Murchante โ Ribaforada
Murchante
In the last century, the social conflict in Murchante was marked by the lack of irrigation coupled with the small size of the city limits.ย The division of land of the Cierzo Mountains did not satisfy the townsmen, and there were lawsuits with neighboring towns.ย The border of Urzante was also a matter for lawsuits.ย In 1919, 400 dayworkers went on strike demanding better pay and a shorter workday.ย The Caja Rural savings institution, founded in 1908, was the support for the landowners to organize and remain united against the demands of the workers of the land.
The arrival of the Republic promoted workersโ associations, and in May 1931, the UGT labor union was born in Murchante out of two associations, the Society of Different Trades and the Society of Land Workers, both located at number 22 Triunfante Street.ย The presidents of UGT were Amancio Aguado, Josรฉ Marรญa Magaรฑa, and Antonio Pรฉrez, and in 1932, it reached 175 members.ย Similarly, the Socialist Republican Center at number 34 Main Street was born, with Julio Orta as president.ย At the end of 1935, the Republican Left was born, at number 22 Paz Street, and its president was Francisco Rosel.
The corralizas of La Torre and Las Hoyazas were the goal UGT set itself to ensure were returned to the dayworkers, as well as replanting pine trees, which was carried out.ย The La Torre corraliza, according to mayor Manuel Martรญnez, went head-first against an agreement with a farmer from Tudela.ย Given the cityโs no, several townsmen took matters into their own hands, and in 1932, armed with a bravan and several horses, รngel Pรฉrez, Generoso Ochoa, brothers Pedro and Benito Arraรญza, and Antonio and Josรฉ Marรญa Magaรฑa went to the corraliza.
After tilling the land for several days, the farmer from Tudela complained to the mayor, and he in turn to the Civil Guard.ย A sergeant with four mounted men violently attacked the dayworkers.ย The Governor, on hearing the news, ordered an investigation.ย All parties involved were convened to clear things up, and a Civil Guard captain acted as intermediary.ย The dayworkers and the Mayor, with two Ownersโ Association representatives, met and it was agreed to divide the land up.ย ย The mayor was given three months to do so, and each parcel was divvied up to 3,000ย mยฒ (0.75ย acres) parcels.
The influence of parish priest Pedro Legarรญa is key to understanding why 200 townsmen with all types of weapons stood guard all night against the arrival of the Jesuits from Tudela because of the news of convents being burned.ย The Governorโs order to withdraw crucifixes from schools alarmed a group of the townโs Catholic mothers such that they attacked the school and the teachers, especially the girlsโ teacher.ย The two leftist councilmen complained about how long it took the Civil Guard to come when called.
After the Fascist Military Coup, Hilario Simรณn took the reins at the City Hall and created a War Committee, made up of himself and Manuel Martรญnez.ย Hilario Simรณn was also the head of the local Falange.ย He made many decisions, including firing รngel Martรญnez Simรณn as forest ranger, because he was considered to be opposed to the ideals of the Movement.ย On November 20, Roque Jarauta, Hilario Chueca, Antonio Pรฉrez, Mauricio Simรณn, Ricardo Rosel, Julio Orta, and Genaro Ochoa are arrested.ย They didnโt even spend one night in Tudela jail, as they were immediately killed in Fustiรฑana.
The tobacconistโs shop, until then owned by Julio Ortoa, was taken over by Luis Fernรกndez, the requetรฉ chaplain who had directly participated in the shootings of the prisoners from Tafalla at the Monreal Mill.ย A few days later, a large group of townsmen is locked up in the schools, where they will stay for three months, while family members took them food.ย Pedro Magaรฑa and his son Josรฉ Marรญa, Manuel Simรณn, Isidoro โTรญo Caracolโ, รngel Baroja, Genaro โRinconeroโ Ullate, Hermenegildo Irujo, Constantino Lorente, Ernesto Murillo, Gregorio Soria, Apolonio โCartuchoโ Ochoa, Isaac Ochoa, Francisco Simรณn, รngel Pรฉrez โCostillaresโ were also taken prisoner.
