Juan Ávalos Carballo says Tenerife monument was not a Franco tribute

Spain’s Ministry of Democratic Memory has listed the 1966 monument in Santa Cruz de Tenerife as a Francoist vestige, ordering its removal within six months. In a digitally‑signed letter dated 1 July, Juan Ávalos Carballo – son of the sculptor Juan de Ávalos and president of the Fundación Juan de Ávalos – certified that the work was never intended as a tribute to Francisco Franco. He asserts that the figure depicted is an “angel of peace” holding a cross and that the piece’s official title is “Monumento a la Paz.”

Ávalos Carballo’s testimony, supported by archival records of the foundation, is being forwarded to authorities handling the monument’s potential designation as a Bien de Interés Cultural. The clarification comes amid a broader debate over Spain’s historical memory law and its impact on public monuments originally created under the Franco regime.