Spanish ethnic portrait: notes on the practical imagology

The turn of the 20th century saw a considerable growth of interest in the study of national identity of various ethnic groups from the standpoint of their self-reflection, and in terms of their interpretation from the outside. Diplomatic correspondence, literary biographies, travel notes and other historiographic works give opportunity to form an opinion about the ethos of national culture. The book of the 17th century Italian author Giovanni Botero “Relazioni Universali” (1591–1596) is an invaluable source that gives a lot of interesting information about the Spanish Renaissance and main features of the Spanish national character.