Angel Ganivet & Mariana Pineda

In the city centre of Granada, the stree which runs right beside the Main Post office is Angel Ganivet. This street was given its name in 1943.

The person Angel Ganivet was an important social philosopher, writer and diplomat and he was born at number 13 of this street in 1865.

Angel Ganivet

Angel Ganivet was an important ambassador for the city who studied in the University of Granada. He wrote many literary works and lived in Spain as well as other countries such as Lativia and Finland where he worked for the Spanish Consular service. He spoke 5 languages.

Here is a quote by Angel Ganivet:

Más vale un minuto de vida franca y sincera que cien años de hipocresía.

Better a minute of real frankness and sincerity than a hundred years of hipocrasy.  

Angel Ganivet committed suicide due to problems in his relationship with Amelia Roldán, he was 33, he died in Riga by drowning himself in a river.

In Granada on the Cuesta Molinos (just of Paseo del Salon) is the Mill house Casa Molino where Angel Ganivet lived from 1875 for several years.  Angel Ganivets predecessors were millers. Until the age of 14 he milled himself. The building is a museum now, it was actually built in 1073 by Ahmed ben Jalaf.

Mariana Pineda

At the end of Angel Ganivet we come to the square called Plaza Mariana Pineda.  On this square is the Tourist Information office, good to know! For me personally the main attraction of this square is theCafe Futbol , which has been in business since 1922.

The square is elegant with a central fountain and small garden surrounding. In hot summers the sound of the water helps to bear the heat. The name of the square has previously been Campillo Alto and Bailen square.

Now named after the Andalusian Heroine Mariana Pineda whose statute is at the centre of the square. She was caught in 1831 after being caught sewing a Liberal flag with the words Law, Liberty, Equality and she was also accused of conspiracy.

She was arrested in the Santa María Egipciaca convent in Granada, which was just behind the Church of San Anton. She was publicly executed by the garrote on 26 May 1831 at the Campo of Triunfo and the flag which she had been caught with was burnt.

The memory of this strong women inspired Federico García Lorca to write the play Mariana Pineda in 1925 making her story a significant one for Andalusia. There are many different tributes and reminders of this,  José Martín Recuerda also wrote a play about her imprisonment and then is even a hall inside the European Parliament in Strasbourg which bears her name in her memory.

All this history concentrated into two streets!

So often people wander along streets without knowing the reasoning behind the name or the relevance to the place.