The art of Flamenco is a passionate expression of life and its emotions through song, dance, and music. It originated in the village of Jerez de la Frontera in the province of Andalucia in Southern Spain. Dating back to a little over four centuries ago, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella expelled the Moors from Spain and enforced Catholicism under pain of death. The gypsies of that era, along with the Moors and the Jews, were all persecuted for the same reasons. These three cultures came together as allies, influencing each other's ways of life as they fled from town to town, avoiding the enforcements of the Royal Family. The word Flamenco is derived from two arabic words: Felag, which means "peasant", and Mengu, which means "fugitive". Their cultures, along with the indigenous Andalucians' culture, became a melting pot of influences and produced the art that is Flamenco.