, that is, not only Spain but also Spanish America and the Philippines.

The Political Constitution of the Spanish Monarchy (Spanish: Constitución Política de la Monarquía Española), also known as the Constitution of Cádiz (Spanish: Constitución de Cádiz) and nicknamed La Pepa, was the first Constitution of Spain and one of the earliest codified constitutions in world history. The Constitution was ratified on 19 March 1812 by the Cortes of Cádiz, the first Spanish legislature that included delegates from the entire nation and its possessions, including Spanish America and the Philippines. "It defined Spanish and Spanish American liberalism for the early 19th century."

With the notable exception of proclaiming Roman Catholicism as the official and sole legal religion in Spain, the Constitution was one of the most liberal of its time: it affirmed national sovereignty, separation of powers, freedom of the press, free enterprise, abolished corporate privileges (fueros), and established a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system. It was one of the first constitutions that allowed universal male suffrage, with some exceptions, through a complex indirect electoral system. It extended political rights for representation to Spanish America and the Philippines, a significant step for the demands of overseas-born Spaniards.