Santiago! (also known as Santiago and closes, Spain!, in Spanish, ¡Santiago y cierra, España!), was a war cry of Spanish troops during the Reconquista, and of the Spanish Empire. 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. The "Spain", in the end, refers to the recipient of the phrase: the Spanish troops. After the Reconquista, the phrase continued to be used, especially by the brigades of Spanish cavalry.
1. http://www.infoperu.com/en/view.php?lang=en&p=163 -Demonstrates that the battle cry did in fact exist, and was used after the reconquista.
2. http://www.myetymology.com/encyclopedia/Symbols_of_Spain.html
3. http://www.myetymology.com/encyclopedia/Spanish_nationalism.html