Gonzalo Menéndez-Pidal facts for kids
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Gonzalo Menéndez-Pidal (born April 12, 1911 – died December 11, 2008) was a Spanish expert in many fields. He was a historian, someone who makes maps (cartographer), a filmmaker (cinematographer), a photographer, and an archivist. An archivist is a person who collects and keeps important historical documents. He was the youngest historian ever to join the Spanish Royal Academy of History.
Gonzalo's parents were also very famous. His father was Ramon Menendez Pidal, a well-known scholar. His mother, Maria Goyri de Menendez Pidal, was the first woman to officially graduate from a Spanish university. This was the Universidad de Madrid.
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A Mix of Old and New Interests
Gonzalo Menéndez-Pidal loved history, especially the history of Spain. He also enjoyed using the newest technologies of his time. This mix of old and new made his work very special.
He studied filmmaking in Berlin, Germany. He used his camera to record his travels around Spain. This was before the Spanish Civil War started.
Filming Spain's Past
Most of his films were about people and cultures (anthropological documentaries). One famous series of films he made was about a traveling theater group called La Barraca. He created these films with the famous writer Federico García Lorca and others.
Capturing History Through Photos
Gonzalo Menéndez-Pidal was also an excellent photographer. He took many pictures of old Spanish tools and hardware. He carefully organized and listed all these items.
His home in the mountains near Madrid became a huge photo collection. It showed the history of Spain and how the country was built.
His Amazing Archives
Gonzalo's collections are a great example of Spanish cleverness. He was very excited about his work. He also used a scientific way of studying things. These two qualities shine through in his many books about Spain.
See also
In Spanish: Gonzalo Menéndez-Pidal para niños
