Blas Infante – The Father of Andalucia

Blas Infante is the greatest contributor to the creation of modern Andalucia and directly responsible for the possibility of the region’s autonomy. Andalucia Day is celebrated every year on the 28th of February, and it would have never been possible without Blas Infante’s daring beliefs.

Blas Infante Pérez de Vargas was born in the small white town of Casares on the 5th of July 1885. His father was licenced in law and worked as a secretary in the Municipal Courts of Casares, and his mother came from a farmer family. During his childhood, the area was confronting a harsh economic crisis, which made him barely finish college. After that, he studied Law at the University of Granada for free, while working as clerk with his father. He had to commute between Granada and Casares to take his licence in Law.

Casares, Blas Infante’s home town – By jaycross (Flickr) via Wikimedia Commons

He started his work as a notary in Cantillana and Isla Cristina, getting closer to the lives of the intellectuals of Seville, where he began to create his idea of a free Andalucia. His beliefs were profoundly influenced by the lives of hard working farmers in harsh conditions every day.

He became a lawyer, a politician, a writer, a historian and a musicologist, and all he ever wanted was to see Andalucia reconstructed as a part of the wide regeneration of Spain. He started by gathering his view of the andalusian history, identity and problems in his most important book ‘Ideal Andaluz’, published in 1914.

Official Flag of Andalucia

In 1918, he was present at the Assembly of Ronda, where, inspired by the Constitution of Antequera of 1883, the basis of the ‘Andalucismo’ was set out, looking to further obtain the political autonomy of Andalucia. The current flag and coat of arms of Andalucia, designed by Blas Infante, were adopted then by the assembly. The flag is made of three horizontal stripes, dark green in the top and bottom, and white in the middle, symbolizing peace. The coat of arms shows Hercules between two pillars, symbolizing The Pillars of Hercules, the two mountains on each side of the Strait of Gibraltar.

Blas Infante later joined a group of members of Andalusian centres in signing the ‘Manifesto Andalucista de Córdoba’, which defines Andalucia as a historic nationality within a federal Spain.

He was also the leader of Junta Liberalista de Andalucía, a nationalist political party, but never won the elections for the Parliament, despite their promises to reform the electoral systems, the economy and justice, along with promoting the freedom of speech. Their opposition, local bosses that were protecting the strong politicians and forces, was too powerful.

In 1933, Blas Infante suggested that the anthem of Andalucia should be ‘La bandera blanca y verde’ (‘The white and green flag’), with lyrics written by him and music inspired from the song ‘Santo Dios’, which crop workers were humming on the field at the end of a hard working day.

On 5th of July, Blas Infante was acclaimed at a conference in Seville as the president of honour of the future Junta Regional de Andalucía. Only a few days later, the Spanish Civil War had started. Members of the Falange broke into Blas Infante’s home and took him to be shot dead without a trial or a sentence. He died on 11th of August on a road 4 km away from Seville. He died for being a regional autonomist and libertarian socialist. After that, Francisco Franco comes to power.

Portrait of Blas Infante on tiles in Jerez de la Frontera, By Mao06 via Wikimedia Commons

After Spain had returned to democracy, on the 28th of February 1980, Andalucia has been constituted as an autonomous Spanish community. Blas Infante has also been appointed by the Andalusian Parliament as ‘Padre de la Patria Andaluza’ (‘Father of the Andalusians’). He is remembered every year on Andalucia Day, on the 28th of February.