Santiago! (or ¡Santiago y cierra, España!), was a war cry of Spanish troops during the Reconquista, and of the Spanish Empire. In English, it is often translated as "Santiago and close, Spain!" or "Santiago and at them, Spain!" The first time that it was used was in the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, and was utilized in each occasion that Spanish troops fought Muslims. The meaning of the phrase is to praise St. James the apostle, patron saint of Spain, and to charge or to attack ("close in on them!"). The "Spain", in the end, refers to the recipient of the phrase: the Spanish troops.