In a dusty corner of the Andalucian desert, near the town of Nijar
in the province of Almeria, sits a small 19th century stone
church.
For locals it is shrouded in tragedy and renowned as the setting
for a shocking true crime on which Federico García Lorca is thought
to have loosely based his pastoral drama Blood Wedding. In July
1928, a reportedly plain young woman (with a large dowry) called
Francisca Cañada Morales was due to be married in the stone church
to dull but dependable local labourer called Casimiro Perez
Pino.
Francisca was not keen on the marriage, but was rather in love with
her dashing cousin Curro Montes Cañada. After an argument with her
fiancée the night before the wedding, Francisca abandoned the
wedding plan and eloped with her cousin. Fate was against the young
lovers, and they ran into Casimiro's brother Jose in the church on
their escape. Quickly realising what was happening, he shot Curro
Montes dead in a bid to save his family's honour.
The crime was first reported in the newspaper Heraldo de Madrid in
1928. It is generally believed García Lorca would have read
articles about the crime and used it as inspiration for the tragic
love story he wrote in 1932, although he increased the appeal of
the main figures in the story for dramatic impact and incorporated
a mythological element. Film buffs might recognise the church in
which the murder took place as the setting for scenes in the Clint
Eastwood film The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.
The church has since fallen into disrepair but is still a
destination of interest to fans of García Lorca's work.
Blood Wedding, Wharf 1 Theatre, 1 August - 11 September,
2011.
Feature: The true crime of Nijar
Date posted: 15 Jun 2011Author: STC