María Pérez Lacruz
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María Pérez Lacruz (1917–1942), also known by her
nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...
''La Jabalina'', was a
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...
anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and Political movement, movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or Social hierarchy, hierarchy, primarily targeting the state (polity), state and capitalism. A ...
militiawoman. Originally from the
province of Teruel Teruel ( Catalan: ''Terol'' ) is a province of Aragon, in the northeast of Spain. The capital is Teruel. It is bordered by the provinces of Tarragona, Castellón, Valencia (including its exclave Rincón de Ademuz), Cuenca, Guadalajara, and Z ...
, she moved to the
Valencian Valencian can refer to: * Something related to the Valencian Community ( Valencian Country) in Spain * Something related to the city of Valencia * Something related to the province of Valencia in Spain * Something related to the old Kingdom of ...
city of
Sagunt Sagunto () is a municipality of Spain, located in the province of Valencia, Valencian Community. It belongs to the modern fertile ''comarques of the Valencian Community, comarca'' of Camp de Morvedre. It is located approximately north of the c ...
at an early age. There she became involved in the Libertarian Youth and, following the outbreak of the
Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
, she joined the
Iron Column The Iron Column (, ) was a Valencian anarchist militia column formed during the Spanish Civil War to fight against the military forces of the Nationalist Faction that had rebelled against the Second Spanish Republic. History The Iron Column ...
as a
military nurse Most professional militaries employ specialised military nurses or nursing sisters. They are often organised as a distinct nursing corps. Florence Nightingale formed the first nucleus of a recognised Nursing Service for the British Army during the ...
. After being wounded in action, she was transferred to the , and went to work in an armaments factory after she had recovered. With the
Nationalist Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...
victory in the civil war, she was arrested, charged with
rebellion Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...
and imprisoned. She gave birth during her imprisonment and her child was abducted by the
Francoist dictatorship Francoist Spain (), also known as the Francoist dictatorship (), or Nationalist Spain () was the period of Spanish history between 1936 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death i ...
. A
court martial A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the mili ...
sentenced her to death and she was
executed by firing squad Execution by firing squad, in the past sometimes called fusillading (from the French , rifle), is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war. Some reasons for its use are that firearms are usually re ...
; she became the last woman to be executed by the dictatorship. Since the passage of the
Historical Memory Law Law 52/2007, commonly known as Historical Memory Law (Sp: ''Ley de Memoria Histórica''), recognises and broadens "the rights and establishes measures in favour of those who suffered persecution or violence during the civil war and the dictator ...
in 2007, her life has been covered in various artistic mediums.


