The exhibition, titled Las Rosas de Paterna, has been promoted by the Paterna City Council and curated by photojournalist Eva Máñez. The exhibition can be visited until April 30 at the Casa de la Dona de Paterna, located at Carrer dels Molins, 40, from Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 13:00, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays also from 17:30 to 20:00.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by prominent figures such as the Minister of the Government of Spain, Diana Morant; the Mayor of Paterna and Senator for Valencia, Juan Antonio Sagredo; the Secretary General of the PSPV-PSOE for Valencia, Carlos F. Bielsa; the Deputy Mayor for Social Guarantee, Equality and Traditions, Isabel García; and the Councilor for Historical Memory, Julio Fernández. Also present were members of the municipal government team, regional and provincial deputies, the delegated prosecutor for the Democratic Memory and Human Rights section of the Valencian Community, Susana Gisbert, and the Vice-Rector for Culture and Society of the University of Valencia, Ester Alba, in addition to relatives of the victims and representatives of historical memory associations.
Between 1939 and 1957, a total of 2,238 people were executed at the wall next to Paterna's municipal cemetery. Among them were a group of 19 women, according to the compiled documentation, from various municipalities in the Valencian Community and other parts of Spain, whose stories have remained silenced for generations.
The exhibition brings together photographs of exhumation processes, personal objects recovered from mass graves, and archival documentation that helps reconstruct their lives. Everyday items such as hairpins, high-heeled shoes, or intimate garments preserved underground, along with judicial summaries, letters, or documents featuring the word “executed,” contribute to giving these women a face and understanding the context of repression they experienced, as well as the role of organizations like Mujeres Libres.
“"In Paterna, we maintain a firm commitment to democratic memory. Giving names, faces, and stories to the victims is an act of dignity, identity, and collective responsibility."
Mayor Sagredo highlighted the city council's commitment to democratic memory, noting that since 2015, an active historical memory policy has been promoted, opening more than 80 graves and recovering nearly 1,600 bodies in Paterna, 200 of which have already been identified. He added that “true Concord is not the Law of PP and VOX, it is the work carried out by the Paterna City Council over the last 11 years to repair and dignify the victims and their families, without noise or controversy.”
“"With this exhibition, we give visibility to women who for too long have remained invisible, recovering their memory and their role in history."
Curator Eva Máñez emphasized that the exhibition is part of a process of “reparation, justice, and truth” and the importance of bringing these events closer to the public, especially young people. For her part, Isabel García added that remembering these women is a way to reinforce the commitment to democratic values and collective memory. The event was attended by Jesús Espinós Andrés, great-nephew of Mercedes Martínez Ruiz, executed on November 8, 1939.
