Many anthropologists and travelers commented on the remarkable beauty of Spanish men and women. In particular, foreign visitors mention their black eyes, which along with long black eyelashes make Spanish women incredibly beautiful. “Spain’s dark-glancing daughters” are stunning in their beauty.

Scholars in the 19th century thought that the unique features of Spanish faces and bodies evolved from the mixing of many different cultures and body types that moved to Spain over time. 

In previous articles, I provided many quotes from the writings of foreigners about beautiful Spanish women. The loveliest descriptions of the landscape, buildings, and women come from the Andalusia region of Spain. Most travelers consider Andalusian women to be exceptionally gorgeous.

Let us look at some of those interesting comments about the women of Andalusia and its largest city, Seville.

Incredible Andalusian Women

Here is what an Italian poet and novelist, Edmondo de Amicis (1846–1908), writes in his book about Andalusian women and girls of Seville, the largest city of Andalusia:

“There are some very beautiful faces, and even those that are not absolutely beautiful, have something about them which attracts the eye and remains impressed upon the memory—the colouring, eyes, brows, and smile, for instance. Many, especially the so-called gitane, are dark brown, like mulattoes, and have protruding lips: others have such large eyes that a faithful likeness of them would seem an exaggeration. The majority are small, well-made, and all wear a rose, pink, or a bunch of field-flowers among their braids…. On coming out of the factory, you seem to see on every side for a time, black pupils which look at you with a thousand different expressions of curiosity, ennui, sympathy, sadness, and drowsiness.”

(As cited in Henry Finck, 1887/2019, p. 517).

Then, Edmondo de Amicis continues as follows:

“The feminine type of Cadiz was not less attractive than that celebrated one at Seville. The women are a little taller, a trifle stouter, and rather darker. Some fine observer has asserted that they are of the Greek type; but I cannot see where. I saw nothing, with the exception of their stature, but the Andalusian type; and this sufficed to make me heave sighs deep enough to have blown along a boat and obliged me to return as soon as possible to my ship, as a place of peace and refuge.”

(As cited in Henry Finck, 1887/2019, p. 518).

In the same vein, George Parsons Lathrop (1851–1898), an American novelist and poet, portrays the Spanish girls in Seville this way:

“Some of them had a spendthrift, common sort of beauty, which, owing to their southern vivacity and fine physique, had the air of being more than it really was…. There were some appalling old crones…. Others, on the contrary, looked blooming and coquettish. Many were in startling deshabille, resorted to on account of the intense (July) heat, and hastened to draw pretty pañuelos of variegated dye over their bare shoulders when they saw us coming…. The beauty of these Carmens has certainly been exaggerated. It may be remarked here that, as an offset to occasional disappointment arising from such exaggerations, all Spanish women walk with astonishing gracefulness, and natural and elastic step; and that is their chief advantage over women of other nations.”

(As cited in Henry Finck, 1887/2019, p. 518).

The Small Stature of Andalusian Women

There are several features of Andalusian beauty that many observers frequently mention. One of those is the small stature of the women, to which they largely owe their exceptional grace of gait. (Henry Finck, 1887/2019, p. 518). Henry Finck expresses his belief that the perfect woman resembles an Andalusian brunette. This type of beauty in Spanish women is in their eyes, hair, stature, complexion, tapering plumpness of figure, and posture.

So, Henry Finck comes to the conclusion that evolutionary sexual selection was in favor of the petite brunette as the ideal of a woman’s beauty.