Others signed up for the national front and went over to the Republican side, such as Antonio Magaรฑa and Simรณn โChamberoโ, Pedro and Benito Arraรญza (โLos Obisposโ), Pedro Simรณn, and Cirilo Martรญnez; Ignacio Calahorra was shot while trying.ย Five local religious were killed on the Republican side: Teรณfilo Casajus, brothers Lorenzo and Guillermo Alduรกn, Manuel Martรญnez, and Francisco Simรณn.ย Many townsmen were forced to work for free for those who were on the side of the military uprising, and Private Gregorio Martรญnez was in charge of looking for workers to do that forced labor, which was carried out under surveillance.ย There were three owners who did not take advantage of the slave labor, either by letting them go or paying their wages, and these were Fรฉlix Aguado, Leoncio Hernรกndez, and Apolonio Crespo.ย No women had their hair cut.ย There was only one attempt, with the women who had flown the Republican flag on May Day, with Rosario Simรณn, Marรญa Brun, and Felisa Ullate, but in the end, no one was shaved.
ย Ribaforada
The Lodosa Canal had just been built at the end of the Republic, and the common land was once again being demanded by the least fortunate.ย Since 1901, the City had been giving permission to the farmers to feed their cattle on common land in the Mountain, and even on private lands.ย The arrival of the Republic gave an extra push to the demands for Land, and the large landowners, Ochoa, Sanz de Ayala, Arriazu, Oliver, Lรณpez de Goicoechea, and others, found their privileges in danger.
The April 12 elections were challenged by the left, and when they were repeated, the right got five councilmen and the left, four.ย It must be said that the monarchists on the right had dressed up as republicans.ย The mayor chosen by the right was Nicolรกs Gรณmez.ย The legislative elections on June 26 unmasked the right, and 84.64% of the votes in Ribaforada went to the left.
The City of Ribaforada, with a rightist majority, unconditionally sided with the Basque-Navarrese Statute of Estella: they changed street names, introduced the color purple to the flags and tobacconistsโ signs, and the statue of the Blessed Heart of Jesus was removed.ย Also, the use of more than 7,400 robadas (660ย mยฒ, 0.16ย acres) of common land owned by Concepciรณn Lacar, a 200-robada Carrizal property, the Carrascal e Isla Soto, and the use of the grasses of the Mountain were also demanded.ย Two teachers were hired to meet the growing educational needs.
The representatives of the Land Workersโ Society, Josรฉ Domรญnguez and Josรฉ Diago, sent a petition to the Provincial Government to officially allot the El Juncal property to the Society, based on the fact that the lands had not been worked for 40 years.ย In March 1933, the collective exploitation of that land began.ย In Ribaforada, in addition to the Socialist Groups, there was also a group with Libertarian ideas that worked closely with the socialists so as not to break up the left.ย Josรฉ Zardoya introduced anarchical socialism, and Domingo โEl Fraileโ was its main proponent.ย In February 1936, the right won with 402 votes, to the leftโs 326.
The Fascist Military Uprising meant the whole City Government was fired.ย Salvador Arriazu was named by the military insurgents.ย One of the first agreements of the insurgent city government was to expel 25 families from Ribaforada: Manuel Robles, Juan Melero, Antonio Bernal, Miguel Bernal, Guillermo Lore, Antonio Benede, Iรฑigo Pardos, Gregorio Vallejo, Juan Cruz Tobajas, Manuel Mateos, Francisco Berdejo, Gregorio Andreu, Datirio Carriรณn, Lucio Gutiรฉrrez, Agustรญn Benede, Celedonio Martรญnez, Rufino Martรญnez, Marรญa Marรญn, Luis Martรญnez, A. Corral, Juliรกn Martรญnez, Andrรฉs Pinzoles, Antonio Mesa, Juan Chavarri, and Joaquรญn Robles.
