Catalonia is well known for having had a lot of influence from abroad; the remnants of Phoenician, Greek and Roman civilisations can be found in many places. Obviously this has a lot to do with its geographical location: on the Mediterreanan sea, and it is the gateway between Spain and the rest of Europe.
When we were exploring in the Pyrenees this autumn, looking for hotels, places to visit, nice restaurants, etc. we were quite surprised however to find something from an entirely different part of the world, in a tiny little chapel, in a tiny little town high up in the Pyrenees. This little chapel holds a couple of paintings depicting Joan de Grau, the baron of the town, in Nova Hispania, conquering what we now know as Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés. As many of the conquistadores did, Joan married an Aztek girl and brought her back to Catalonia, where he was awarded a castle for his services in the King's army. This girl was no ordinary Aztek girl however, she was princess Xipahuazin Moctezuma (later renamed Maria) and after her brother renounced she was the heiress to the throne, but obviously by then the Spanish had already taken over and defeated (and destroyed) the Aztek empire. She was eventually buried in the church of the same town, where a plaque now remembers her life. It is said that an Aztek treasure is buried in the grounds where their castle/farm used to be....