The memory of Spanish exiles in Latin America remains fresh 50 years after the dictatorship

the The memory of thousands of Spaniards who went into exile to latin america During the Franco dictatorship still alive grandchildrenMany of them are residents of the host countries, for whom Spain is now seeking to repair its historical debts With the granting of citizenship.

More than eighty-five years ago, with the end of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), More than half a million nearby Spaniards fled the republic He left his country to escape the oppression of dictator Francisco Franco. Many of them crossed the border with France on foot, and from there set out for the other side of the Atlantic.

Now when Fifty years have passed since the death of the dictatorThe memory of Spanish exile is still alive in the children and grandchildren of these people, and in their struggle to be recognized by Spanish institutions as citizens of the country that witnessed the departure of their fathers and grandfathers.

Due to your personal circumstances Many “abandoned Spanish citizenship to acquire citizenship of host countries”The secretary of the Association of Descendants of Spanish Exiles (ADEE), Natalia Lopez, who accompanies and advises the descendants in the process of obtaining citizenship, explained.

Lopez explained Many children of exile lost their Spanish citizenship Because their parents “voluntarily” acquired the citizenship of the host countries and they also had to accept the citizenship chosen by their parents.

However, the ADEE Secretary pointed this out These elections were not completely free.Because many did it out of necessity. He gives the example of France, where only people recognized as French can obtain scholarships to study.

In addition, at that time, Spanish legislation stipulates that anyone who lives abroad for more than three years without registering at a consulate will lose his citizenship.This was a process that the majority of exiles excluded, because consulates and embassies were under the control of Francoist officials.

Another problem is that Descendants of Spanish women who married foreigners, and who at that time acquired the citizenship of their husbands They lost their possessions at the time of the wedding.

In view of this situation, The current Spanish government has tried to settle its debts with the descendants of exiles – who may number in the millions, including the third and fourth generation – with the Democratic Memory Act of 2022.

This standard The children and grandchildren of Spaniards lost as a result of exile were allowed to seek citizenshipAs well as the children of the Spanish woman who abandoned her when they married.

Deadline for formalizing the application Ended on October 22nd According to official data issued at the end of July, nearly one million people went to Spanish consulates to officially submit their application.

Waiting for more updated numbers according to official dataThe Spanish government granted 237,145 citizenships as of last September With applications received since 2022, most were submitted in Argentina and Cuba.

According to Spanish government data. The country with the highest number of applications is Argentina, with 40% in 2024 and 42% in 2025.

And this is it The main destinations of Spanish exile in Latin America were Mexico, Argentina, and Cuba. In the Southern Cone country, there is even an association for children of the civil war in Argentina.

but, Mexico was the second country that welcomed the largest number of exiles – Behind only France – thanks to the commitment of then President Lazaro Cárdenas (1934-1940). there Nearly 25,000 Spaniards found shelterAmong them were the authorities of the Republican government in exile, which for several years had its headquarters in the Mexican capital.

Important figures from Republican exiles established their residence in MexicoLike the director Luis Buñuelwho obtained citizenship in 1951. Their legacy lives on in the country, with the institutions they created themselves.

Famous intellectuals and artists also arrived in Cubasuch as the Nobel Prize in Literature Juan Ramón Jiménez or the philosopher and essayist María Zambrano, although many used the island as a stopover after leaving Spain and a few settled permanently in the country.

As the ADEE secretary explained, it is difficult to put an exact figure on how many people came to America as exiles, because many Spaniards also immigrated for economic reasons during the Franco regime.