The legacy of Mariana Pineda from Granada still lives onMariana Pineda of Granada is a little known but very influential heroine.
But why is Mariana famous? Her story to fame began when she was fifteen years old. That was when she got married to Manuel Peralta, who was a liberal army officer and a strong supporter of the liberal cause. However, at just 18 years old she was left a widow with two children and it was then that she devoted her life to "the cause" which was the liberal opposition to King Ferdinand VII's repressive regime. She was the subject of police surveillance who had suspicions of her work and even though her house was searched several times, nothing was found. Nevertheless she continued her fight for right. In 1828 she helped her cousin Captain Fernando Álvarez de Sotomayor to escape from jail. He had been condemned to death because of his part in the rebellion. She also forged passports to help rebel soldiers escape the authorities. But her luck was not to continue. In one of the regular searches at her house the police discovered a flag embroidered with the words "Equality, Liberty and Law". This was on 18th March 1831. She was immediately charged with conspiracy and placed on house arrest. True to form, she tried to escape just ten days later on the 28th. She was caught and placed under arrest in the Santa María Egipciaca convent in Granada, a place where political prisoners were being held. During her trial she was offered leniency if she would betray her accomplices. She refused and was sentenced to death.
Mariana Pineda - an inspiration for all Finally, on 26th May 1831 she was taken by mule to the Jardines de Triunfo (Gardens of Triumph) which was then the site for executions in Granada. She was publicly garotted and later buried in an unmarked grave. Her remains were exhumed at a later date and she was reburied. Anyone interested in seeing where she lived can go to number 19 in Calle Aguila where they will see a plaque marking the house where she spent the last years of her life Because of her fight for right, Mariana has become associated with many groups fighting for women's rights. Further information about the Granada group is available at Mariana Pineda of Granada. Frederico Garcia Lorca wrote a play about her in 1925 - the title being "Mariana Pineda" - and it was this that helped popularise her actions and work. Side Note Actually, Lorca's first play (The Butterfly's Evil Spell) was poorly received, being stopped after just four performances. And in contrast, the Mariana Pineda play was successful. Little wonder that Lorca claimed that this play was his first! There are many famous people in this, the city that I love, Mariana Pineda of Granada is just one of them. Are there any other famous Granadino historical figures you would like us to feature? Let us know with your blog comments. If you're new to the Granada Blog from Padul, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Just click on the link above left. Thanks for visiting! Return to the bed breakfast Granada Blog Page. To go to the top of this page click on Mariana Pineda Granada
|
