Memorial at Alto del Perdón

[islandwalker]

I must have missed this thread in 2018...so we almost missed the memorial at Alto del Perdón yesterday; I’m putting a note here so perhaps some others who missed the original post will be aware of it. We expected to see the iconic sculptures, the crowds of pilgrims taking photos, and the massive wind turbines, but the poignant memorial written about in the thread above was one we hadn’t seen mention of in our guidebooks. Luckily, just before we started to descend, we caught sight of the spiral of 19 standing stones with a pillar in the middle. A sign nearby explained that this was a memorial to 92 people from 19 villages in the Sierra del Perdón who lost their lives in 1936 and 1937. The sign says:
“This is a tribute to the victims and their families who were killed for fighting for their ideals of social justice and democracy. In Navarra there wasn’t a front during the war, and these people were killed without a trial, deprived of their homes by force, and buried in mass graves in this land, all of them forgotten and silenced for 81 years by the institutions.”
It was a moving experience to stand by the stones and contemplate the message and the names and ages of those memorialized.



For those starting the Mozárabe in Almería, there is a similar monument near the end of the English Cable. It memorializes the 142 Almerians who died after being deported to Mauthausen.

(Note: The original thread has several cautions about not turning this sensitive topic into a political discussion.)

 

[Davey Boyd]

I did not know that memorial was there on the way down from Alto de Perdon. I will look out for it next time!

Davey

 

[susanawee]

I saw it in 2013 and went down and walked silently amongst the standing stones...a very, very ,moving experience.

 

[AlwynWellington]

A few days after Alto del Perdon I stayed at Azofra.

Two days later I paused at the memorial at the top of the hill before the long descent into San Juan Ortega.

Here is what wrote in my blog for day 35:

"Now, please let me take you back to Azofra two days ago. I walked around that village and above the entrance to the parish church were about 12 names of those who, as I understood the words above, died for their country fighting communism between 1936 and 1939.
At the height of Montes de Oca, 4 km from Villafranca, is an obelisk remembering some 300 who were shot (in this locality?) in the first three months of the Civil War starting in 1936. As I understand it they died for their country fighting fascism."

 

[AlwynWellington]

we almost missed the memorial at Alto del Perdón

@islandwalker, something dragged me back to your original post again.

I did miss this memorial!

I had walked from Zabaldika that day, with a lengthy stop over at Pamplona. And it was a hot day (early May 2016). I had paused after Zariquiegui and a longer pause facing the silhouettes while I read notes on the albergue ahead. As I was reading from my guide that Uterga had one only with 12 beds, some 6 pilgrims passed me with determination in their pace.

I scrambled to follow them (which caused my undoing the next day) and so had my back to this memorial as I began my descent ...

I am pleased to have been brought back. Thank you for your post.

Kia kaha, kia māia, kia manawanui (Take care, be strong, confident and patient) and get going when you can.

 

[filly]

A few days after Alto del Perdon I stayed at Azofra.

Two days later I paused at the memorial at the top of the hill before the long descent into San Juan Ortega.

Here is what wrote in my blog for day 35:

"Now, please let me take you back to Azofra two days ago. I walked around that village and above the entrance to the parish church were about 12 names of those who, as I understood the words above, died for their country fighting communism between 1936 and 1939.
At the height of Montes de Oca, 4 km from Villafranca, is an obelisk remembering some 300 who were shot (in this locality?) in the first three months of the Civil War starting in 1936. As I understand it they died for their country fighting fascism."

Thank you for this reminder. I was so moved by the memorial that I could not bring myself to take a photo.

Every time I am in Salamanca I mean to go to the museum on the Civil War... has anyone been and can recommend it?

 

[grayland]

Once again..a gentle reminder to take care not to make statements of a political nature in this thread.
The Spanish Civil War still invokes very strong feelings and emotions among the Spanish people.

Please respect the forum rules regarding political or remarks about internal national interests of any country..