Valencian republican exile memory project in Mexico

Natàlia Enguix, the first vice-president of the Diputació de València and deputy for Memòria Democràtica, has launched a project titled ‘El exilio republicà valencià en CDMX’. Developed alongside photojournalist Eva Máñez, the initiative seeks to research, document, and publicize the history of Valencian individuals who fled to Mexico following the Spanish Civil War and the Franco dictatorship. The project involves gathering archival material, historic photographs, and testimonies from descendants to map sites in Mexico City linked to their lives, with results intended for a future publication and exhibition in Valencia.

In connection with these efforts, Enguix is scheduled to participate in the international conference ‘When the world expels: the republican exile, democratic memory and forced mobilities’ in Mexico City from September 1 to 3. The event, organized by several academic institutions including the Universidad Iberoamericana and El Colegio de México, will feature discussions on the historical and modern implications of forced displacement. Enguix has noted that recent democratic memory policies in Valencia have transitioned from the physical work of locating mass graves toward increased educational outreach and public dissemination for younger generations.