Don Quijote and "La Mancha"
Just wanted to share some Spanish reading resources for those that may be looking for a quick read, although most have probably heard of this site before if they've been Googling for these things specifically. :p
http://www.donquijote.org/spanishlanguage/literature/library/
Aaaand below is some short research I did about the origins of La Mancha, for anyone who's interested. It's nothing important, so just skim over it if you've got time and don't have anything else to do. 
I was reading an online spanish script of Don Quijote on the site above, and I got curious; did the name 'La Mancha" actually mean anything? So I looked up the dictionary and found several different meanings: stain, spot, blotch, blemish, etc. You get the idea. Not so brightly colored words to discribe a place, if I say so myself.
So this got me thinking... 'Does the name and the definition match at all? Does it have a meaning or serve as a literary device?' And thus started my googling. I thought that is was something the writer used to joke about Don Quijote's slightly undignified start of his career as an oh-so-dignified knight, a 'blemish' on his honor as one even before he started his journey. And perhaps the name did have its use as a literary pun, even if it wasn't intentionally done by the author himself.
Interestingly, (I hadn't known prior to this), the place "La Mancha" actually does exist in the central areas of Spain, south of Madrid. Even more interesting, people assume that the name comes from the Arab word ?????? (pronounced as 'al-man-sha'), meaning "the dry land" or "wilderness". True to it's origin, La Mancha is actually an elevated plateu with arid climates and harsh temperatures. Generally, it seemed like people didn't really associate the definition of the Spanish word with the land itself, although they did tend to use it as a pun sometimes when Don Quijote was involved.
3 Answers
Manchego refers to some/thing/one from that area hence the lovely cheese
Yes, you are correct. La Mancha is also known for the winds there. In the 2006 film "Volver", Penélope Cruz plays a woman who is from La Mancha and there are several facets of volviendo (returning) in the plot and visual references to La Mancha such as the windmills.
Very interesting, Saphire.
