Hispanidades: España, la primera hispanidad, and: Hispanidades: España, la primera hispanidad. Grammar Review Workbook, and: Hispanidades: Latinoamérica y los EE.UU, and: Hispanidades: Latinoamérica y los EE.UU. Grammar Review Workbook (review)

Based on the books and DVD series written and presented by Carlos Fuentes, El espejo enterrado/ The Buried Mirror: Reflections on Spain and the New World (reviewed in Hispania 76.4 [1993]), the two textbooks reviewed here, Hispanidades: España, la primera hispanidad and Hispanidades: Latinoamérica y los EE.UU., and their accompanying workbooks expertly utilize excerpts from the aforementioned DVD series to present an excellent cultural and historical framework of Spain, Latin America, and the United States. Drawing on key segments from El espejo enterrado, the textbook chapters from the two volumes revolve around the film series' cultural themes (for example, the Hispanidades textbook on Spain includes such interesting, historically-based cultural themes as: "La Semana Santa, la religión y el estado," "Conflicto y coexistencia: Árabes, cristianos y judíos," and "Franco y la Guerra Civil," while the Hipanidades Latin America and USA textbook includes "La independencia: Bolívar y San Martín," "La Revolución Mexicana y el muralismo," and "La frontera: La inmigración y los EE.UU.," adding related literary readings, short essays, and brief and concise grammatical, orthographical and cultural explanations, with provocative summary questions at the end.

The well-organized chapters in both Hispanidades textbooks contain the sections "Gramática y ortografia," "Literatura," and "Notas de lengua." The "Literatura" section, with excerpts from major works by major Hispanic authors—such as Cervantes, Federico García Lorca, Ana María Matute—, displays a varied literary selection, as does the Latin America and United States textbook, with works by Pablo Neruda, Sor Juana, José Martí, Mariano Azuela, Rudolfo Anaya, and Sandra Cisneros. These short literary readings provide rich linguistic and cultural contexts in which to practice the grammar and vocabulary presented, reinforced by the well-structured activities in the accompanying grammar review workbooks.

Each Hispanidades textbook chapter contains a brief grammar section with its accompanying complementary grammar review workbook chapter. The Spain Hispanidades textbook and workbook review such problematic grammar points as: "por y para," "los usos de se," and "pretérito e imperfecto," with four chapters devoted to "el subjuntivo." The Latin America and United States textbook and grammar review workbook reviews the following essential grammar points: "pretérito," "imperfecto," "el participio pasado," "el verbo gustar y otros semejantes," "el presente de subjuntivo," "el imperfecto de subjuntivo," and "mandatos formales y familiares." They also include a well-presented "La ortografía" section, focusing on such issues as: "las letras c, s, z," "las letras c, k, q," "las vocales," "las letras v y b," "las letras r y rr," and "las letras h, g, j," which prove very helpful in the teaching of writing skills, especially to heritage learners. Both Hispanidades Grammar Review Workbook chapters parallel those in the Hispanidades textbooks, offering a more extensive and complete grammar review with practice exercises and a neatly presented answer key.

The "Notas de lengua" in both Hispanidades textbooks explore very interesting socio-linguistic aspects of the Spanish language: in Spain, for example, "El andaluz y el caló" and "La censura y la supresión de las lenguas regionales"; and, in Latin America and the United States, "El español de las Américas: Influencias indígenas," "Los dialectos del español en EE.UU.," and "El cambio de código." These...