Marinaleda, Spain
Encyclopedia
Marinaleda is a town and municipio
of the province of Seville
, Andalusia
, Spain
. The town is a Libertarian Communist farming cooperative
, of 2,700 people. In 2008 its population was 2,708 people. Its surface is 25 km², with a density of 109.11hab/km².
. Marinaleda belongs to the comarca
of Estepa
and is situated between this latter town and Écija
, in the eastern part of the province of Seville, in the basin of the Genil river. Its geographical coordinates are 37º 22' N, 4º 57'W.
Marinaleda has a long tradition of sociopolitical struggle by agricultural laborer
s, which has influenced decisively the attainment of diverse political and social advances. Marinaleda has been ruled by CUT-BAI (Collective for the Unity of Workers - Andalusian Left Bloc) since 1979 until 1986 when CUT joined United Left
that has since then been the ruling party (whilst most of the composition of IU's Local branch is basically members of CUT-BAI).
(IU)
Partido Socialista Obrero Español-Andalucía
PSOE-A
This is the programme:
The whole process is based upon the idea of self-management and recurring consultations: the self-builders meet once or twice a month to follow the works or modify the projects on paper.
All houses have 3 bedrooms, a bathroom and a garden of 100 m², allowing for future expansions.
The hours spent on the self-construction are deducted from the total construction cost; by doing so, this working activity is converted into 'induced salary'
Marinaleda counting 3000 inhabitants and more than 350 single family houses have been built according to this scheme.
Municipio
Municipio and Município are terms used for country subdivisions. They are often translated as municipality.-Overview:...
of the province of Seville
Seville (province)
Seville is a province of southern Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is bordered by the provinces of Málaga, Cádiz, Huelva, Badajoz, and Córdoba.Its area is 14,042 km²...
, Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. The town is a Libertarian Communist farming cooperative
Cooperative
A cooperative is a business organization owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit...
, of 2,700 people. In 2008 its population was 2,708 people. Its surface is 25 km², with a density of 109.11hab/km².
Geography
The town is located at an altitude of 205 meters and lies 108 kilometers east of the provincial capital, SevilleSeville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
. Marinaleda belongs to the comarca
Comarca
A comarca is a traditional region or local administrative division found in parts of Spain, Portugal, Panama, Nicaragua, and Brazil. The term is derived from the term marca, meaning a "march, mark", plus the prefix co- meaning "together, jointly".The comarca is known in Aragonese as redolada and...
of Estepa
Estepa
Estepa is a municipality in the extreme south-east of the province of Seville. Its population was 12,397 inhabitants in 2007. The town is located north of the Sierra del Becerro mountains.-History:...
and is situated between this latter town and Écija
Écija
Écija is a city belonging to the province of Seville, Spain. It is located in the Andalusian countryside, 85 km east of the city of Seville. According to the 2008 census, Écija has a total population of 40,100 inhabitants, ranking as the fifth most populous city in the province...
, in the eastern part of the province of Seville, in the basin of the Genil river. Its geographical coordinates are 37º 22' N, 4º 57'W.
Demographic changes
Local government
Mr. Gordillo, the mayor for the past 30 years, has annoited Marinaleda a "utopia for peace", which has no municipal police (a savings of $350,000 a year). Additionally, political murals and revolutionary slogans adorn the town’s whitewashed walls and streets are named after Latin American leftists. Every few weeks, the town hall declares a Red Sunday over a bullhorn and volunteers clean the streets or do odd jobs.Marinaleda has a long tradition of sociopolitical struggle by agricultural laborer
Laborer
A Laborer or labourer - see variation in english spelling - is one of the construction trades, traditionally considered unskilled manual labor, as opposed to skilled labor. In the division of labor, laborers have all blasting, hand tools, power tools, air tools, and small heavy equipment, and act...
s, which has influenced decisively the attainment of diverse political and social advances. Marinaleda has been ruled by CUT-BAI (Collective for the Unity of Workers - Andalusian Left Bloc) since 1979 until 1986 when CUT joined United Left
United Left (Spain)
The United Left is a political coalition that was organized in 1986 bringing together several political organisations opposed to Spain joining NATO. It was formed by a number of groups of leftists, greens, left-wing socialists and republicans, but was dominated by the Communist Party of Spain...
that has since then been the ruling party (whilst most of the composition of IU's Local branch is basically members of CUT-BAI).
