Federico García Lorca died 90 years ago

Federico García Lorca died 90 years ago. His grave still hasn't been found — according to Corriere della Sera, Spain has still failed to resolve its most famous literary taboo

01.08.2026 14:15 HotInfo

In just under three weeks, it will be 90 years since the murder of Federico García Lorca, the most famous poet and playwright of Spain's Generation of '27. Sette, the weekly magazine of the newspaper Corriere della Sera, today recalled that despite decades of searching, Lorca's body has still not been found — and according to the newspaper, the entire case remains a "taboo" in Spain. Corriere della Sera ↗

Lorca was arrested in Granada in August 1936, a few weeks after the outbreak of the civil war — Francoist insurgents branded him a left-wing intellectual, and his popularity as well as his homosexuality made him a target. On the night of August 18–19, he was taken along with other prisoners to the Fuente Grande spring between the towns of Víznar and Alfácar and shot. According to the most commonly cited version, they were buried in an unmarked pit that has yet to be located with certainty. Wikipedia ↗

The most extensive excavation near Alfácar took place in 2009 — the team at the time found "not a single bone, piece of clothing, or cartridge case," since the bedrock in the given location began less than a meter below the surface, which was too shallow for a grave. Historians still dispute the exact location as well as how many other victims of Francoist executions lie in the same ravine. Fox News ↗

This year, the 90th anniversary is being marked by institutions in Spain, Mexico, Uruguay, and Venezuela — with exhibitions, theatrical productions, and, in June, the world premiere of an opera about Lorca's life in Mexico. Despite worldwide attention to his legacy, the location of his final resting place remains one of the greatest unresolved mysteries of the Spanish Civil War. La Jornada ↗