New Order Mandates Removal of Franco Monument in Tenerife Amid Ongoing Preservation Debate

A new order from the Ministry of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory has reignited the debate over how to handle monuments from Spain’s dictatorship era. The order gives officials six months to remove the Franco monument in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Once again, the mayor of Güímar, Carmen Luisa Castro (PP), is at the center of the controversy for her vocal support of preserving such structures.

Castro argues that her defense of these monuments is not based on any support for the former regime, but rather on the need to separate artistic value from political history. She believes that institutions should be able to contextualize or relocate historical art without it being seen as an endorsement of the past. For her, the sculpture is a cultural work that should be preserved rather than destroyed.

This debate dates back to 2018, when Castro proposed moving the sculpture—a work by artist Juan de Ávalos—to her own municipality. At the time, her suggestion to place the piece near the local cemetery sparked significant backlash from the Canarian left.

The conflict highlights the ongoing tension surrounding the Democratic Memory Law, which aims to remove symbols that glorify the military uprising and the subsequent dictatorship. While the central government views the removal of these symbols as essential for democratic dignity and historical reparation, figures like Castro argue that the focus should remain on conservation. She maintains that the objects themselves do not spread hate and warns against what she views as an attempt to erase history. As a result, the struggle between preserving cultural heritage and removing authoritarian symbols remains a major point of political friction in the Canary Islands.