Manuela Díaz Cabezas, “La Parillera” (1920-2006)

Finally, in 1942, in an alleged theft attempt when trying to provide for her husband, she was intercepted by the Guardia Civil. She was taken into custody and brutally tortured to make her reveal her husband’s hiding place. They shaved her head so that everyone could identify her as a collaborator of the Maquis. And then she was tortured, forced to drink salt water and to endure uncomfortable positions for hours, and even to hold bricks in her hands with her arms outstretched while she was being severely beaten. But she never said anything. She was aware that the life of her husband and of his whole group depended on her silence. She herself described the tortures she suffered at that time: “They shaved my head, they beat me up to death and put me on my knees with a brick in each hand and another one on my head. But I wouldn’t say where my husband was”. After eleven months of pre-trial detention in Pozoblanco and Córdoba, and in order to limit her mobility and keep her under control, she was forced to go to the Guardia Civil’s barracks three times a day until her final sentence.

All these tortures, in addition to being stigmatised, the absolute control of all her movements, and the fear of being sentenced –although the judgement finally resulted in acquittal–, led her and her brother Alfonso –who, by reason of his family left-wing tradition, also tried to escape from Franco’s military service– to join Los Parrilleros on 20 March 1943 in order to survive. They travelled by train to Fuencaliente (Ciudad Real), and from there by foot through the Sierra de Madrona Mountain range to La Solana del Chorrillo, leaving their two children in the village, in the care of their mother.

They moved all over Sierra Morena, from Córdoba to Jaén, and through Ciudad Real. They would set up camp in Mañuelas, Cardeña, La Víbora and the Alcúdia valleys. Their life in the mountains was marked by persecution and the permanent danger of being denounced or running into the Guardia Civil. And then, there were also their precarious living conditions, the lack of food and supplies, and the harshness of living out in the open air exposed to the cold, wind and rain. They fed on what they could steal from the farmhouses and on raw chickpeas. As she herself mentioned in an interview: “We lived very poorly, with a blanket on the ground and little more. We couldn’t make a stop anywhere so that we wouldn’t be discovered”. During that time, unlike other guerrilla fighters and because she was a woman, La Parrillera never carried weapons; her companions would not let her.

In the middle of 1943, Manuela became pregnant again. She had to give birth all alone in the first months of 1944 on the banks of a river, while the rest of the squad stood guard nearby. In her own words: “I tied his belly button myself and cut it out. I also washed and tended him.” Barely 8 days after giving birth and concerned about their chances to ensure the baby’s survival in the mountains, without food and in constant movement, they had to abandon him. They left him at the Molina Fernández farmhouse with a handwritten letter from his husband. But in the end, they decided to hand him over to the Guardia Civil. He later died in hospital before his first birthday.

On 27 February 1944, while trying to get some food at the El Tibio farmhouse (Ciudad real), her husband was fatally shot by the Guardia Civil. They had shown up in broad daylight, desperate and starving to death, unaware that a detachment of the Guardia Civil was inside the farmhouse. According to historian Francisco Moreno, “Alfonso “El Parrillero” entered the farmhouse and found the guards playing cards. He had no choice but to stop them and order them to raise their hands. The guards pretended to obey, but one of them threw a stool at Alfonso, while the others ran to grab their rifles. The assailants fled, but on the esplanade of the farmhouse, covered with snow and with no natural defences, Miguel “El Moraño” or “Parrillero” was shot down by enemy fire, while his companions, in desperation, run into the thick of the forest.” Manuela, together with her brother Alfonso and “El Lobito”, continued to be part of the group, now under the leadership of Inocencio “Borrica”, although they participated occasionally others, such as “Álvarez”’, “Coqueo” and Pablo González, decided to leave the band.

In December 1944, they were ambushed again by the Guardia Civil, who had been warned of their presence in the area after having been spotted trying to get some food from the Los Herraderos farmhouse. There, they were put into siege, and Manuela broke her arm when they tried to escape. Finally, they surrendered. Only “Borrica” managed to escape, and in 1945 he ended up going into exile in France. Once arrested, they were exposed to public view on their way to the summary trial.

In the Court Martial of 16 December 1945, they were accused of having killed a local hunter during their activity as bandits. As for José Antonio Cepas, he was accused of “participating in arrests in 1936, who were later executed”. His brother Alfonso was accused of being a communist and a deserter from military service, and Manuela of being a “concubine” and a member of the Communist Women group of Villanueva de Córdoba. All three were sentenced to death, although her sentence was commuted to 30 years in prison without reduction. At the time, she was 25 years old. On 21 February 1946, “Lobito” and her brother were executed, along with 12 other prisoners, in the shooting range of the Carabanchel prison.

She ended up spending time in different prisons of Franco’s regime such as Alcalá de Henares, Segovia and Guadalajara. During this period, her eldest son Juanito died of tuberculosis. In prison she learned to read and write, while trying to work to help support her mother. She was pardoned after 17 years in prison on 5 August 1961 at the age of 41.

Manuela Díaz lived in Villanueva de Córdoba until her death in 2006 at the age of 86. Her story inspired the documentary La Parrillera: una maquis por amor (2009) by director Miguel Ángel Entrenas with the participation of the Forum for Historical Memory.

Transcript

“La Parrillera,” or Manuela Diaz Cabezas, emerges as a symbol of resilience and defiance in the face of Francoist oppression. Born in 1920 in Villanueva de Córdoba, she lived a life defined by struggle and resistance against the fascist regime. Married to “El Parrillero,” a guerrilla fighter, Manuela joined the anti-Francoist movement, supplying provisions and crucial information to the guerrilla group “Los Parrilleros.” However, her involvement led to her arrest and brutal interrogation by the Guardia Civil, enduring torture and stigmatization to protect her comrades. After being acquitted, she joined the guerrillas herself, navigating the mountains of Sierra Morena while pregnant. Despite the murder of her husband by the Guardia Civil, Manuela continued her resistance along with her brother and other rebels, facing ambushes and eventual arrest. Sentenced to death, her sentence was commuted to 30 years in prison, during which she endured the loss of her eldest son and the deaths of her brother and a comrade. Finally, pardoned in 1961, she spent the rest of her life in her hometown. Manuela Diaz Cabezas’s legacy serves as a reminder of the sacrifices against tyranny and the enduring spirit of resistance in the face of oppression.

Script/Narration: Lucia González, Víctor Cuenca, Amina Ouahabi, Judit Pérez

Coordination: Manos Avgeridis, Ioanna Vogli
Audio editing – Mastering: Alexey Arseny Fokurov
Recorded at Antart Studios, Athens