The Valley of Cuelgamuros, history and context
A new memorial framework for Francoist’s main monument
Keys to interpret The Valley
The Valle de los Caídos – or Valley of the Fallen – is the major monument from Francoist Spain. Commissioned by Francisco Franco to celebrate his military victory and to house the bodies of the victors of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), it took some nineteen years to build. Penal labour was largely used for the construction process. The site was officially opened by the Spanish dictator on 1 April 1959, as part of the commemorations for the twentieth anniversary of his victory. It was, from the outset, only a memorial to the winners of the war.
Democratic memory
This website proposes a new look at the Cuelgamuros monument, based on the analysis of its architectural, religious, patrimonial, funerary and political history. Resignifying the monument in a framework of democratic memory requires explaining it as a complex and contradictory process that modulates and changes in relation to the historical and political context that surrounds it. El Valle is a monument commissioned by the dictator Francisco Franco that crystallizes the war (1936-1939) and the dictatorship (1939-1975) from the point of view of the victors. Comparison with other memorial sites around the world allows for a more sophisticated and comprehensive interpretation of the site.
RecognitionEl Valle is a civil cemetery that challenges all victims of war and repression within a framework of human rights
InvestigationDeciphering the keys to the Valley in all its ramifications requires the combined work of specialists from various disciplines
PedagogyThe Valley serves to make visitors aware, in a broad sense, of what happened in Spain after the coup d'état of 1936
MemoryThe monument becomes a fundamental tool for critical reflection on the war and the dictatorship
