Évora has a key location, between the Alentejo coast and the Spanish region of Extremadura. The port of Sines is a maritime gateway for the transport of cargo between southern and northern Europe, and there is road access via the IC33, IP2 and A6 linking it to the rest of Europe, via the gateway city of Elvas. These dynamics are expected to grow in importance in the future with the new goods railway line to be built. Due to its size, central location and high profile at the national level, Évora is well placed to play the role of central hub in the regional urban system. The city has a rich heritage, and is a leading cultural, university and service centre, while remaining environmentally unspoilt, and the aim is to raise the profile of the surrounding area. The objective is to create an integrated urban system based on a network of medium-sized cities in the Alentejo region, as well as urban centres with a supra-municipal role to play. In conjunction with the national urban system, medium-sized cities in the Alentejo region, especially Évora, should jointly contribute to fostering the harmonious development of the regional complementary network. Évora is the capital of the county (distrito), with an area of 1,307.08 km² and had a population of 56,596 inhabitants in 2011. (Évora City Council)
The 1930s – The Myth of Salazarist Portugal. Take a trip back in time to the 1930s, and the 1936 rally which was attended by “João Mau-Tempo” and many other Alentejo rural workers who had been exposed to the rhetoric of the myth of Salazarist Portugal.
This rally in Évora took place about a year after Salazar’s speech in Braga on the 10th anniversary of 28th May 1926, the National Revolution, which established the dictatorship. This he called “The Restoration of Great Certainties: God, Country, Authority, Family, Work.” In his speech, the myth of Salazarist Portugal was set out, based on values he considered to be unquestionable truths: “We do not discuss God and virtue; we do not discuss the country and its history; we do not discuss authority and its prestige; we do not discuss the family and its morals; we do not discuss the glory of work and its duty. […] Philosophies and philosophers, the dreams of dreamers, all are worthless in comparison with these realities.” (Salazar, 1936). Despite the great contestation that existed in the country, Salazar’s nationalist rhetoric of a Portugal which was “the seaside garden of Europe” (Ribeiro, 1862) was presented as the only possible vision of reality.
Type of tour:
Thematic Tour
Tour name:
Resistance
Location:
38°34’00”N 7°54’39”W Arena d’Évora: start of tour
Parishes:
Union of Parishes of Malagueira and Horta das Figueiras
Parish of Santiago do Escoural
Parish of São Cristóvão
Union of Parishes of Nossa Senhora da Vila, Nossa Senhora do Bispo and Silveiras
Ciborro Parish
Union of Parishes of Cortiçadas de Lavre and Lavre
Counties (distritos):
Évora, Montemor-o-Novo
Route:
Évora – EN114 – CM1075 – CM1079 – EM370 – EN2 – Santiago do Escoural – EM535 -EN253 – São Cristóvão – EN253 – EN2 – São Geraldo – EN2 – Ciborro.
For Thematic Tour 3: Ciborro – EM507 – Lavre.
Type:
Road and walking tour
Distance:
90 km by road (+15 km to Thematic Tour 3), 1 km in foot
Average duration:
5 hours
Type of surface:
Urban
When to visit:
All year round
Signage:
Yes
Landowners:
Public right of way
Sights to see:
Accommodation and eating out:
Useful contacts:
Évora City Council 266 777 000
Tourist Information Centre 266 777 071
Emergency:
PSP Police 266 760 450
Espírito Santo Hospital 266 760 450
Following Estrada Nacional 114, the traveler reaches the roundabout near Porta do Raimundo. Go left and go around the city along the ring road next to the Wall. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Av. Dom Manuel Trindade Salgueiro/IP2. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto R. de José Estevão Cordovil. It is located near Largo do Conde de Vila Flor 4, 7000-863 Évora, home to the Évora Public Library.
In the novel “Raised from the Ground”, the city of Évora features as the venue of an anti-communist rally held in the bullring in 1936. According to entries in José Saramago’s personal diary from 1979 and the notes made in his writer’s notebook (1977-1979), he frequently visited the town of Lavre. He stayed there for a few days in September 1979 and during his brief sojourn, on the 13th, he visited Évora and went to the Public Library and Évora District Archives in order to verify some data that had been used in the novel and to make preparations for the final draft.
(Português) Os jornais que José Saramago consultou foram transcritos por si para o seu caderno preparatório em 1979. Hoje em dia podem ser consultados na sala de Reservados da Biblioteca de Évora. Fica o registo de alguns exemplares consultados: Jornal Notícias d´Évora de 8 de novembro de 1936, Jornal Notícias d´Évora de 19 de novembro de 1936; Jornal Notícias d´Évora de 22 de novembro de 1936; Jornal Noticias d´Évora de 24 de novembro de 1936; A Defesa 28 novembro 1936; Democracia do Sul de 24 de novembro de 1936.
Na obra Levantado do Chão, no relato do comício anticomunista há referência à intervenção de oradores que estavam mencionados nas notícias dos jornais consultados e que foram transcritas por José Saramago, os quais surgem sublinhados a vermelho no referido caderno (ver imagem abaixo). São eles: coronel Namorado de Aguiar, comandante da Legião Portuguesa, major Ricardo Durão, de Setúbal, José António Marques e Joaquim Lança, deputados vindos de Lisboa, e Mário Maduro e Pinto Lemos que foram aguardados à entrada do concelho pelos membros da comissão organizadora do comício. Estavam também presentes Mário Madeira, adjunto do I.N.T., Camarate de Campos, presidente da Comissão Distrital da União Nacional e o capitão Mário Guimarães da cavalaria 5.
