ABOUT ME
You probably already know what you want to see in Seville. I am more interested in helping you understand what is not obvious at first sight: why we eat, speak, celebrate and live the way we do.
I’m María Manzano, born and raised in Seville, with both Bachelor and Master degree in Cultural Heritage and ten years of experience both guiding travellers and working in operations developing tours for others as well.
This blog is my personal view of Seville and Andalusia — our history, traditions, food and contradictions — for travellers who are as interested in why as in where. Welcome to Seville, beyond first impressions.
Official Guide License Nr: GT/04401
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When I was five years old, I told my father: “I want to know as much about Seville as you do.”
He took me seriously.
Like his father had done with him, he began taking me on long walks around the city every Sunday morning. Sometimes we spent the whole morning exploring one neighbourhood. Sometimes, just one church.
Every Sunday.
For months.
Then years.
At eighteen, I decided to study Humanities because I could not choose between History, Art, Anthropology, Literature and Languages. I later completed a Master’s in Cultural Management and postgraduate studies in Museums and Cultural Heritage.
During those years, I realised that what interested me most was not simply what happened in the past, but how the past continues to shape everyday life. Why do we eat when we do? Why do Andalusians speak the way we do? Why does religion remain so present in our traditions, even among people who are not religious? What can a bar, a procession or a family recipe tell us about Seville?
These are still the questions behind my work.
That same interest in what lies behind the obvious shapes the way I guide. I believe the best private experiences are not defined by how many extras can be added to them, but by the time and space they give us to stop, look properly, ask questions and listen to the people who live here.
Access matters too, but the most meaningful kind does not come with a VIP ticket. It comes from relationships built over time: being welcomed into an artisan’s workshop, meeting the person behind a small local business or discovering a place you would be unlikely to find on your own.
Experiencing Seville in this way requires a little trust. Moving away from the usual itineraries does not mean missing what matters. It means knowing when to leave the obvious behind and making room for something less predictable, more personal and often far more memorable.
This blog is a continuation of those Sunday walks with my father: my personal view of Seville and Andalusia through our history, food, traditions, people and our contradictions.
Because knowing what to visit is only the beginning.
I’m María Manzano, a licensed private tour guide in Seville, born and raised in the city. For the past ten years, I have worked both as a guide and behind the scenes of the tourism industry, developing and managing tours across Spain and Portugal. I create cultural and food experiences for travellers who want to understand Seville and Andalusia beyond the obvious.