{{Short description|Spanish anarchist (1915–1936)}} {{Infobox person |name = Maria Silva Cruz |honorific_suffix = ''La Libertaria'' |alt = Portrait of Maria Silva Cruz |caption = Maria Silva Cruz |birth_date = 20 April 1915 |birth_place = Casas Viejas, Cádiz, Spain |death_date = {{Death date and age|1936|08|23|1915|04|20|df=y}} |death_place = Ronda, Málaga, Spain |death_cause = Execution by firing squad |image = María_Silva.jpg |known_for = Survival of the Casas Viejas incident }} '''Maria Silva Cruz''' (20 April 1915 – 23 August 1936) was an Andalusian anarchist and a hero of the Casas Viejas Uprising in Spain. She was also known as "La Libertaria."<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url = https://libcom.org/history/silva-cruz-maria| first = Nick | last = Heath | title = Silva Cruz, Maria, 1915-1936|date = 2 January 2008|access-date = 13 April 2015|website = Libcom.org}}</ref>
== Biography == Silva Cruz was born and raised in Casas Viejas (now Benalup-Casas Viejas) in Andalusia.<ref name=":0" /> Her parents were day laborers and her father, Juan Silva Gonzalez and her uncle were both members of the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (CNT), an anarchist group which supported reforms for workers.<ref name=":0" />
In January 1933, the CNT demonstrated in Casas Viejas and attempted to get the government's Civil Guard to give up their power.<ref name=":1">{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130717223448/https://www.andalucia.cc/viva/mujer/aavcadiz.html#Silva|url=https://www.andalucia.cc/viva/mujer/aavcadiz.html#Silva|archive-date=17 July 2013|title=María Silva (La Libertaria) [1917-1936]|first=Isabel|last=Arias Moreno|year=2003|website=Biografías de Mujeres Andaluzas |language=es|access-date=2 June 2023}}</ref> Silva Cruz and her friends, Manuel Lago and Gallinito, were part of the demonstrations on 11 January.<ref name=":0" /> During the demonstrations, two guards were wounded.<ref name=":1" /> More troops from the Civil Guard and Assault Guard were sent in to stop the CNT.<ref name=":13">{{Cite book|title = The Victorious Counterrevolution|url = https://archive.org/details/victoriouscounte00seid|url-access = limited|last = Seidman|first = Michael|publisher = University of Wisconsin Press|year = 2011|isbn = 9780299249632|pages = [https://archive.org/details/victoriouscounte00seid/page/n32 18]}}</ref> Many of the villagers fled, but some anarchists attempted to hide in the house of Silva Cruz's grandfather, Francisco Cruz Gutiérrez, who was nicknamed ''Seisdedos'' ("Six fingers")''.''<ref name=":0" /> The house was set on fire by the forces of the police and everyone inside was killed, except for Silva Cruz and a cousin.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url = http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2012/11/01/andalucia/1351775779.html|title = Muere a los 76 años el hijo de 'La Libertaria' sin saber dónde fue enterrada su madre|last = Fopiani|first = Ana Maria|date = 11 January 2012|work = El Mundo|access-date = 13 August 2015|language = es}}</ref> She emerged, burned and carrying the young boy to safety.<ref name=":0" /> She persuaded the guard not to kill her or the boy and then she fled to her mother's house.<ref name=":0" /> Silva Cruz was arrested on 14 January 1933.<ref name=":1" />
Silva Cruz was jailed at Medina Sidonia and then transferred to Cadiz for a month's imprisonment.<ref name=":0" /> She met Miguel Perez Cordon, a member of the CNT while at Medina Sidonia.<ref name=":2" /> Perez Cordon courted her and after two months, the couple moved to Madrid.<ref name=":0" /> In May 1935, they had a son, Juan Perez Silva.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /> The family moved back to Andalusia, living in Ronda.<ref name=":0" />
Fascists eventually occupied Ronda in July 1936, and Perez Cordon fled to the mountains while Silva Cruz stayed with her young son at home.<ref name=":0" /> She was arrested by the Civil Guard and her son was taken from her. She and two other people were executed on 23 August 1936 at dawn.<ref name=":0" />
Like many people who participated in the Spanish Revolution, Silva Cruz's remains were never identified.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://antiguaweb.cgtandalucia.org/spip.php?article2294|title = ¡¡Maria Silva Cruz "Libertaria" a los Registros Civiles!!|date = 23 September 2010|access-date = 13 August 2015|website = CGT Andalucia|archive-date = 24 April 2012|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120424162556/http://antiguaweb.cgtandalucia.org/spip.php?article2294|url-status = dead|language=es}}</ref> She was also never listed as officially dead until 2010.<ref name=":2" /> Her son, who grew up with Silva Cruz's aunt, worked throughout his life to try to find Maria Silva Cruz's remains in order to bury them and plant flowers for her.<ref name=":2" />
