Exhibition honors women resisting Francoist repression in Spain

An exhibition titled ‘Women and Francoist Repression: The Roses of Paterna and the Guardians of Memory’ is being hosted at El Colegio de México (Colmex). Photographed by Eva Máñez, the collection focuses on the women who faced silence, marginalization, and oblivion following the execution of their relatives during the Franco dictatorship.

The exhibition highlights the stories of mothers, wives, daughters, and sisters of the 2,238 people executed in the Terrer de Paterna, Valencia, Spain. It specifically recovers the history of the 20 female victims of the Paterna firing squad, many of whom were previously unknown.

The display includes images from recent exhumation processes involving interdisciplinary teams of historians, archaeologists, anthropologists, and forensic experts. The exhibition features portraits of women alongside photographs of their executed family members, presenting their histories from a feminist perspective.