On July 19, 1936, the Civil Guard, with the help of several townsmen, took Ribaforada and started massive raids, making so many arrests they filled up the jail, the meeting room, the butcherโs underneath the City Hall, and the schools.ย That same day, Babil Ayensa was killed with one shot.ย The prisoners were beaten daily, and Tomรกs Galindo was killed in one of them.ย His body was disappeared and has never been found.
The first removal from the prisons took place on July 24, and twelve men were taken to Bocal, loaded onto a boat, and shot and thrown into the Ebro River.ย One of those who were to be killed was not killed that day because he owed 30 pesetas to the priest, Juan Guillรฉn.ย In this and later โcleansesโ, the โCornetaโ played an active role.ย Brothers Jimรฉnez Ducas, Antonio Bernal and his son Fรฉlix, Felipe Garcรญa, Antonio Marques, Cesรกreo Pรฉrez, Andrรฉs Ruiz, and รngel Villafranca were thrown into the river.ย At least six locations in Ribaforada were attacked and sacked: the dance hall, the cinema owned by Josรฉ Domรญnguez, murdered in Fontellas, the homes of Cesรกreo Pรฉrez, Luis Santos, โlas rojasโ, and Bruno Enrique, murdered in San Martin del Moncayo.
Teachers Josรฉ Marรญa Escribano Santos and Carmelo Caballero were indefinitely suspended without pay.ย Many of those arrested were taken to Tudela, and at the beginning of August, were murdered in Fontellas.ย Brothers Gochicoa and Fermรญn Cantรณn, Aniceto Corral, Mariano Navarro, Juan Melero, Luis Santos, and Miguel Castillo were taken to be killed; the latter told his murderers: โIf you believe in God, kill only me and let the rest of these people go.โย Some tried to flee and were captured and killed: Felipe Chรกvarri was killed in Murchante on August 5, along with Bruno Ortigala.ย Josรฉ and Pedro Diago hid in the Bardenas and were killed in Cortes.ย Josรฉ Corella and Josรฉ Blasco were also killed.
Thirteen people more were murdered: Pรญo Castillo, Santiago Gil, Antonio Mesa and his son Josรฉ Murillo, Francisco Ortigosa, Tomas Pantaleรณn, the Robles brothers, Francisco Orta, Ignacio Sรกnchez, Gregorio Vallejo, and รngel Zardoya.
Those women who are known to have had their hair cut were: Marรญa Cantรณn, Teresa Cantรณn, Cรกndida Ducar, Marรญa Jimรฉnez, Marรญa Huguet, Josefina Corral, Casilda Murillo, Paquita Gonzรกlez, Marian Gos, Teresa Enrique, รngeles Aguado, Flora Castillo, Dolores โLa Motolaโ Murillo, Maruja Blanco, and Sabina Melero.
Testimony in the book โNavarra, de la esperanza al terror, 1936โ:
โThe falangists went from house to house, taking women of all ages, from 13, which is how old I was, to some who were 50 or older.ย I think we spent over 80 days under arrest.ย They took us to the City Hall and up to the Meeting Room.ย There were two barbers there, one of them leftist, sucking it up.ย They forced them to leave our heads like the palm of our hands.ย The Plaza was full of curious people who laughed and insulted us when we left with our heads shaved.ย One of us went out to the balcony and said, โHave you seen me from the front?ย Now look from the back!โ and she turned around.ย The next day, they made us go the Plaza again.ย They read a piece of paper accusing us of everything, and then farcically forgave us.ย They made us swear to the flag and sing the โCara al Solโ.ย After that, we had to parade through the whole town to the beat of the music following us.ย They also took us to the station when the train went by.ย The married men wanted to take advantage of us, but some of the single men wouldnโt let them, saying that maybe someday they would want to marry one of them.ย The single men wouldnโt let them, thinking that.โ (M.J. Ribaforada)
Last Updated on Jan 16, 2021 by About Basque Country
