N.T.M. 7 (1999) 013-020 ~,,.,. ~ 0036-6978/991010013-8 $1.50+ 0.20 91999 Birkhliuser Verlag,Basel The History of Mathematics in Spain" Elena Ausejo and Mariano Hormig6n Some elements of reference The historiography of mathematics in Spain has a long uneven history. For exam- ple, as early as 1086, Sacid al-Andalusi, a scholar from Toledo, wrote his Book on the Categories of Nations [Sacid A1-Andalusi 1935], which includes discussion of mathe- maticians and their works. This work in particular reflects a serious level of atten- tion given to historiography of mathematics in a part of the Iberian Peninsula already regarded (although from afar) as Spain. The rise of Christianity, however, eventu- ally succeeded in surpressing much of the previous Islamic cultural presence, redu- cing significantly the place of science and historiography1 in al-Andalus. Subsequently, for the next few centuries, this loss was not considered important; Spain, thanks to its conquests in the Americas, could simply purchase whatever mathe- matics it needed. But when the wealth began to decline, and South-American silver was depleted, it was necessary to consider new alternatives, which also prompted evaluation of who had articulated earlier concepts and ideas. The conflicts which accompanied the formation of the liberal state in 19th-cen- tury Spain did not overlook the exact sciences. Generally speaking, those who over- valued national science were the crown, the aristocracy, the clergy and the defen- ders of the Old Rrgime.Their basic assumption: the Spanish empire had once been a world superpower, controlling an enormous territory and promoting numerous intellectual efforts all of which were exceptional (the Golden Age). Only in science and mathematics had the envy of Spain's adversaries obscured the merits of Spa- nish geometricians. In support of such claims, enormous lists of authors and titles were produced whose mere existence was accepted as a sign of their quality. As a result, it was taken as self-evident that everything -even science- had been good in Spain under the absolute monarchy, which should therefore be maintained. On the other hand, there were intellectuals and professionals, unhappy about what had happened to Spain in general, despite their personal comfort.They found The research reported here was undertaken as part of a major historiographic project, a book devoted to the history of mathematics, that is currently being prepared for press under the aus- pices of the International Commission on History of Mathematic~We are grateful to the Mathe- matisches Forschungsinstitut, Oberwolfach, Germany, which supported this work through its special RIP (Research in Pairs) Program facilitating international collaborative research. We also acknowledge the Commision's permission to publish in NTM this study on the history of the history of mathematics in Spain. This work has also been supported by the Research Pro- ject DGCICYT PB94-0559 (Spain). NTM N.S. 7 (1999) 13