Year: 2014
Type: article
Abstract: Four decades after the death of dictator Francisco Franco, Spain continues to come to terms with the legacy of the Spanish Civil War (1936-9) and the Franco dictatorship (1939-75). Physical artifacts dating to the war and dictatorship inject urgency and complexity into debates about the past. The most conspicuous of these artifacts is El Valle de los Caídos (Valley of the Fallen), a monumental complex erected by Franco in the mountains outside of Madrid. Contemporary detractors of the Valley of the Fallen argue that its basilica, crypt, monastery, religious studies center, and freestanding cross—the world’s tallest—exalt Franco and his military triumph in the Civil War. Critics also object to the presence of the dictator’s tomb and its privileged position beneath the main altar. This article analyzes the present-day controversies surrounding the monument, arguing that the dictator’s original construction of the Valley as a ‘sacred’ space continues to structure the limits and possibilities of its re- evaluation. Disputes over how to integrate the monument into a new, post-Franco political landscape indicate widespread uncertainty on the uses of the past in the present.
Source: TSpace (University of Toronto)
Author: Annemarie Iker
Institution: Amherst College
Language: English
Topic: Spanish Culture and Identity
Subfield: Cultural Studies
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1521329604