(Português) […] Onde é que eu posso mijar, Ó Requinta, isto são brincadeiras, não há aqui ninguém que ouse dizer tal coisa em tão grave momento, quando a pátria, ela que não mija nunca, está assim a ser invocada por aquele bem-posto senhor no palanque, que abre os braços como se nos quisesse abraçar a todos, e como não chega cá tão longe abraçam-se ali todos uns aos outros, o comandante da legião, o major que veio de Setúbal, os deputados, o da união nacional deles, o capitão de cavalaria cinco, um que é do i-ene-tê-pê, se não sabes pergunta, instituto nacional do trabalho e previdência, e todos os mais que vieram de Lisboa, parecem gralhas empoleiradas numa azinheira […] (Saramago, 2014, p.101-102)
(Português) Para além da presença dos oradores, através da referência aos respetivos cargos, podemos também observar a inclusão de excertos de notícias do referido comício na prosa de Saramago. A intertextualidade presente entre estes documentos e a obra de ficção revela bem o rigor com que Saramago aborda os episódios históricos em Levantado do Chão, e revela ainda melhor o processo estilístico do autor onde estes episódios são revisitados sob a perspetiva de um manto paródico, o que obriga o leitor a uma revisão crítica da história. Com efeito, reparemos nos dois excertos abaixo da notícia do jornal A Defesa que o autor transcreve para a obra e a forma como no texto obtém uma leitura irónica devido ao contexto em que surge intercalada com as interjeições do povo ou do próprio autor.
(Português) […] e o remédio contra o comunismo encontra-se no regresso à moral cristã cujo símbolo vivo é Salazar, caramba, temos um símbolo vivo […] (Saramago, 2014, p.101)
[…] morra o comunismo, abaixo, abaixo o comunismo, morra, que diferença faz, no meio de tanta gente nem se nota, e lembremo-nos de que a vida alentejana, ao contrário do que muita gente pensa, não é propícia ao desenvolvimento de ideias subversivas, porque os trabalhadores são verdadeiros sócios dos proprietários, partilhando com estes dos lucros e danos da lavoura, ah, ah, ah, […] (Saramago, 2014, p.101)
Taking the main Estrada Nacional 114 road, you come to the roundabout near the Porta do Raimundo gate into the old city centre of Évora. Take the second exit, go round the city walls on your left and you will see Évora Bullring on the left, in Avenida General Humberto Delgado.
It was in this arena that a rally took place in 1936, as José Saramago describes,“in support of the Spanish nationalists, it’s an anti-communist rally” (Raised from the Ground, Saramago, 2018, p. 89). “João Mau-Tempo” attended, along with many other rural workers, taken by their foremen and landowners who supported the regime. Under pressure from “Requinta the hound”, “João Mau-Tempo” agreed to go to the rally in Évora, although he was reluctant to do so as it was an anti-communist rally and “João Mau-Tempo” had already learned about Marxist-Leninist ideology for the first time a week earlier, when he “found some papers wedged under a stone, with one corner sticking out” (Raised from the Ground, Saramago, 2018, p.90). Despite his burgeoning political awareness, he was afraid of the consequences if he didn’t attend and took the advice of “Faustina” to do so.
The bullring is packed. Hordes of farm labourers have been herded in there, sometimes by a landowner, smiling and chatty, and there’s always some lackey toadying up to him, shaming those who came for the sensible reason that they feared being left jobless. On the whole, though, they do their best to appear happy. That’s the kindness of the crowd, not wishing to disappoint the person who expects us to be contented, and although it’s true that this doesn’t look much like a party, it’s no one’s funeral either, so tell me what face to wear, should I cheer or boo, cry or laugh, tell me. […]
Viva Portugal, I can’t hear him, We are gathered here today, united by the same patriotic ideal, in order to say to our government that we are pledged to continue the great Lusitanian adventure and that we promise to follow in the footsteps of those ancestors who gave the world whole new worlds and spread both faith and empire, and when the trumpet sounds, we will come together, as one man, around Salazar, the genius who has dedicated his life, here there are shouts of salazar salazar salazar, the genius who has dedicated his life to the service of the country, against the barbarous threat from Moscow, against those wretched communists who threaten our families and who would kill your parents, rape your wives and daughters, who would send sons to labour camps in Siberia and destroy the holy mother church, for they are atheists, godless men with no morals and no shame, down with communism, death to all traitors, the bullring bawls out the slogan, some still have no idea what they’re doing here, others have begun to understand and are saddened, some are convinced, or deceived, a worker makes a speech, then another speaker he’s from the Portuguese legion, he stretches out one arm and bawls, Who gives the orders, who gives us life, well, that’s a good question, the boss gives the orders, and as for life, what’s that.
(Raised from the Ground, José Saramago, 2018, pp. 92-93)
During the period in which the Spanish Civil War took place, the dictatorial regime in Portugal grew stronger. First there was the military coup of 28th May 1926 and the regime was consolidated with the establishment of the Estado Novo – New State – in 1933. It was during this period that the dictatorship was at its most brutally repressive of the opposition, vowing death to all communists. According to Freire, “they actively sought to foment a climate of ‘anti-red’ hysteria (Freire, 1998, pp. 177-196). Between 1936 and 1939, 9,575 arrests were made for political reasons (Comissão do Livro Negro sobre o Regime Fascista – Black Book Commission on the Fascist Regime, 1982, pp.14-23), which dealt a severe blow to the opposition. In 1937 in the municipality of Montemor-o-Novo, eight men from Santiago do Escoural were arrested at Casa Branca railway station, including José Corraleira, a PCP activist, and one of those responsible for party organisation in Escoural (cf. Gervásio, 2013).
