The ancient qualities of which the Castilians are proud are gravedad, lealtad, y amor de Dios—­“dignity, loyalty, and love of God.”  No wonder that when the nation arises, it carries a matter through.

Estremadura, after the expulsion of the Moors, in whose days it was a fruitful garden, seems to have been forgotten by the rest of Spain; it became the pasturage for the wandering flocks of merino sheep, the direct descendants of the Bedouin herds, and of the pigs, which almost overrun it.  Yet the remains of the Romans in Estremadura are the most interesting in Spain, and bear witness to the flourishing condition of the province in their day; moreover, Pizarro and Cortes owe their birth to this forgotten land.  The inhabitants of the southern provinces of Spain differ wholly from those of Castile and the north—­they have much more of the Eastern type; in fact, the Valenciano or the Murciano of the huerta, the well-watered soil which the Moors left in such a high state of cultivation, in manners and appearance are often little different from the Arab as we know him to-day.

From the gay Andaluz we derive most of our ideas of the Spanish peasant; but he is a complete contrast to the dignified Castilian or the brusque Montanese.  From this province, given over to song, dancing, and outdoor life, come—­almost without exception—­the bull-fighters, whose graceful carriage, full of power, and whose picturesque costume, make them remarkable wherever seen.  Lively audacity is their special characteristic. Sal (salt) is their ideal; we have no word which carries the same meaning.  Smart repartee, grace, charm, all are expressed in the word Salada; and Salero (literally, salt-cellar) is an expression met with in every second song one hears.

    Ole Salero!  Sin vanidad,
    Soy muy bonita, Soy muy Sala!

is the refrain of one of their most characteristic songs, La moza e rumbo, and may be taken as a sample:—­

    Listen, Salero! without vanity,
    I am lovely—­I am Salada!

During the Feria at Seville, the upper classes camp out in tents or huts, and the girls pass their time in singing and dancing, like the peasantry.

The Valencians are very different, being slow, quiet, almost stupid to the eye of the stranger, extremely industrious, and wrapped up in their agricultural pursuits.  They fully understand and appreciate the system of irrigation left by the Moors, which has made their province the most densely populated and the most prosperous in appearance of all Spain.

A curious survival exists in Valencia in the Tribunal de las Aguas, which is presided over by three of the oldest men in the city; it is a direct inheritance from the Moors, and from its verdict there is no appeal.