The Marina Alta is the cradle of emigrants. At the beginning of the XNUMXth century, there was a great migratory phenomenon of people from the region to other lands beyond the pond to carve out a more certain future and, why not, make a fortune with it.
It is estimated that, between 1900 and 1920, more than 15.000 neighbors traveled a hard and long road to reach the United States, the promised land. Bearing in mind that studies quantify 174.000 Spaniards who emigrated to North America, the case of those from the Marina Alta would represent almost 10% of the total. A large figure for only a Valencian region.
But what was it that prompted so many people to seek a better future so far from home?
The reasons for the phenomenon
During the beginning of the century, the socioeconomic reality in the Marina Alta was based on dry farming. Half of the land was converted into large vineyards for the trade in wine and muscatell raisins, and the rest of the terraces were used for olive, almond, carob and cereal trees, such as rice.
From the processes and ways of working the main crop, the grape, until the raisin is obtained, the Marina Alta keeps a significant sample of buildings that marked this moment in history. The riuraus today are spread throughout the towns and keep bits of the time, reminding the descendants of where they come from. The Ruta dels Riuraus de la Marina Alta is the great reference on cultivation from then to today.
But this type of life concentrated wealth in the hands of a few, the landowners, who exploited their fields and resorted to day laborers to do the hard work. Something that left the majority of the population in a situation of severe poverty due to low wages and the precarious living conditions that resulted from it.
A way of subsisting that worsened with the arrival of the plague that would destroy the extensive vineyards. During the first decade of the 1900s, phylloxera spread from, mainly, Gata de Gorgos, Pedreguer and Benissa to the rest of the municipalities in the region. This fact, together with the miserable day-to-day that families faced, encouraged the courage of its people to emigrate to other continents, hoping to one day return, or not, but with a better life.
For this reason, the main reasons for emigrating revolved around the lack of food for the whole family, little money to get married, pay debts or simply improve the quality of life.
Call effect
Extensive studies, such as Juli Esteve's in the book The Valencian emigration to the State Units and Canada: The somni america against the caciquisme and the fil loxera, show that the trickle of emigrants to North America began in 1901, but it was not until 1912 that there was a proliferation of marches from the land.
Many of them were motivated by the pull effect of those who ventured years before and verified that labor was needed there and that fortune was assured. Esteve's work documents that in New York it was possible to earn in a week, what in the region was collected in a year.
And it is that the United States began to develop. The proliferation of factories, the exploitation of mines and the construction of infrastructures required a lot of labor. The destinations of the emigrants were diverse. Algiers, Canada or Latin America were among the most popular, but there was a favorite arrival point, since its archives corroborate the veracity of the facts.
This is New York, whose great gateway was located on Ellis Island. This place houses an extensive registry of immigrants, where you can currently consult the data of the new arrivals at the beginning of the XNUMXth century, as Teresa Morell collects in the book's appendix Valencians to New York. The case of the Marina Alta (1912-1920).
Once the port of destination was chosen, the emigrants from the Marina Alta had a lot to endure until they could disembark in an unknown terrain, but with abundant hopes to live. A long journey that remained in the history of the families of the Marina Alta and that perfectly reflect what life was like in the last century in the region.
Bibliography
- Morell, Teresa (2012). Valencians to New York. The case of the Marina Alta (1912-1920). Valencia, Editions 96.
- Esteve, Juli (2021). The Valencian emigration to the State Units and Canada: The somni america against the caciquisme and the fil loxera. InfoTV.
When I read or listen to someone who justifies the social and economic crisis in our country by charging the political right with the dead, I realize the blindness that invades a majority of society. I wonder how far the foolishness of a large part of our society, the media, etc., can go, defending tooth and nail the nonsense and lies of a mediocre, immoral, unscrupulous government and also a liar.
To have progress, we have to have good jobs and work hard at them, and those good jobs today in the XNUMXst century require training, even if it's just basic vocational training, but something that implies that we know how to do something with economic value. Conclusion, that progress depends directly on the success or failure of the educational system, but not on poetic education, but on education to acquire a profession with which to earn a living. Up to here, it is perogrullo, but now comes the difficult part: are we successful with the training in the region? Are public schools committed and oriented towards equipping people with preparation for work? My subjective impression, perhaps wrong, is that no, that public education is preoccupied with fashionable political issues, but fundamental issues for earning a living are marginalized, starting with a truly bilingual level of Spanish, let alone English, French or German. With school failure, one cannot expect a future or progress, and the positions and businesses in the region are taken over by those who come prepared from outside the region, from the rest of Spain or from Europe. Politicians have not even made a diagnosis of the problem, and so there can be no solution.
What many are doing now because of the progressive policies of our country, if you want to survive in this time of rising prices and shortages of work and ridiculous salaries, you have to go to other countries, at least in other countries the salaries are double that of Spain And if you're smart, you're looking for more affordable prices, you can live here with salaries of less than 1000 euros and a very expensive shopping basket, plus house payments it's impossible to live.
In Jávea When times were good, the municipality had 30 inhabitants, now that there are no jobs or opportunities for young people, Jávea has 27.
Well, if you think it is because of progressive policies... take a look at the INE and you will see that very little comes out, that Rajoy was the great exit for our young people
The departure of young people in Rajoy's time was a consequence of Zapatero's senseless policies of excessive spending, the denial of the word CRISIS
for which we almost have to be rescued, like right now with a galloping public debt of an additional 200 million euros a day... That is the media of the Government and the PSOE (I don't know why it is still called socialist because it only governs for their grateful stomachs) , the lack of self-criticism of people seems amazing to me.
That you still continue with that mantra that it is Rajoy's fault... the same thing will happen with excessive spending and policies that do not lead to the creation of wealth but merely to maintain power at the expense of DEMOCRACY without any limit or blush.
Just answer one question: in your normal life... when someone LIES TO YOUR FACE in such a shameless way... do you still trust him? (PEDRO SÁNCHEZ)
Well that... that string of brains atrophied by propaganda support it without any blush... SO IT GOES...
I totally agree with your comment. Some of us still think and realize what is happening.