The Return of Rafael Altamira

On February 10, 2025, the mortal remains of Rafael Altamira (1866-1951) and his wife, Pilar Redondo (1869-1957), were buried under a special monument in the El Campello cemetery (Alicante). 

Altamira was a distinguished jurist, historian, educator and writer. His numerous honors included honorary doctorates from eight universities, including Cambridge (UK), Columbia (USA), La Plata (Argentina), San Marcos (Peru) and the Sorbonne (France).

As a sign of his international prestige as a jurist, in 1920 Altamira was appointed by the Assembly of the League of Nations as a member of the Commission of Jurists in charge of drafting a constitution for the Permanent Court of International Justice, predecessor of the current International Court of Justice. In September 1921 he was elected one of the Court's first full judges, a position he held until 1940. In 1933 he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts against war.

Altamira was arrested by the Carlists in Vitoria shortly after the outbreak of the Civil War when he attempted to leave Spain. He was on the verge of being shot, but the rebel general Miguel Cabanellas saved his life and allowed him to go into exile. His first destination was The Hague, where he continued to serve as a judge of the International Court. But when the Netherlands was occupied by the Germans, he headed to Bayonne, France. He managed to flee in 1944, went to Portugal, where he taught in Coimbra and then to Mexico where, among other things, he taught at the College of Mexico and at the National Autonomous University (UNAM). In 1951 he was again nominated for the Nobel Prize, dying before the jury could decide.

Altamira rejected repeated invitations from the Franco regime to return to Spain. He died in Mexico City and was buried there in the Spanish Pantheon, as was his wife six years later. In December 2024, the remains of Altamira and Redondo were returned to Spain and buried in the family niche in the El Campello cemetery.

In a rare show of consensus, and a display of the stature of Altamira, officials from both the Socialist Party and the Popular Party were present. This was also the first time that King Felipe VI , shown here talking with con María Luz Altamira and Rafael Prieto, Altamira’s granddaughter and great grandson, presided over the funeral of a victim of the Franco regime.