The historians César Rina and Miguel Ángel del Arco have denounced that the Junta de Extremadura, governed by PP and Vox, has used their research in a "biased," "partial," and "twisted" manner to justify the protection of the Cruz de los Caídos de Cáceres, a monument erected during the Civil War and historically linked to the exaltation of Francoism. Both researchers argue that the regional government has distorted their conclusions to support the file that seeks to declare the cross Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC), an initiative that faces the removal order promoted by the central Government in application of the Law of Democratic Memory.
According to both specialists in statements to El País, their academic works are cited in the resolution published by the Junta on August 18, despite the fact that their research defends an interpretation contrary to that used by the Administration. "They have distorted my work", denounced Del Arco, professor of Contemporary History at the University of Granada and recently awarded the National History Prize of Spain. For his part, Rina, associate professor of Contemporary History at UNED, has questioned the use of his studies to justify a heritage protection that he considers unjustified.
The historians accuse the Junta of manipulating their conclusions
The controversy centers on the content of the file opened by the Department of Culture, Tourism and Sports of Extremadura, which incorporates references to the works of both researchers to contextualize the origin and architectural characteristics of the monument. However, the historians believe that the official documentation selects fragments of their studies while omitting the conclusions that directly relate the cross to the exaltation of the Franco dictatorship.
In the case of César Rina, author of The construction of Francoist memory in Cáceres. Heroes, space, and time for a new State (1936-1941), the autonomous resolution states that the researcher lamented the loss of documentation, especially graphic, related to the monument. A statement that Rina rejects by asserting that there are numerous documentary evidence about its planning, construction, inauguration, and use during Francoism. "It is radically false", the historian has stated, who explains that his work only mentions the disappearance of a specific photographic album, but not a generalized loss of historical archives.
For his part, Miguel Ángel del Arco, author of Crosses of memory and oblivion. The monuments to the fallen of the Spanish Civil War (1936-2021), questions whether the Junta uses fragments of his research to relate the architectural characteristics of the cross to rationalism. According to the specialist, his study precisely argues that the Francoist monuments were far removed from this architectural current, ideologically rejected by the regime. Both researchers believe that this interpretation allows for the artificial reinforcement of the artistic and heritage value of the monument and have presented allegations against the declaration file as BIC.
A cross inaugurated in 1938 to honor the victors of the Civil War
The Cruz de los Caídos de Cáceres, located in the Plaza de América, was inaugurated in May 1938, in the midst of the Civil War, after the City Council agreed to its construction in September 1937. The monument was conceived as a tribute to the deceased of the rebel side and contained inscriptions linked to Francoist symbolism, with references to the military uprising of July 18, 1936, to Francisco Franco, and to the slogans used by the dictatorship. Its inauguration was attended by Pilar Primo de Rivera, head of the Women's Section of Falange.
For decades, the enclave hosted commemorative acts and tributes related to the Francoist regime. In 1984, the City Council of Cáceres removed the inscriptions exaltation of the dictatorship, an intervention that the Junta de Extremadura considers decisive for interpreting its current meaning. The regional resolution argues that this modification substantially transformed the public perception of the monument and allowed for the disconnection of its heritage valuation from its original political function.
However, Rina and Del Arco reject that the removal of the symbols has erased the historical meaning of the cross. The researchers remind that the monument continued to be the scene of tribute acts to Francoism during the Transition and maintain that it still represents a memory linked to the victors of the Civil War. In this sense, they denounce that the regional file omits references from their research to the victims of Francoist repression and to the claims of memorialist associations that demand its removal.
The Junta de Extremadura denies having distorted the studies
In the face of accusations, the Council of Culture of the Junta de Extremadura has rejected that there is an improper use of the research. The regional department argues that the references to Rina and Del Arco were incorporated exclusively as historiographical sources to contextualize the chronology, the formal characteristics, and the initial function of this type of monument, without attributing to the authors a support for its declaration as a Good of Cultural Interest.
The regional Administration defends that the procedure is based on two technical reports prepared by other specialists, in which the historical, documentary, artistic, architectural, urban, and social values of the cross are examined. Likewise, the general director of Cultural Heritage, Adela Rueda, has claimed the technical soundness of the file and has reminded that the opening of the procedure does not automatically imply the definitive declaration of the monument as BIC.
The resolution published in the Official Gazette of Extremadura (DOE) on August 18 argues that the cross has heritage value due to its monumentality, geometric design, permanence in its original location, and relevance within the urban landscape of Cáceres. The Junta also maintains that its current meaning is compatible with constitutional values after the removal of the Francoist inscriptions.
The central Government demands the removal of the cross and opposes its protection
The controversy arises after the Government of Spain included the Cross of the Fallen of Cáceres in the Catalog of Symbols and Elements Contrary to Democratic Memory and ordered its removal from public space. The central Executive considers that the monument continues to represent an exaltation of the victors of the Civil War and that its permanence is contrary to the principles established in the Law 20/2022, of Democratic Memory.
The Secretary of State for Democratic Memory has also presented allegations against the Junta's initiative and questions whether the monument meets the exceptional heritage values necessary to receive the maximum autonomous protection. Furthermore, it argues that the removal of the Francoist inscriptions in 1984 did not eliminate its original commemorative function and warns that the opening of the protection file, subsequent to the state order for removal, could constitute an abuse of power.
The procedure has generated opposing positions among social organizations. While memorialist associations such as ARMHEX and AMECECA demand the removal of the cross, entities like Hazte Oír and Abogados Cristianos have defended its conservation.
For now, the Cross of the Fallen of Cáceres has not been definitively declared a Cultural Asset of Interest. The Junta keeps the file open, which accumulates more than a hundred allegations and has a maximum processing period of 16 months. At the same time, the City Council of Cáceres has appealed to the National Court against the central Government's order for removal, so the future of the monument remains pending on the open administrative and judicial procedures.