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Flamenco can be traced back several centuries although the exact point in time at which it began to evolve is unknown. History shows, however, a diverse background of cultural roots and influences including Indian, Jewish, Byzantine, Arabic, and South American. At certain times throughout the history of the Iberian Peninsula, people from these various cultures have passed through and settled in Andalusia and in so doing forged their own particular characteristics upon the development of this southern region of Spain. At the fall of their last stronghold in Granada in 1492 after the occupation of southern Spain for seven hundred years, the Moors left behind a cultural heritage so strong and of such magnitude that five centuries later, the impact of their influence is still very much apparent. In this diverse cultural melting pot of so many different races, the seeds of flamenco were sown and there emerged a new form of musical expression. Flamenco has been evolving continuously and today the three principal elements of singing, dancing and guitar playing have reached a peak of unsurpassed technical virtuosity and musical sophistication. To understand and retain the purity of style and spontaneity of this art form, however, we must look into the way of life of the flamenco people whose roots were buried centuries ago deep in the soil of Andalusia. It is from this way of life that the very essence of flamenco has grown.