Gevel van het paleis van Karel V in het Alhambra before 1898

This photograph by Rafael Garzón, taken in 1890, captures the facade of the Palace of Charles V in the Alhambra. Garzón, working in a period of significant colonial shifts and growing Spanish national identity, presents a grand architectural subject that embodies a complex tapestry of power, religion, and cultural exchange. The Palace, commissioned by Charles V in the 16th century, stands as a symbol of the Spanish Empire's reach and its impact on Moorish Granada. Built on the grounds of the Alhambra, a palace-city reflecting centuries of Moorish rule, the Palace of Charles V is an imposing structure of Renaissance architecture disrupting the traditional aesthetic. Garzón's choice to focus on this facade invites reflection on the dialogues between conquest and cultural imposition, and the ways in which architecture can embody the narratives of the victors. Garzón leaves us to consider how these spaces reflect the layering of histories, and the ongoing negotiation of identity and power.