Since 2007 the collective El Patio Maravillas has been a central part of the Universidad area of northern central Madrid, better known today as Malasaña. Locals affectionately refer to it as El Barrio de Maravillas (‘the neighborhood of wonders’). El Patio’s decision to take for itself the name Maravillas is a representation of its aspirations as much as a commitment to its neighborhood. A place of many names and identities, Malasaña has long been an area of counter culture and resistance in Madrid.
The heart of Malasaña today is the Plaza Del Dos De Mayo, a square famous for its botellon (Spanish slang for drinking in the streets) on weekend evenings. It is this square which marks the focal point of an uprising of Madrileños against the French troops stationed in the city, on May 2, 1808. In 1807 Napoleon’s army was stationed in Spain: a strategic agreement with the Spanish monarchy to secure Portugal but one which put Spain at risk of French invasion, despite them being allies. By April 1808 approximately 55,000 French soldiers were stationed in and around Madrid. The King Carlos IV was in France (essentially under house arrest), along with his wife and son, and on the morning of May 2 news came that the last remaining member of the royal family was to be removed to Spain. The people of Madrid understood this to be a coup by Napoleon and when a crowd gathered outside the Palacio Real and French troops fired the uprising was sparked. It centered on the Spanish artillery park Monteleón (now Plaza Del Dos De Mayo), where ordinary Madrileños took arms against the French troops in a barricade that lasted about three hours. Once the rebellion was defeated by the French, orders were given to kill any Spaniards who were still carrying arms in the city. Which included a 15 year old seamstress who was killed returning home because she carried her sewing scissors: Manuela Malasaña, immortalized ever since in the name of her neighborhood. Like many uprisings its memorialization in art and culture was pervasive, for example, the print below showing the barricade.
Image source: Defensa del Parque (de Monteleón), Memoria de Madrid archive, http://www.memoriademadrid.es/buscador.php?accion=VerFicha&id=27189
The executions that took place the next day are forever immortalized in Goya’s masterpiece ‘The 3rd of May 1808 in Madrid’ which hangs in the Prado. Since the retreat of the Spanish, May 2 has been commemorated and is a public holiday in Madrid. The image below shows the celebration in 1869 in the Plaza Del Dos De Mayo.
Image source: Arco de Monteleón y Calle del Dos de Mayo, Memoria de Madrid archive, http://www.memoriademadrid.es/buscador.php?accion=VerFicha&id=5342&num_id=2&num_total=5120
Fast forward to the death of Franco in 1975 and Malasaña once again became the centre of a counterculture movement, La Movida. After Franco’s death the transition to democracy opened up Spain to an influx of extraneous cultural influences and greater freedom of expression. This period in Madrid’s history from the mid-1970s to mid-1980s, gave rise to numerous bands and artists. The most famous product of La Movida is the film director Pedro Almodóvar, who began making short films in Madrid in the early years of La Movida. There are many images of La Movida, but one which illustrates the amount of change is the image below of celebrations in the Plaza Del Dos De Mayo, on May 2 1976.
Image source: Eel Dos de Mayo en 1976, El Pais, http://ccaa.elpais.com/ccaa/2016/04/28/madrid/1461870119_769320.html
The image was taken on the first May 2 celebration since the death of Franco. Despite the jubilant crowds and the spirit of liberation the image portrays, the square was surrounded by police and the couple in the image were arrested afterwards and spent two years in prison for their act. It took a number of years for the expectation and desire for freedom of expression in La Movida to fully reach its height in the early 1980s.
Malasaña today is still an ‘alternative’ area in Madrid, but is rapidly gentrifying and becoming known to tourists. One of El Patio’s rallying cries is ‘Malasaña no se vende’ (Malasaña is not for sale), which highlights tensions in areas experiencing rapid gentrification. El Patio’s occupations no longer exist in Malasaña but their presence and impact on their neighborhood has been continued in the community groups they have fostered.
What a fascinating history! I didn’t realize Malasana had a long history as a site of resistance. Does El Patio ever refer to this history? What are the “maravillas” to which the neighborhood nickname refers, I wonder? And why do you suppose Malasana became the center of counterculture in the 1970s and 1980s? Do you think it’s because of the 2nd of May uprising?
It’s taken a while…but I’ve finally found out why its nickname is ‘Maravillas’! It is less exciting than I imagined, as it refers to a church in Malasana called the Iglesia de la Virgen de las Maravillas (Church of the Virgin of Wonders). Source: https://xixerone.com/2015/09/malasana.html
In terms of El Patio referencing the history of Malasana, I have not seen anything about the early history of Malasana, only recent changes mainly gentrification and touristification. I had an interesting insight into La Movida last week, when meeting some Spanish friends. They were telling me that some of them do not like the La Movida bands because they represent Spanish musicians copying English or American music styles. It set me wondering how much La Movida is liked or referenced by young Spaniards today?
Finally, I would conjecture that Malasana has a history of counterculture more due to coincidence than design. It could be due in part to being a relatively poor neighborhood (up until very recently) which is still very central. For example, this would facilitate cheap rents for musicians and artists for La Movida. However, from what I have read, the uprising on the 2nd of May was more due to the location of the army barracks than the people who lived in the area.