== References == {{Reflist|2}}
== Bibliography== {{refbegin|2}} * {{cite book|last=Gutiérrez Molina|first=José Luis|year=2008|title=Casas Viejas: del crimen a la esperanza - María Silva "Libertaria" y Miguel Pérez Cordón: dos vidas unidas por un ideal (1933-1939)|location=Córdoba|publisher=Almuzara|isbn=9788496968325|oclc=892142061|language=es}} * {{cite book|last=Mintz|first=Jerome R.|year=1994|orig-year=1982|title=The Anarchists of Casas Viejas|location=Bloomington|publisher=Indiana University Press|isbn=0-253-20854-8|lccn=93-2425|oclc=807238894}} * {{cite book|last=Montseny|first=Federica|author-link=Federica Montseny|year=1951|title=María Silva: la libertaria|location=Toulouse|publisher=Universo|language=es|oclc=807143813}} * {{cite book|last=Sender|first=Ramón J.|year=2000|title=Viaje a la aldea del crimen|publisher=Vosa|location=Madrid|isbn=84-8218-034-7|oclc=807575864|language=es}} {{refend}}
== Further reading == {{refbegin|2}} * {{cite web|url=https://www.lavanguardia.com/cultura/20150920/54436664760/buscan-restos-de-la-libertaria-represaliada-por-la-republica-y-el-franquismo.html|title=Buscan restos de la Libertaria, represaliada por la República y el franquismo|first=Pedro|last=Espinosa|date=20 September 2015|work=La Vanguardia|access-date=2 June 2023|language=es}} * {{cite web|url=https://historiacasasviejas.es/2015/05/los-protagonistas-de-los-sucesos-de-2/|first=Salustiano|last=Gutiérrez Baena|date=31 May 2015|title=Los protagonistas de los Sucesos de Casas Viejas. María Silva Cruz «La Libertaria». 26|website=Historia Casas Viejas|access-date=2 June 2023|language=es}} * {{cite web|url=https://historiacasasviejas.es/2016/09/homenaje-maria-silva-cruz-la-libertaria/|first=Salustiano|last=Gutiérrez Baena|date=2 September 2016|title=Homenaje a María Silva Cruz, la Libertaria|access-date=2 June 2023|website=Historia Casas Viejas|language=es}} * {{cite web|url=https://www.cnt.es/noticias/maria-silva-cruz-libertaria/|title=María Silva Cruz «Libertaria»|first=José Luis|last=Gutiérrez Molina|date=3 September 2008|access-date=2 June 2023|website=Confederación Nacional del Trabajo|language=es}} * {{cite web|url=http://www.memorialibertaria.org/content/silva-cruz-mar%C3%ADa-la-libertaria-0|title=Silva Cruz, María - "La libertaria"|first=José Luis|last=Gutiérrez Molina|date=29 March 2014|website=Memoria Libertaria|publisher=Confederación General del Trabajo|access-date=2 June 2023|language=es}} * {{cite web|url=https://dbe.rah.es/biografias/51598/maria-silva-cruz|first=José Luis|last=Gutiérrez Molina|year=2018|title=María Silva Cruz|website=Real Academia de la Historia|access-date=2 June 2023|language=es}} * {{cite web|url=https://lalibertariainformacion.es/2021/11/maria-silva-cruz-la-libertaria-tendra-su-propia-calle-en-cadiz-capital/|title=María Silva Cruz (La Libertaria) tendrá su propia calle en Cádiz capital|first=Miguel Ángel|last=Moreno Cortabarra|date=29 November 2021|website=La Libertaria Información|access-date=2 June 2023|language=es}} * {{cite web|url=https://www.lavozdigital.es/cadiz/20080903/espana/desaparicion-maria-silva-libertaria-20080903_amp.html|last=Salazar|first=Sandra|date=3 September 2008|title=La desaparición de María Silva, 'La Libertaria', único caso denunciado en Cádiz La Iglesia abre la puerta a la investigación|access-date=2 June 2023|work=La Voz Digital|language=es}} * {{cite web|url=https://www.buscameenelciclodelavida.com/2016/08/maria-silva-la-libertaria.html|title=2089. María Silva "La Libertaria"|first=María|last=Torres|date=24 August 2016|website=Buscame en el ciclo de la vida|language=es|access-date=2 June 2023}} * {{cite web|url=https://www.benalupcasasviejas.es/en/2049-maria-silva-la-libertaria-ya-tiene-un-nuevo-azulejo-conmemorativo-en-benalup-casas-viejas|title= María Silva “La Libertaria” ya tiene un nuevo azulejo conmemorativo en Benalup-Casas Viejas|date=21 October 2019|website=Benalup-Casas Viejas|access-date=2 June 2023|language=es}} * {{cite web|url=http://www.fondation-besnard.org/spip.php?article1041|title=La Libertaria, a punto de volver a fallecer 74 años después|date=19 September 2010|work=El País|language=es|via=Fondation Besnard}} {{refend}}
==External links== *[https://historiacasasviejas.es/?s=Mar%C3%ADa+Silva+Cruz Maria Silva Cruz] on Historia Casas Viejas *[http://www.memorialibertaria.org/search/node/Mar%C3%ADa%20Silva%20Cruz Maria Silva Cruz] on Memoria Libertaria
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Silva Cruz, Maria}} Category:1915 births Category:1936 deaths Category:Anarchists from Andalusia Category:Anarchists executed by Francoist Spain Category:Executed revolutionaries Category:Executed Spanish women Category:Female revolutionaries Category:People executed by Spain by firing squad Category:People from La Janda Category:Spanish Anti-Francoists Category:Spanish revolutionaries Category:Women in the Spanish Civil War