The Instituto Nacional de Colonización y Desarrollo Rural, English: National Institute of Rural Development and Colonization, was the administrative entity that was established by the Spanish Dictatorship in October 1939, shortly after the end of the Spanish Civil War, in order to repopulate certain areas of Spain. This entity depended from the Ministry of Agriculture and it sought to alleviate the effects of the devastation caused by the three years of civil war.
The Instituto acquired land which it transferred to the colonizing villagers under different conditions according to the area and the levels of poverty of the tenants. The colonizing tenants eventually were expected to pay a small sum that allowed them to become the future owners of the land they tilled.
This ambitious plan led to the establishment of new villages in different parts of Spain, some of which still survive. The Instituto reached a height of activity and influence during the first two decades of Franco's regime, but after the Plan de Estabilización in 1959, and the subsequent Planes de Desarrollo, its autarchic goals and ideals became outdated. By 1971 the word "Colonization" had stopped being politically correct and the name of the entity was changed to Instituto Nacional de Reforma y Desarrollo Agrario (IRYDA).
Goals and results
The Instituto's alleged main goal was to increase agricultural production in Spain by devoting more land surface to agriculture. Priority was given to the development of new irrigated areas in arid and semi-arid zones. This goal was very effective for the propaganda purposes of the new regime and triumphalistic claims were made that the colonization measures would increase self-sufficiency. But often irrigation was opposed to the traditional and sustainable methods of dryland farming that were ecologically more in tune with locally available resources in fragile environments.
Although the plans of the IRYDA were implemented with the avowed goal of a "better management of natural resources of the country" (Spanish: "mejor aprovechamiento y conservación de los recursos naturales en aguas y tierras"), the agricultural policies implemented were sometimes not mindful of the environment, leading to salinization of the terrain and to soil erosion in some areas. Some of the villages that were established in former wetlands or in chronic drought areas were later abandoned, along with the lands that surrounded them and that had formerly been earmarked for agriculture.
Many of the new villages were given a name related to the nearest river or even a name with an explicit reference to the Caudillo in order to cast a benevolent image of dictator Francisco Franco, like Llanos del Caudillo, Villafranco del Delta, a village in the Montsià comarca nowadays rechristened as El Poblenou del Delta or Isla Mayor near Seville, the former Villafranco del Guadalquivir.
Some of these new settlements were built to house the families whose houses were flooded when their ancestral village was submerged by the waters of one of the many reservoirs built during the development plans of the 1950s and 1960s, like Loriguilla, Mequinensa and Faió (Fayón), among others. Others were renovations and repopulations of previously extant but abandoned towns.
AndalucíaGuadalimar del Caudillo, in Lupión, Province of JaénGuadalén del Caudillo, in Vilches, Province of JaénAgrupación de Mogón, in Villacarrillo, Province of JaénArroturas, in Villacarrillo, Province of JaénAgrupación de Santo Tomé (also known as Montiel) in Santo Tomé, Province of JaénVeracruz de Úbeda, in Úbeda, Province of JaénSolana de Torralba, in Úbeda, Province of JaénValdecazorla, in Cazorla, Province of JaénSan Miguel, in Úbeda, Province of JaénDonadio, in Úbeda, Province of JaénPuente del Obispo, in Baeza, Province of JaénSotogordo, in Mancha Real, Province of JaénVados de Torralba, in Villatorres, Province of JaénCampillo del Río, in Torreblascopedro, Province of JaénMiraelrío, in Vilches, Province of JaénVegas de Santa María - Barrio de Linares, in Linares, Province of JaénEspeluy expansion, in Espeluy, Province of JaénLa Quintería, in Villanueva de la Reina, Province of JaénLos Villares de Andújar, in