García is the most common first surname in Spain. He is also second and a very long distance from Rodríguez, González, Fernández, López or Martínez, even more distance between them. It is estimated that there are almost three million people in Spain with the first or middle surname García. A huge town with a meeting point that suits their needs: a small town called García in ‘Evacuated Spain’.

And it occurred to him to take advantage of this happy coincidence and revitalize the town with his Garcia macro-quedada.

García. We are talking about a town located in Ribera de Ebro, approximately 60 kilometers from Tarragona. It is a town framed by an enviable natural environment for walkers, thanks to the region’s rugged terrain, natural green spaces and the nearby Ebro River, where a centuries-old iron bridge serves as a railway link between Madrid and Barcelona. .

The Civil War took its toll, with the town bombed and the church destroyed; The church was never destroyed… or rebuilt. A lot of data about the town and its historical documents were kept here, so the origin of the name García is complicated. A few years ago, the mayor of the municipality, Blanca López, commented that “This may come from the name of a person from the Middle Ages or from the heron, which is actually the main bird in our shield.” it is a mystery.

without sample. And since the beginning of the last century the population has decreased rapidly. Of the population of 1,770 in 1900, fewer than 550 people live today. The population moves to larger towns in search of work and ends up staying there. On an odd note, there are only three neighbors in town with the surname García, and the mayor commented that “one of them has his middle surname.”

On the sidelines, the city council came up with an idea to promote their town: a meeting for Garcías. Obviously anyone could go, but they used the hook of the name to justify the fun day in order to attract tourism to the area.

Activities. The first date of this party for Garcías was in 2018. The mayor said it would be “a very special event where we want to bring the culture and heritage of the people closer to a festive, special and different day through events and activities.” Gastronomy as subject.” Familiarity as driver and protagonist”. Held on the banks of the Ebro river, where a giant map was placed so participants could mark where they came from, the event included activities such as balloon twisting, giant soap bubbles or entertainment workshops and 4×4 excursions, but local gastronomy was also introduced. It will be a common topic.

The same thing happened in the second meeting, where the activities were expanded. Everything was free except the canoe route and food, but you had to make a reservation online to avoid running out of space. This second meeting of Garcías was held in 2019 and… it was the last one. In the wake of COVID-19, the offering was put on hold despite initial prints being well received.

Parties and… money. Beyond the curiosity of seeing how a town uses its name to hold a meeting with everyone with the same name, the truth is that there are many towns fighting with all their might against population decline. A few decades ago, a migration began in rural areas that caused most of the population to migrate to cities. While there are those who return to the city on the specified dates, there are also those who do not.

That’s why governments are launching programs to move young people to these towns in empty Spain, where they can buy homes and job opportunities. This is a way to combat population decline that could destroy small towns.

all over the world. Moreover, this is not something specific to Spain. There are countries like Italy that even offer homes to young people for 1 euro. It is also offering 2,000 euros per couple settling in the city of Chiba, Japan, thousands of kilometers away from here, while also offering incentives for these couples to have children in a country where the birth rate is a real crisis.

Pictures | Amat Martínez Vila, Medol

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