The Gypsies first arrived in Spain during the XV century and were known by various names: Greeks, Egyptians, Zingaros and Hungaros. Their origin has been demonstrated by linguists to have been north east India.Their arrival in Spain provoked interest among the populace. The king Alfonso V in 1425 granted the gypsies “salvoconductos”, that is, safe conduct around the country. They were able to become established in Andalusia as errant nomads of the countryside, generally in rural regions, outside the city walls. Little by little some bands were able to remain inside city walls of some important urban areas.
However, the same gypsies that were given safe conducts to go as they pleased, wire also in time persecuted by the Inquisition. This persecution might have well resulted in the alliance of gypsies with other persecuted people in Andalusia; the Jews and “Moriscos”. This stage of Andalusian history has rich folkloric consequences as both cultures had much in common. Both cultures were rural and had a great capacity of adaptation to new situations and had rich, though hermetic cultures. Both tried to maintain their cultures and religion to themselves; the most important point in common as regards flamenco is that they were both of eastern folklores, especially rich in dances.
Some writers argue that in Andalusia gypsies have not been persecuted, and to provide evidence mention the fact that gypsies are well integrate into Andalusian society; that some gypsies occupy prestigious positions in society, such as police officers, teachers, lawyers and so on. The vast majority of Andalusian gypsies are sedentary and integrated, but in the north of Spain gypsies have remained aloof from “payo” (non-gypsy) society. Nevertheless, even in today’s “enlightened and democratic” Spain gypsies suffer persecution. The majority find work difficult to find; some gypsy children have been denied access into schools; “chabolas” (improvised shacks in which many gypsies and the poorest non-gypsies have to live in) are burnt to the ground, occasionally resulting the death of the elderly or the young children who are unable to escape the toxic fumes. In short, most gypsies find themselves marginalized, unable to compete with the “payo” on equal terms.
Gypsies in Andalusia have nevertheless left an indelible mark on Andalusian folklore: during the Franco regime, many “costumbrista” films were made using flamenco and gypsies as a back-drop to the plot. These films stressed the “spanishness” of the characters; the flamenco that was offered was usually of the “opera flamenco” style and generally of an easily digestible quality; many folksongs feature gypsy characters in their verses; and the traditional dresses that are worn by women during the annual “ferias” are known as “trajes gitanos” (gypsy dresses).
One of the possible reasons for this high profile of gypsies in Andalucia could well be down to the high percentage of gypsies living there. The exact percentage of “payo/gitano” in Andalucia is unknown, although it is thought that approximately 7-14% of the population identify themselves as gypsy. This high percentage is explained by some as being a result of the alliance that was formed between “moriscos”, gypsies and jews. This, it is claimed, and the desterration of the “moriscos” from Spain, gave many “moriscos” the opportunity to claim to be gypsy, so avoiding expulsion from the inquisitorial Spain.
However, Gypsy, Jew, “Morisco” or “Payo”, the truth is that the lower classes of Andalusia lived as authentic pariahs, dominated by “pÃcaros” (small time crooks; “wide boy” is a possible english translation), unemployed and beggars; people that were and still are difficult to distinguish from gypsies. In fact, the word “gitano” is often used as a synonym of “poor person” or “thief” today. Apart from socio-economic status there were other points in common; the majority of both “payo” and gypsy populations were illiterate, and both inherited their cultures by oral tradition, in which traditional songs and dances were of high importance.