Andújar, Province of JaénVegas de Triana, in Andújar, Province of JaénLlanos del Sotillo, in Andújar, Province of JaénLa Ropera, in Andújar, Province of JaénPoblado de San Julián, in Marmolejo, Province of JaénBembézar del Caudillo, in Hornachuelos, Province of CórdobaVillafranco del Guadalhorce, in Alhaurín el Grande, Province of MálagaGuadalcacín (formerly Guadalcacín del Caudillo), in Jerez de la Frontera, Province of CádizIsla Mayor (formerly Villafranco del Guadalquivir), in the Province of SevillaEl Viar (formerly El Viar del Caudillo), in Alcalá del Río, Province of SevillaPeñuelas, in Láchar, Province of GranadaFuensanta, in Pinos Puente, Province of GranadaLoreto, in Moraleda de Safayona, Province of GranadaRomilla la Nueva, in Chauchina, Province of GranadaEl Chaparral, in Albolote, Province of GranadaBuenavista (known as Burrianca), in Alhama de Granada, Province of GranadaSan Isidro, in Níjar, Province of AlmeriaCampohermoso, in Níjar, Province of AlmeriaAtochares, in Níjar, Province of AlmeriaPuebloblanco, in Níjar, Province of AlmeriaAragónCamporreal, in Sos del Rey Católico, Province of ZaragozaAlera, in Sádaba, Province of ZaragozaBárdena del Caudillo, in Ejea de los Caballeros, Province of ZaragozaValareña, in Ejea de los Caballeros, Province of ZaragozaEl Bayo, in Ejea de los Caballeros, Province of ZaragozaSanta Anastasia, in Ejea de los Caballeros, Province of ZaragozaPinsoro, in Ejea de los Caballeros, Province of ZaragozaValareña, in Ejea de los Caballeros, Province of ZaragozaEl Sabinar, in Ejea de los Caballeros, Province of ZaragozaOntinar de Salz, in Zuera, Province of ZaragozaPuilatos, in Zuera, Province of Zaragoza, (demolished)Sancho Abarca, in Tauste, Province of ZaragozaSanta Engracia, in Tauste, Province of ZaragozaValsalada in Almudévar, HuescaArtasona del Llano in Almudévar, Province of HuescaSan Jorge in Almudévar, Province of HuescaEl Temple, in Gurrea de Gállego, Province of HuescaSodeto, in Alberuela de Tubo, Province of HuescaValmuel (formerly Alpeñés del Caudillo), in Alcañiz, Province of TeruelPuigmoreno (formerly Campillo de Franco), in Alcañiz, Province of TeruelCastilla La ManchaAlberche del Caudillo, in Calera y Chozas, Province of ToledoTalavera la Nueva, in Talavera de la Reina, Province of ToledoLlanos del Caudillo, in the Province of Ciudad RealCinco Casas, in the Province of Ciudad RealConsolación (formerly Villanueva de Franco), in Valdepeñas, Province of Ciudad RealPueblo Nuevo del Bullaque, Province of Ciudad RealSanta Quiteria, Province of Ciudad RealBazán, Province of Ciudad RealLos Mirones, in Valenzuela de Calatrava, Province of Ciudad RealCañada de Agra, Province of AlbaceteMingogil, Province of AlbaceteNava de Campana, in Hellín, Province of AlbaceteAguas Nuevas, Province of AlbaceteCastilla-LeónÁgueda del Caudillo, in Ciudad Rodrigo, Province of SalamancaCascón de la Nava, Province of PalenciaFoncastín, in Rueda, Province of ValladolidSan Bernardo, Province of ValladolidGuma, Province of BurgosCataloniaPoblenou del Delta (formerly Villafranco del Delta), in Amposta, Province of TarragonaGimenells, now Gimenells i el Pla de la Font, Province of LleidaEl Pla de la Font, now Gimenells i el Pla de la Font, Province of LleidaSucs, Province of Lleida, was an abandoned town, renovated and repopulated under the Franco planExtremaduraGévora (formerly Gévora del Caudillo), in the Province of BadajozGuadiana del Caudillo in the Province of BadajozNovelda del Guadiana, in Badajoz, Province of BadajozPueblonuevo del Guadiana, in the Province of BadajozVillafranco del Guadiana, in Badajoz, Province of BadajozAlagón del Río (formerly Alagón del Caudillo), in Galisteo, Province of CáceresEl Batán, in the Province of CáceresPuebla de Argeme, in the Province of CáceresRincón del Obispo, in the Province of CáceresSan Gil, in the Province of CáceresTiétar (formerly Tiétar del Caudillo), Province of CáceresVegaviana, in the Province of CáceresValencian CommunitySan IsidroBenaixeveEl Realengo, Crevillent (Province of Alicante)San Antonio de Benagéber (Sant Antoni de Benaixeve)Sant Isidre de BenaixeveTousCortitxellesNavarreFigarolRadaGabarderalEl Boyeral (abandoned)San Isidro del Pinar
