Recently it has become so popular a small village called Marinaleda in Spain as a “communist utopia”, and went viral on the internet their economic model. Everybody started to think if it’s true there is left an anti-capitalist place in the world. Could it be true?
I was so curious to see this village and get information if really they could manage to have communist life style. Moreover, was it true that you can get a house for 15 Euros, there’s no police in the village and everyone earns equal?
I found these all, when we headed from Seville to Marinaleda in our camper road trip. I had to explain about Marinaleda to my husband who had no idea about the village which became so popular in Turkish media.
Only 2700 populated village was so calm when we arrived. We parked the camper and I ran into a cafe to see some people to get information.
House for 15 Euros
I started to ask with the most interesting one: “Can you really own the house for 15 Euros?”
The man looked at me cheerlessly and said: “Local administration started this project, with the idea to make everyone paying 15 Euros per month and working some years helping building the other’s house. But there are conditions and a lot of people waiting on the queue to get it.” So, obviously, nobody gives you a house for 15 Euros just like that.
No police
In Spain by law, there is no obligation to have police in villages with less than 5000 habitants. Also, municipal police doesn’t have the authority to deal with crimes, but parking, monitoring public demonstrations and traffic. For big crimes it has to be called national police. Thus, a calm village Marinaleda with its 2700 habitants doesn’t need to have and they don’t prefer to have municipal police to pay with their little budget, in this way municipality is saving $350,000 a year not having local police.
Everybody earns equal
Until 1970s, unemployment in Marinaleda was so high and the land was owned by the Duke El Humoso. After long strikes and demonstrations El Humoso farm was handed over to Marinaleda for the use of the population.
Since 1997, Marinaleda cooperative was founded to cultivate the land collectively and income is shared to all laborers. Over %90 of people is working cooperatively, thus they get paid same.
Finally I showed the photo in my phone and asked to the locals where I can take that photo. Answer was astounding, “there’s no such place”.
Not only the information we find on the internet is deficient but also inaccurate.
You can get better what I mean looking my Air Drone Marinaleda video:
Being said all, Marinaleda is a valuable village where people are trying to live peacefully and equally in this capitalist world, and mayor Sánchez Gordillo is doing his best providing this freedom to his fellows. Their work is praiseworthy and has to be supported!
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Love this information. Nice video of the village too.
Interesting article. Thanks for sharing! Hope you enjoyed your visit to this lovely village!
Thank you!! Even though I had a bit disappointed by things, I’m happy to visit & get information about this town.
How interesting! I had no idea that villages such as this existed. The 15 Euros for a house is an interesting concept, no wonder there’s a waiting list.
Yeah, it’s nice to see that there’s still people working for others’ & planet, not their own benefit.
Wow! Beautiful! I like that, it’s true. Many work to do, more in this capitalist world. It’s not a casualty that many people think it’s not true. Good examples are hides, not for casualties. Thanks for this information.
It looks beautiful and peaceful, although getting a house there might be a bit more complicated than just showing up at the Town Hall and getting the keys… However, a good question would be what happens if someone there doesn’t want to join the cooperative, but start their own very private business, like opening a café or restaurant, becoming a tour guide sell gadgets etc etc … Is it still unproblematic ?
I have been there and I met the owner of a cafe just out of the center, he is from the next village and he owns his very private business (this cafe) in Marinaleda, he does not partecipate in the cooperative… I think there is no problem, Marinaleda is still a Spanish village were have to respect the Spanish laws and they use Spanish money! Just the local administration wanted to organize things in a different way, and obviously they did in a legal way, that’s why there is a cooperative, the legal way to make a company with a “socialist” model. Obviously I think also that if you want to open a business there like in any other place you have somehow to have a good relation with the administration, this may represent a limit but not different than in any other place.
It is indeed more complicated than just showing up at the Town Hall and getting the keys to get a house.
However, I think there would be any problem making your own business. There is communist initiative but in the end it doesn’t work 100%.
I don’t understand why you have to say this is a communistic village? It’s basically an early form of a New Golden Age Community, and there’s nothing communistic about that at all! Communism is ego-based, New Golden Age isn’t, it’s 5D. Equality, one-ness, heart-based, and so on.
Hi Crystal! I don’t say it, the people say. The article is exactly about that. Unlikely the popular belief it is NOT a communist village and you find here the reasons.
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