'Na Margalida Santa', the sexist crime of Franco's regime that Tomeu Penya sang

PalmJaume Sansó Caldentey, a researcher from Vilafranca de Bonany, still remembers the impact that the song had on him in 1980, when he was 17 years old. Margalida Santa, included on the first album by her fellow countryman Tomeu Peña. "It tells the story of a woman who, as a child, worked as a day laborer in her parents' house. Nomia Margalida Gayà Bennàssar, HolyIn 1959 she was murdered by her husband, Mateu Font Font. FigueretaA few hours later, he threw himself under the wheels of the train near Petra. Upon hearing the song, I suddenly asked my parents who that woman was." In 2024, on the 65th anniversary of the event, Sansó consulted newspaper archives to learn more details. It was lost in oblivion. For the older generation, it was a taboo subject, as were all events related to the Civil War."

Gayà was born in 1938 on the outskirts of Petra. The daughter of farmers, she was the youngest in the family with three brothers and five half-sisters from her mother's first marriage to a man from whom she sent Tomeu Penya's family. Her fiancé was also from Petra, born in 1931. He soon left farming to become a stonemason and, finally, a quarry worker. She was 20 years old and he was 28.

Front page of 'El Caso'

Unable to access the judicial investigation of the crime, Sansó reconstructed it by consulting the press of the time. The news of this "marital drama" was even featured on the front page ofThe CaseThe sensationalist weekly of the Franco regime, founded in 1952, reported: "Five days earlier, the murderer decided to quit working at the Petra quarry and go to the one in Manacor because some of his coworkers were playing nasty jokes on him. They told him his wife was cheating on him. The day before, first thing in the morning, he bought [something - likely a type of coca leaf]. A neighbor insisted it was 'for making soup.'" The murder was allegedly committed at four in the morning on February 21, 1959. At six in the morning, near Petra, the Manacor train heading towards Inca ran over the assailant. It was no use that the driver repeatedly blew his whistle to get him off the tracks. The victim's body was completely mangled.

Besides consulting the press, the investigator interviewed people from the town who, despite the social silence, still vividly remember the atrocious crime. "Some women, upon hearing Santa's name, would suddenly burst into tears." One of them recounted the events as follows: "It was a neighbor who raised the alarm. On the day of the incident, she went to the family home to say hello. 'I had a bad feeling finding the house locked,' she told her mother. Back then, it was quite common for people to leave their houses unlocked." Upon noticing that everything was silent, the neighbor walked around the building and entered through a back door that led to the yard and was open. "As soon as she entered, she saw a large knife covered in blood on a table. On the floor, the stains led to the young couple's bedroom. Sensing the worst, she looked and found Santa's body on the bed, her throat slashed, lying in a glass. [The text abruptly shifts to a seemingly unrelated topic:] The person who had jumped in front of the train was the one who killed Margalida."

"He seemed like a good person"

The victim's house was immediately swarmed with neighbors eager to gossip. "A group of men," Sansó notes, "carried her out on a ladder, covered with a blanket. They took her to the cemetery. During the procession, there were cracking sounds of mourning and the cries of many people who didn't know what to do next. On the day of the funeral, the church in Vilafranca was packed." Little by little, the newspapers reported the tragic event. Gayà had died from several stab wounds to the neck. The motive for the crime was never definitively established. "The financial motive was ruled out. One hypothesis that was considered was that Margalida refused to leave Vilafranca to go live in Manacor, where Mateu had just found a job. It was also said that she was pregnant. This was in line with the rumor circulating in the town that the couple had married many times."

A journalist fromThe Case She interviewed the victim's siblings and step-siblings, who stated that they had never heard of any disagreements or arguments between the couple. "According to her sister, Margalida had a gentle and cheerful disposition, and Mateu seemed like a good person." The newspaper The Latest News He would make a brief reference to the killer's psychological profile: "He never showed any signs of mental disturbance." "However," Sansó states, "within the oral tradition of Vilafranca, the idea persists that Mateu was a jealous man with an introverted demeanor." The tragedy remained shrouded in the mystery of "marital intimacy," in the words of Daily of MallorcaThe case was closed, as the assailant had died.

Remembering Tomeu Peña

The singer Bartomeu Nicolau Morlà, better known as Tomeu Penya, was nine years old when the crime occurred. "I was too young and they wouldn't let me see Margalida's body. My parents told me there was blood everywhere. I had very fond memories of her. She used to come to our farm to pick figs. She was dark-haired and a very good girl." Soon after, Penya was sent to study with the friars of La Porciúncula (Arenal). However, he wouldn't stay long. The young man from Villafranca would eventually succumb to the siren song of boom This tourist activity allowed him to pursue his great musical vocation. He played in hotels and nightclubs with different groups, including Los 5 del Este. He also toured Europe with his guitar, visiting countries such as Germany, Denmark, and Sweden.

In 1979, at the age of 30, tired of traveling the world, Penya decided to settle in his hometown. He immediately hit it off with Pere Fons, the new parish priest, who had become a great cultural promoter. "I had quite a bit of material written in Catalan. He encouraged me to publish it. Back then, it was more common to sing in Spanish or English." That's how the first album of 'cowboy Mallorcan' titled Tomeu Penya sings in the VillaOne of the nine songs was Margalida Santa"I'd had it in my head ever since I caught the music bug. I had to make an effort to remember it because when I was 16, I was in a car accident with a friend that gave me a severe concussion. I suffered amnesia and even forgot how to play the guitar."

The album was presented at the end of May 1980 in the Vilafranca theater. Twenty-one years had passed since Gayá's death. "And it's clear," said a verse of the lyrics, "that here se homo loses HE sanity / completely furious from none, she left / oh, poor Margalideta Santa / out of jealousy HE yours homo "He killed you." Peña was surprised by the positive reception the song received in the town. "I just wanted to have a tribute to someone who was part of my childhood. Her family was very grateful. On the other hand, I was told that some of his family members were quite angry."

'Crime of Passion'

From the perspective afforded by the passage of time, Jaume Sansó offers a critical analysis of the media's coverage of that murder. "During the Franco regime, the press referred to cases of gender-based violence as 'crimes of passion.' It was considered a private matter within the family. These were times when violence was normalized, not only within the home, but also between neighbors in cafes during fights sparked by theft or fraud. This sad reality masked scenes of family massacres often presented as joyous."

The researcher is clear about one thing: "The Vilafranca incident received so much media coverage because it involved a newlywed couple. And that was sensational. In contrast, it would have been ignored if it had been an elderly man who had killed his wife of many years. Back then, more importance was given to cases of marital problems. Another example is that of the healer of La Soledad (Palma), who in 1939 offered her deadly remedies to neighbors who had troubled marriages." Next Saturday, November 29, after 66 years of silence, Margalida Gayà Bennàssar, HolyShe will be honored in Vilafranca on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. At 11 a.m., in Pere Fons Park, Sansó will give a lecture and, afterwards, a bouquet of flowers will be placed on her grave.