Where is Santiago? ¿Dónde está Santiago? As you can see there are several possible answers to that question. All of them locations within the Spanish-speaking world. If you are wondering why this is such a popular name, or if you want to know more, keep reading.
Santiago is a Spanish name that comes from the Hebrew Jakob. This derivation has taken various forms such as San Iago, San Tiago, Sant Yago… The list goes on. They were used to refer to Saint James the Greater, brother of John the Apostle, both being two of the twelve disciples of Jesus. The tradition tells us that Saint James travelled to the Iberian Peninsula, where he is now buried. So… what does that have to do with the popularity of the name?
It turns out that it has a lot to do with the fact that Santiago is the patron saint of Spain. His shrine is inside the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, the final destination of a pilgrimage route originated in the 8th century. Known in English as The Way of St. James. But this reason is complemented by another, the crucial one, to explain the spread of this name beyond the Spanish borders.
This other reason why you have Santiago as the name of many cities in Spain, but also as far as the Philippines and Mexico, has to do, as you may have guessed, with Spain’s colonial past. The Spanish Empire was one of the largest empires of the world. It reached its peak through most of the 16th and 17th centuries. In the 18th century it reached its greater territorial extension and became the first global empire in world history. That is why it is known as the empire on which the sun never sets. Having this in mind, it may not be surprising that many cities, including two capital cities outside Spain, were named after Spain’s patron saint.
By the way, Spain is not the only country that has a patron saint. For example, England’s patron saint is saint George. There are patron saints even for whole regions that encompass several countries. For example, Saint Rose of Lima is the patron saint of South America, and Saint Francis Xavier the patron saint of Asia. To complicate things further, some countries have several patron saints. However, Spain only has one, and now you have learned a bit about it.
Do you know who is the patron saint of your region or city? What are popular names for cities in your country, and why? Plenty for you to investigate! Share your findings with Spanishbytes!
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