Graffiti has always existed, proof of this are the "victor" or "vítor" that adorn many buildings related to the university environment of the most prominent and oldest Spanish universities. In the post we show (clockwise) those of Seville (top left), Salamanca, Ciudad Rodrigo and Salamanca.

The symbol we can spot being written once and again is the anagram "Victor" or "Vitor" and its history has its roots in imperial Rome. Derived from the chrismon of the Late Roman Empire, which was used on coins as well as on banners and shields, little by little the chrismon was transformed until it adopted a very different form, it had become another symbol: the Victor or Victorious.

Centuries passed, and by the 14th century, some Spanish universities adopted the symbol, especially those of Salamanca, Alcalá de Henares, Úbeda, Seville and those of the Indies, as a commemorative emblem for those who obtained the title of doctor, the highest level of studies. You only have to imagine the happy student, recently graduated, and his friends climbing up any wall of the university to paint the anagram next to their name in bright red. In other words, it is a graffiti from more than 500 years ago using bull's blood, red ochre and varnish, sometimes it is accompanied by the student's name or acronyms that hide a secret message.

The expression is also used to applaud a person or institution, as in the form of ¡Viva!. So basically the University of Salamanca and others are covered in graffiti made by friends of the PhDs as a way of congratulating them.

This tradition is still practiced nowadays in the university of Salamanca, some of the most famous recent vitors are those of spanish novelist and poet Miguel de Unamuno, king Juan Carlos I of Spain and even emperor Akihito of Japan.