A Journey Through Macabre Madrid: Buried Women, Poisoned Husbands, Cursed Ghosts, and Cooked Corpses
A journalist explores the dark stories of murder and intrigue that have haunted Madrid through the years in his new book.
In his book "Relatos de un Madrid macabro," journalist José Felipe Alonso delves into the grisly history of Madrid, recounting tales of buried women, poisoned husbands, and political assassinations that shocked society. He spent a year and a half researching in archives, libraries, and legal texts from the 18th and 19th centuries to create a comprehensive overview of some of the most notorious murders in the city's history. One of the most infamous cases discussed is the assassination of Prime Minister José Canalejas in 1912, who was shot dead by anarchist Manuel Pardiñas while window shopping. Pardiñas subsequently took his own life, further complicating the narrative surrounding this political murder. Nearly a decade later, another Prime Minister, Eduardo Dato, fell victim to a similar fate at the hands of a group of anarchists, highlighting the turbulent political climate of early 20th-century Spain. The book not only offers chilling accounts of individual crimes but also situates them within the broader context of societal responses and historical changes in the capital. Alonso's meticulous research and storytelling bring to life the macabre legacy that continues to haunt Madrid, offering insights into how these events shaped public perception of crime and justice in the city.