What is in a Name? Malaga Province village has changed its name.

The only village in Andalucía bearing a name linked to Franco’s regime, “Villafranco del Guadalhorce”, has officially been renamed “Villa del Guadalhorce”. 

The decision was approved by a majority vote in the Alhaurín el Grande town council on Friday, August 1, which complies with Spain’s Democratic Memory Law, and which mandates the removal of references to the Francoist dictatorship from public place names.

The change, proposed by the Democratic Memory Department led by councillor Ana Belén Ordóñez, is in line with national regulations requiring public administrations to eliminate symbols and names glorifying the Franco regime. The new name, once legal formalities are complete, will be updated to official records, signage and institution documents.

The Democratic Memory Law is effective from October 2022 and requires that municipalities revise street, square, and other public names to remove references to the dictatorship. Spain has also taken similar steps, with villages such as Villafranco del Guadiana and Llanos del Caudillo undergoing name change to align with the democratic values inscribed in the Spanish Constitution.

The renaming of public spaces is another step taken by Spanish municipalities in their ongoing efforts to adapt public spaces to constitutional and democracy principles as required by the law. Now, the administrative process is underway for the final validation of relevant authorities.

I have a personal observation. Ironically, the law, no matter how well-intentioned, makes me wonder if it is more about forgetting or democratically remembering history. Or, in the timeless words of philosopher George Santayana, “Those who do not learn history,…” Nonetheless, perhaps it’s more to do with property prices than it is to do with historic memory. Nobody wants to own a home in “Hitlerville” after all. In Mijas Costa, they’ll happily dine at “Mao”, a Chinese-themed restaurant.