A CONCISE CULTURAL HISTORY OF THE HISPANIC WORLDS This Concise Cultural History of the Hispanic Worlds has been conceived and written to expand upon and explain the epic memory of the Hispanic peoples. Epic memory is what a people understands of itself thanks to the first poems recited by its ancestors, recounting the origins and exploits of its forefathers. The content of such cultural output is what people in each country understand of themselves, what their men and women have experienced and the tales they tell to their children, to guests, visitors and tourists. It also underpins and nourishes language, beliefs, the sense of self and of one’s very essence, of nations and regions. A cultural history that sets itself the task of expanding on and legitimizing the epic memory of the Hispanic people is a work that aspires to make that memory more inclusive and richer, bringing new elements to the table, to justify it by confirming its validity. We live in versions of ourselves, and those who are equipped with the most luminous and comforting accounts, with which we feel most at home, are those we call our friends. This is a congenial approach to history.