Fredrico Garcia Lorca was fast becoming the best poet and playwright from Granada and from all of Spain when the fortune of Spain took a spin toward right wing revolution and civil war. The local “Black Squad,” Falangists of the worst sort, executed Lorca for being a leftist, a homosexual and a poet in August of 1937.

But time takes it’s turn and after years of no Lorca in Spain but much Lorca elsewhere, Granada has been celebrating Lorca with parks, festivals, play revivals and museums. At the South end of town, there is a lovely city park with a Lorca Museum, but more true to the spirit of Lorca the park has become a new beach. There the young people of Granada bask in the sun in a celebration of youth and of life among the tall trees and flowers.

There were even children’s books about Lorca for sale in the various tourist shops all over Granada and in the airport at Madrid.

No where did I see a monument to the Falange or to Franco. But there is still an active Falangist Party in Granada. For some reason they “black out” the eyes of many of the people on their own website.