“Mi infancia son recuerdos de un patio de Seville
y un huerto claro donde madura el limonero”
(My childhood memories are of a patio in Seville
and of a sunny garden where lemon trees ripened)
- Machado
On a hot Sunday morning, I weave my way through the labyrinthine streets of Santa Catalina towards the Palacio de las Dueñas. On a corner, a vendor sells different types of incense, and the street is filled with fragrant smoke.
The amount of historical and cultural significance concentrated in this small area is difficult to wrap the mind around. The palace is located less than 10 minutes away from the birthplace of the painter Velázquez, as well as the famous architectural attraction, the Setas of Seville.
This area is also a religious center of the city, with a convent, a monastery, and several churches nearby. Along the way, my path is blocked by a religious procession. A marching band bearing the insignia of the Hermandad de la Esperanza de Triana pursues a float of the Virgin Mary down the center of the street. Pedestrians and cars stop in their tracks to watch the procession pass, many falling to their knees on the hot cement to pray.
It is within this hub of spiritual devotion that the poet Antonio Machado was born. He spent his early childhood in the stunning Palacio de las Dueñas, while his father was the Duke’s caretaker. The lemon trees and murmuring fountains of its courtyards are recurring images in his poems.
I chose to revisit Machado’s poetry during my trip to Seville because he is considered one of the greatest Spanish poets of all time. Unlike the stiff, intellectual style of other modernist poets, Machado’s poetry is romantic and intuitive. His style is inspired by traditional folk ballads, and he has been given the title of ‘the poet of the people.’ Like many other poets and intellectuals, Machado was forced to flee Spain at the outbreak of the Civil War. He grieved the fate of his home country, to which he was never able to return.
Upon entering the grounds of the Palacio, I found relief from the heat in the shade of the gardens. I wandered beneath the palms and lemon trees, and imagined how Machado’s childhood recollections of this place must have shaped his poetry. His work centers around themes of spiritual contemplation and the relationship between man and the natural environment. I could easily see how the design of the Palacio inspires these ideas.
The Palacio de las Dueñas was constructed in the 15th century, and combines Renaissance, Gothic, and Moorish styles. The Moorish architectural style, the legacy of Islamic rule in Southern Spain, is one of my favorite things about the region of Andalusia. The prominent Moorish features of the Palacio include horseshoe arches, intricate geometric patterns, and an emphasis on lush patios.
The Moorish patio is a haven from city life and from the heat of the sun. It invites sun and wind into the palace, cultivating a peaceful relationship between the man-made structure and the natural environment. It is the perfect place to invite poetic contemplation.
As I explored the rooms of the palace, admiring the unique style of decor, I discovered that Machado was not the only artist to inhabit the palace. The Palacio once served as a guest house for celebrities and nobility. Its library contains a watercolor left by Jackie Kennedy and a stick-figure sketch of Don Quixote by Salvador Dalí.
My visit to the Palacio de las Dueñas was a meditative experience in which I felt immersed in the tranquil beauty of the palace and the gardens. By the time I finished exploring, I was ready for lunch. Fortunately, the Palacio isn’t far from Alfalfa square, one of the best areas in Seville for drinks and tapas. As I continued my day in Seville, the sense of peace associated with the palace and the words of Antonio Machado stayed with me.
“Caminante, son tus huellas
El camino y nada más;
Caminante, no hay camino
Se hace camino al andar.”
Machado
"Traveler, your footprints
Are the only road and nothing more;
Traveler, there is no road
You make the road as you walk.”
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