Spanish Civil War Private Walking Tour in Malaga

Juan gave an excellent Civil War walking tour. I read the book “My House in Malaga” by Sir Peter Chalmers Mitchell a couple of weeks before visiting Malaga, and this book along with others piqued my interest in the Spanish Civil War and more specifically the people of Malaga’s experience. There is much to see an appreciate as a tourist in Malaga, but by investing a little time in the not so distant history of the Civil War, I feel that as a visitor my appreciation for people of Malaga is much richer. We walked through the very streets and looked at the very homes that were referenced in the book, and aside from the natural beauty which was abundant, the historical pairing was superb. This is a very special tour that I am so grateful not to have missed. Please remember to take a bottle of water as there is some climbing. Thank you Juan. I look forward to the tour part two from the other side of town next time I visit.

I thought I knew a lot about the Spanish Civil War, having taken a class on its influence in art, and knowing people in the US and Mexico whose families suffered. But walking the hills of Malaga with Juan Diego as he conveyed the words of those who lived it and shared photos of the times - in our not so distant past - took me to a new level of understanding and compassion. His knowledge of the topic is deep and carefully researched but this tour is no lecture. To me it was more like walking the three acts of a tragic opera in which you know the disastrous ending but are going to have so live each scene so that the story sinks into you and its ending becomes more deeply felt. I’m grateful I had this experience with Juan Diego on my second day in Andalucía, because in the weeks since I have found few people willing to say anything except that it’s still too raw. I believe they would be grateful that Juan Diego is relaying the story of the story of their suffering in such a profound and compassionate way. If he gives a sequel, I’ll be the first to sign up. BTW, I signed up for the tour in Spanish but Juan Diego was happy to jump into English whenever my Spanish faltered.

Juan Diego has put in a lot of work in uncovering a completely unexpected view of the Spanish civil war in Malaga. It is through the eyes of foreigners that you see the impact of the war and not through the Spanish themselves! It was interesting and informative and only left me wanting to find out more about the Spanish experience itself.... next time, I hope!

Finally a guidet tour in Málaga which gave us a deeper insight into spanish history the last 200 years with a special focus on the decade of 1930 and how the spanish civil war startet and developed in this área. Our guide, Diego, focused on the working class, their socio-economic situation, the obvios enormous gap between the very rich industrialists and the rest of the population by showing us the housing for the poor and the rich. Señor Diego is passionate about the history of expats in Málaga and their faith during the civil war. We had a very interesting day listening to what he told us and looking at what he showed us.

My wife Brenda and I were the first people to 'road test' Juan Diego's new-for-2019 personal tour of areas of Malaga most affected by the period before and during the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s. I'm ashamed that I've left it so long to review and enthuse about it here. As with the 'Secret Malaga' tour we took in 2018, Juan Diego took us to areas of Malaga that we would probably never otherwise have found; and, even in those areas (such as within a few hundred metres of the main railway station) that we HAD walked through, we discovered aspects of the city, its entrepreneurs and its political classes that have illuminated so much more for us. Juan Diego's research, his ability as a guide to put it across in an accessible way, and his special insight and interest as a practising architect are an unbeatable combination. The Civil War was a violent and divisive time that still resonates in modern Spain, and Malaga was permanently changed by the conflict and the period that led up to it. If you're at all interested in Malaga's relatively recent history, do take this tour.