This page contains reccomendations for writing personal names and for capitalizing in Spanish. For more information on MLA style, please refer to the Citing Sources Guide.
All of the following samples are taken from:
Personal Names
Spanish de is not used before the last name alone.
Spanish del, formed from the fusion of the preposition de and the definite article el, is capitalized and used with the last name alone.
A Spanish surname may include both the paternal name and the maternal name, with or without the conjugation y. The surname of a married woman usually includes her paternal surname and her husband's paternal surname, connected by de. Alphabetize Spanish names by the full surnames (consult your sources or a biographical dictionary for guidance in distinguishing surnames and given names).
Even persons commonly known by the maternal portions of their surname, such as Galdos and Lorca, should be alphabetized by their full surnames.
Capitalization
In prose and verse, Spanish capitalization is the same as English except that the following terms are not capitalized in Spanish unless they begin sentences, or, sometimes, lines of verse:
In a title or a subtitle, capitalize only the first words and words normally capitalized.
Some instructors follow other rules. In the titles of series and periodicals, they capitalize all major words
Capitalization of Titles
In a title or subtitle in Spanish, capitalize only the first word and all words normally capitalized in prose.