The square that opened at the worst possible moment

Plaza de España looks ancient, all that curved brick and painted tile, the kind of place you'd assume had been standing for centuries. It hasn't. Aníbal González started planning it in 1914, and spent the best part of fifteen years getting it built, delayed over and over by the First World War.

It finally opened in May 1929, for the Ibero-American Exposition, built to show the world exactly what Spain could do. Five months later, the Wall Street Crash hit. The Great Depression followed. The crowds the whole thing was designed for mostly never showed up. One of the most confident, ambitious squares in Europe opened right at the start of a decade that had no time for confidence or ambition.

I painted it in watercolour and ink, all that terracotta and blue tile. There's a poster and a postcard, both with a letter home if you'd like one.

Shop the poster here: Plaza de España, Seville · Travel Poster