Mariano Rodríguez Vázquez, known as ‘Marianet’, was born in the Hostafrancs neighbourhood of Barcelona, Spain, in 1909, and died in La Ferté-sous-Jouarre, on 18 June 1939. He is one of the most significant Romani figures in Spain’s recent history, as he served during Spain’s Civil War as the National Secretary of the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (CNT) [National Confederation of Labour], the most influential anarchist trade union in the country.
Childhood and Adolescence
Born into a Cale [Spanish: caló] working-class family, Mariano Rodríguez Vázquez lost his mother before the age of ten and was abandoned by his father. He and his brother were placed in the Durán Asylum Reformatory, an institution in Barcelona that also functioned as an alternative to juvenile prisons.
The physical abuse and mistreatment inflicted there by the authorities prompted Mariano Rodríguez Vázquez to flee the centre. He then began living on the streets, wandering and begging for food. His extreme social vulnerability led him to commit minor crimes such as theft, and he was soon arrested by the police and sent to prison to serve a sentence.
Political Awakening
In Barcelona’s Modelo Prison, he came into contact with anarchist prisoners and rationalist educators, through whom he came to understand that society’s problems were rooted in ideological conflict—one that, in his view, had to be resolved at all costs. From that moment on, he became active in anarcho-syndicalism. After his release, he worked as a bricklayer in the construction sector and, in 1931, joined the Regional Confederation of Workers of Catalonia, an organisation affiliated to the National Confederation of Labour, which also included other Roma members such as María Lozano Hernández (1909–1940). Marianet celebrated the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic on 14 April 1931, and soon decided to become even more deeply involved in political affairs. He became a typist for the union and began taking on various organisational responsibilities. In August of that same year, he was appointed delegate of the Construction Workers’ Union and helped organise one of the first major strikes in the sector. However, the strike ended poorly, and a conflict with the police led once again to his arrest. Although he was not immediately imprisoned, he was forced to perform compulsory service aboard a maritime vessel. Afterwards, he was tried and sent to Barcelona’s Modelo Prison, the same one where the Romani painter Helios Gómez (1905–1956) also was imprisoned during those years.
Toward Leadership
After his release, Marianet was elected president of the National Confederation of Labour’s Construction Workers’ Union, serving from 1934 to 1936. His performance in this position propelled him to the post of secretary of the Regional Confederation of Workers of Catalonia, and he never abandoned the action groups—that is, he remained active on the streets. His commitment led to several more imprisonments and periods of forced labour, particularly after the attack on the Barcelona shipyards [Atarazanas] and the uprising of the Federación Anarquista Ibérica [Iberian Anarchist Federation], an organisation to which he was also affiliated. During his incarcerations, he continued his political work, writing for the anarchist newspaper Solidaridad Obrera and participating in the Pro-Prisoners Committee. He took an active role in the National Confederation of Labour internal debates and its relationship with the Republican government, earning both criticism and praise—especially for his desire to engage directly in governmental affairs.
In any case, his perseverance earned him great respect among his peers, and when the Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936—coinciding with his final release from prison—he was elected General Secretary of the National Confederation of Labour, succeeding Horacio Prieto (1902–1985). His transition from regional to national leadership reflected the urgent need for a respected, skilled, and committed man capable of confronting the fascist forces led by the insurgent military under General Francisco Franco (1892–1975).
Role During the Spanish Civil War
Throughout the war, Marianet demonstrated unwavering commitment to the anti-fascist cause, insisting that the coup d’état perpetrated by Francisco Franco and the army served the interests of Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) and Benito Mussolini (1883–1945). He kept union members informed about anarchist casualties, particularly those in the Buenaventura Durruti (1896–1936) Column—the largest anarchist militia of the conflict—and undertook diplomatic missions, most notably to Mexico. Yet the course of the war turned against the Republicans, communists, and anarchists, who were ultimately overwhelmed by Franco’s troops. In January 1939, after actively participating in military coordination, Marianet ordered anarchist committees to move closer to the French border, and when the outcome of the war became clear, he went into exile in France in February 1939.
Exile and Death
While in exile in Paris, Marianet assumed leadership of the General Council of the Spanish Libertarian Movement. His goal was to reorganise the CNT abroad, as he remained its acting Secretary General. During this period, he met with other political exiles and facilitated the transfer of anarchist archives from Spain to Amsterdam’s International Institute of Social History in the Netherlands. He also contributed to the establishment of the Spanish Refugee Evacuation Service. However, after spending a day of leisure with friends and his partner, Conchita Dávila, he drowned in the Marne River at La Ferté-sous-Jouarre (Seine-et-Marne) on 19 June 1939.
Aftermath
Mariano Rodríguez Vázquez was a highly debated figure within Spanish anarchism due to his leadership role in the CNT during the Civil War and the tensions he embodied between anarcho-syndicalism and communism, particularly in the context of collaboration with the Republican state and the growing influence of the Spanish Communist Party. For decades, his memory was marked by criticism, silences, and conflicting interpretations within anarchist circles, although he was consistently praised for his political determination. In recent years, his rediscovery as a Romani individual has allowed his trajectory to be reconsidered from a broader perspective, highlighting an exceptional and consistent commitment against the Franco regime, as well as an experience shaped by repression and exile, preceded by a life experience profoundly affected by the social poverty of the country he defended until the defeat of the Second Republic.
