Textiles are fabrics made by weaving, knitting, or felting fibers such as cotton, wool, silk, linen, and other materials into usable cloth or felted products. They have been crafted and traded for millennia across many cultures, serving clothing, household goods, industrial uses, and decorative items. In Spain, textiles have a long history and were produced and used in several key contexts and regions. Where textiles appeared and were used in Spain

• Prehistoric and ancient Iberia: Archaeological finds in Spain show early textile activity, including linen flax fibers used for fabric in prehistoric Iberia, indicating long-standing textile knowledge before written records. This points to early loom-work and fiber processing in the region.

• Islamic and medieval periods (Al-Andalus): Iberia’s textile production flourished under Islamic rule, with centers like Almería, Seville, and Córdoba hosting Tirāz workshops producing silks, cottons, wools, and textiles that circulated across the Mediterranean.

• Early modern to industrial transformation (18th–19th centuries): In the 18th century, Spain saw royal initiatives to establish textile factories and import foreign machinery and expertise, with Catalonia, Valencia, Castile, and León developing as important regional centers. Textiles were used for clothing, luxury goods, and a range of manufactured textile products.

• Regional hubs in modern history: Catalonia and Valencia emerged as key textile hubs, shaped by industrialization and mechanization, while other regions integrated textile production into local economies and artisanal crafts.

• Contemporary research and findings: Recent studies have continued to document Spain’s textile history across periods—from prehistoric linen use to medieval silk production to modern industry—highlighting regional variation and long-standing craft traditions.

Common textile materials and uses in Spain

• Fibers: Linen (flax), wool, cotton, silk, and blends were common throughout Spain’s textile history, with linen and wool historically important in many regions, and silk prominent in certain urban centers during earlier periods.

• Uses: Textiles served clothing (garments for everyday wear and luxury items), household textiles (towels, linens, bedding), and industrial/apparel applications, as well as export goods and trade materials across the Mediterranean and beyond.

Notes on specific claims you might encounter

• The idea that textiles in Spain were “everywhere” in daily life reflects their centrality to clothing and household goods, as well as to economic and trade networks across Iberia and the broader world.

• Early centers and periods show a progression from local, craft-based production to more industrialized practices, especially from the 18th century onward with factory-driven growth in regions like Catalonia and Valencia.

If you’d like, I can narrow this to a particular period (e.g., medieval Al- Andalus, or 18th–19th century industrial Spain) or focus on a specific region (Catalonia, Valencia, Seville) and provide a concise timeline with key sites and products.