Composition of the Municipal Council
Izquierda UnidaUnited Left (Spain)
The United Left is a political coalition that was organized in 1986 bringing together several political organisations opposed to Spain joining NATO. It was formed by a number of groups of leftists, greens, left-wing socialists and republicans, but was dominated by the Communist Party of Spain...
(IU)
- Juan Manuel Sánchez Gordillo (Mayor)
- Rafaela Vázquez Jiménez
- Antonio Sánchez Hinojosa
- Juanita Sánchez Aires
- Antonio José Montenegro Rodríguez
- Esperanza de Rosario Saavedra Martín
- Romualdo Romero Aires
- Rocío Rodríguez Saavedra
- Manuel Pradas Martín
Partido Socialista Obrero Español-Andalucía
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party is a social-democratic political party in Spain. Its political position is Centre-left. The PSOE is the former ruling party of Spain, until beaten in the elections of November 2011 and the second oldest, exceeded only by the Partido Carlista, founded in...
PSOE-A
- Mariano Pradas Saavedra
- José Rodríguez Cobacho
Local Economy
The town operates a farming cooperative, of 2,650 people. Marinaleda is surrounded by sloping olive groves and features a 3000 acres (12.1 km²) farm. The farm is located seven miles (11 km) north of Marinaleda, and grows labor-intensive crops like artichokes, hot peppers, broccoli and broad beans, as well as wheat.Town Planning
Marinaleda represents a local exception of the housing crisis currently happening in Spain and due to speculation. Marinaleda was also in the national news as soon as it became known that one could buy a house for 15 euros per month, providing that one would build their own house.Self-building
The local government of Marinaleda expropriated thousands of square meters of land, now communal propriety, aiming to find land to build new houses. Then it called upon the national and regional Governments to gain funding for the construction.This is the programme:
- the expropriated land is given free of charge to the self-builder
- through an agreement with the regional Government and the so-called P.E.R. (Plan de Empleo Rural), the self-builder can buy construction materials
- professional builders are available for the construction, still free of charge
- the architect' design is also free; self-builders are involved in the design process
- all the self-builders finally meet in a consultation to work out the monthly payment to achieve ownership. The last houses have been built and bought at a cost of 2,550 pesetas per month (approximately 15€ per month).
The whole process is based upon the idea of self-management and recurring consultations: the self-builders meet once or twice a month to follow the works or modify the projects on paper.
All houses have 3 bedrooms, a bathroom and a garden of 100 m², allowing for future expansions.
The hours spent on the self-construction are deducted from the total construction cost; by doing so, this working activity is converted into 'induced salary'
Marinaleda counting 3000 inhabitants and more than 350 single family houses have been built according to this scheme.
Layout
Marinaleda's citizens reside in a colony of neat, three-bedroom houses, built on municipal land with materials from the regional government. Prospective owners donate about 450 days of their work to the construction. However, to prevent citizen from profiting, they are not allowed to sell their homes.External links
- Marinaleda - Territorial information system of Andalusia
- http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/iea/sima/infmuns/sm41061i.htmLocation of Marinaleda in Seville provinceSeville (province)Seville is a province of southern Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is bordered by the provinces of Málaga, Cádiz, Huelva, Badajoz, and Córdoba.Its area is 14,042 km²...
] - To Capitalist Folly, Town in Spain Offers Reply by Victoria Burnett, The New York Times, April 23, 2009 "Χωρίς παπά και χωροφύλακα" του Γιώργου Αγγελόπουλου, Τα Νέα (20 Απριλίου 2010).