The vihuela was a guitar-shaped string instrument that was immensely popular in 16th-century Spain and Italy. While the lute dominated most of Europe, the Spanish aristocracy preferred the vihuela because the lute was associated with Moorish culture. The vihuela typically had six or seven 'courses' (pairs) of gut strings and was tuned similarly to a modern guitar, but with the third string tuned down a half-step. It was a highly sophisticated instrument for which some of the earliest and most complex polyphonic music was written. By the late 16th century, the vihuela began to fade from use, evolving into the five-course Baroque guitar, which eventually led to the six-string classical guitar we recognize today. Very few original vihuelas exist today, making them some of the rarest and most studied instruments in musicology.