Biography

María Pérez Lacruz was born in the
Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and ; ) is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces of Spain, ...
ese city of
Teruel Teruel () is a city in Aragon, located in eastern Spain, and is also the capital of Teruel (province), Teruel Province. It had a population of 35,900 as of 2022, making it the least populated provincial capital in Spain. It is noted for its har ...
, on 3 May 1917, to Manuel Pérez and Isabel Lacruz. She was nicknamed , due to her family's origins in the small village of
Jabaloyas Jabaloyas is a municipality located in the province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population info ...
. In 1923, her family moved to the
Valencian Valencian can refer to: * Something related to the Valencian Community ( Valencian Country) in Spain * Something related to the city of Valencia * Something related to the province of Valencia in Spain * Something related to the old Kingdom of ...
city of
Sagunt Sagunto () is a municipality of Spain, located in the province of Valencia, Valencian Community. It belongs to the modern fertile ''comarques of the Valencian Community, comarca'' of Camp de Morvedre. It is located approximately north of the c ...
to look for work. Pérez Lacruz and her siblings were forced to work from a young age to support their family. Pérez Lacruz herself worked as a housecleaner. Following the proclamation of the
Second Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of democratic government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931 after the deposition of Alfonso XIII, King Alfonso XIII. ...
, in 1934, Pérez Lacruz joined the Libertarian Youth. When the
Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
broke out in July 1936, she went to Sarrión and joined the
Iron Column The Iron Column (, ) was a Valencian anarchist militia column formed during the Spanish Civil War to fight against the military forces of the Nationalist Faction that had rebelled against the Second Spanish Republic. History The Iron Column ...
, an anarchist militia. She worked as a
military nurse Most professional militaries employ specialised military nurses or nursing sisters. They are often organised as a distinct nursing corps. Florence Nightingale formed the first nucleus of a recognised Nursing Service for the British Army during the ...
on the Teruel front, where she opened a
field hospital A field hospital is a temporary hospital or mobile medical unit that takes care of casualties on-site before they can be safely transported to more permanent facilities. This term was initially used in military medicine (such as the Mobile ...
for the militia column. During an offensive against Teruel, on 23 August 1936, she was wounded by a bullet to her leg and transferred to the . After she was discharged on 24 December 1936, she returned to Sagunt and worked at an armaments factory. After Sagunt fell to the
Nationalists Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation, Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Theory, Id ...
in the
final offensive of the Spanish Civil War The final offensive of the Spanish Civil War took place between 26 March and 1 April 1939, towards the end of the Spanish Civil War. On 5 March 1939, the Republican Army, led by Colonel Segismundo Casado and the politician Julián Besteiro, ...
, on 23 April 1939, Pérez Lacruz was arrested by the Civil Guard. The police interrogated her and shaved her hair off, before releasing her. On 31 May, a
military tribunal Military justice (or military law) is the body of laws and procedures governing members of the armed forces. Many nation-states have separate and distinct bodies of law that govern the conduct of members of their armed forces. Some states us ...
presented the charges against her, accusing her of
rebellion Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...
and of living a
libertine A libertine is a person questioning and challenging most moral principles, such as responsibility or Human sexual activity, sexual restraints, and will often declare these traits as unnecessary, undesirable or evil. A libertine is especially som ...
lifestyle, and of having attacked a prison in Castelló. She was also accused of having killed a number of guards, priests and a
legislator A legislator, or lawmaker, is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are often elected by the people, but they can be appointed, or hereditary. Legislatures may be supra-nat ...
, as well as two engineers, and a Bolivian
consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states thro ...
(despite no Bolivian consulate existing in Valencia at the time). The Provincial Hospital verified that she had been recovering from her war wounds at the time of the alleged crimes, but this evidence was disregarded by the tribunal. Pérez Lacruz refused to sign the declaration against her and argued that the charges were based on lies; she was immediately imprisoned. Her health deteriorated in prison, threatening her pregnancy, and on 4 November 1939, she was transferred to the Provincial Hospital. After she gave birth on 9 January 1940, her child was immediately taken away from her and she never saw them again. Valencian historian Ricard Vinyes estimated that the
Francoist dictatorship Francoist Spain (), also known as the Francoist dictatorship (), or Nationalist Spain () was the period of Spanish history between 1936 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death i ...
abducted up to 30,000 children from imprisoned women. The parent's custody of them forcibly removed, the children were then placed them in
orphanage An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or abusi ...
s and then re-educated them according to the values of the regime. On 18 January 1940, Pérez Lacruz was transferred to the women's prison in the . Two years later, she was transferred to the provincial women's prison. During her years in prison, she was regularly beaten and tortured, but she never gave up any information to her captors other than that she had been the lover of someone named "Paco el Francés". On 28 July 1942, a
court martial A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the mili ...
sentenced Pérez Lacruz to
capital punishment Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence (law), sentence ordering that an offender b ...
for rebelling against the National Movement. On 8 August 1942, Pérez Lacruz and six other prisoners were
executed by firing squad Execution by firing squad, in the past sometimes called fusillading (from the French , rifle), is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war. Some reasons for its use are that firearms are usually re ...
in the cemetery of
Paterna Paterna is a city and a municipality in the province of Valencia in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is located northeast of the comarca of '' L'Horta de Valencia'', northwest of the inland suburbs of Valencia, and on the left bank of the riv ...
. She was the last woman to be executed by the dictatorship. As of 2020, the fate of her abducted child has not yet been discovered; if alive, they would be in their 80s and would likely be entirely unaware of their true origins. Pérez Lacruz's life has been the focus of a biography by Manuel Girona published in 2007, a novel by Rosana Corral-Márquez published in 2013, and interpreted as a
stage play A play is a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between characters and is intended for theatrical performance rather than mere reading. The creator of a play is known as a playwright. Plays are staged at various levels, ranging ...
in 2019. As part of a historical memory initiative by the Sagunt city council, in 2022, Cristina Durán and published a
graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...
about her life.


See also

* María Lozano Hernández


References


Bibliography

* * * *


Further reading

* * *


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pérez Lacruz, María 1917 births 1942 deaths Anarchists executed by Francoist Spain Anarchists from Aragon Anarchists from Valencia Executed Spanish women Military nurses People executed by Spain by firing squad People from the Province of Teruel Spanish military personnel of the Spanish Civil War (Republican faction)