The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) left a lasting and painful legacy that still resonates today. In the Archipelago, it particularly affected families who witnessed their children being compelled to fight in a fratricidal conflict.
It was within the Islands that the military coup was orchestrated, making it the first area to support Franco’s uprising. Consequently, young individuals were entirely mobilised to serve in the National Army. Many returned with deep psychological scars, while others never came back at all.
From the municipality of Arafo, 11 young people participated in the conflict. All were tragically lost in battle. Of these, seven were local to Arafo, while four were born elsewhere, with some hailing from as far away as Cuba. The majority met their end in combat or from injuries sustained during fighting, with only one reported death due to illness.
First Fatalities
Historian and chronicler Octavio Delgado detailed the contributions of these youths during the war. Corporal Jesús Santiago Guanche Fariña was the first to fall, on January 21, 1938, at the Madrid Front.
Initially, it appeared that the combatants from Arafo were somewhat shielded during the initial months of conflict. However, the war intensified between 1938 and 1939, taking on a brutal and relentless character. During this period, the remaining ten young fighters lost their lives, all within a span of less than twelve months.
Following the war’s conclusion in 1940, the Cross of the Fallen was established in the municipality, prominently placed on the outer wall of the Chapel of Christ of the Valley at the parish church, as a tribute to Arafo’s fallen. The inscription bore the evocative phrase: “Fallen for God and for the Country”; this referenced José Antonio Primo de Rivera and included the young individuals from Arafo who perished in the conflict.
In 2001, the socialist faction in Arafo condemned the restoration of the tombstone of the Cross of the Fallen, asserting that “it ought to have been removed or replaced by a more inclusive monument that would honour all the victims, irrespective of the side they fought on.” Following the passage of the Historical Memory Law in 2007, the monument was subsequently dismantled.
Divergence of Opinions
Arafo’s mayor, Juan Ramón Martín, has underscored the efforts made in his municipality, both historically and afresh, to adhere to the Historical Memory Law. “We have focused on removing all symbols of the previous regime that existed, whether in emblems or street names,” he stated in a recent address. “We have renamed General Franco Street, Calvo Sotelo, Héroes del Alcázar, Onísimo Redondo… all names bearing Francoist connotations,” remarked the Arafero councillor.
Martín elaborated that, following multiple actions, the municipality would be “with the exception of a single case, which will be resolved sooner rather than later, devoid of Francoist elements in the area.”
The eradication of Francoist symbols in Arafo parallels the recent debate concerning what is known as the Franco Monument located on Anaga Avenue in the capital of Tenerife. The Cabildo announced months ago that it had initiated proceedings to designate it an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC).
Additionally, the Canarian Coalition and the Popular Party have recently revealed plans to propose at the next plenary session of the Tenerife Cabildo a motion to rename it the Monument to Concord, which has sparked significant controversy.
