Asturias Series: Colombres and the Museum of Emigration
We definitely had our share of rainy days during our time in Asturias. But without the rain, there wouldn't be those rolling green hills, and fresh milk and definitely no moody, grey photography. This article about the Colombres and the Museum of Emigration was first published on our Asturias Blog in 2010.
At the end of the 19th century, Spain was mired in one of its darkest periods. Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines were gone as a result of the Spanish-American War, and an unsuccessful attempt to conquer Morocco had left the country in a tailspin. Many escaped to the New World, where society was on the rise rather than in decline. This included a massive number of Asturians: mostly single, young and ambitious. They lent their enthusiasm to the growing countries of the Western Hemisphere, and made a fortune doing so.
Many of these newly moneyed youngsters eventually returned home. Known as Indianos, they built fabulous homes and spent their wealth freely, at a time when the Principality desperately needed it. The mansions of the Indianos can be found all over Asturias, but no other town has such a remarkable collection as Colombres, near the border with Cantabria.
One house in Colombres stands out among the rest: the Quinta Guadalupe, constructed by Iñigo Noriega Laso, who emigrated to Mexico and became both extremely rich and politically influential. Today, his amazing mansion is the Museum of Emigration, dedicated to this interesting period in Asturian history. There are emotional photographs of emigrants leaving Spain, models of the boats on which they traveled, personal stories of adventure and danger, and information about the various Centros Asturianos which are still active in Argentina, Cuba, Mexico and the USA.
The museum is interesting, and it’s nice to be able to step inside such a house. Much of the original furniture is still present, and the library is full of tomes dedicated to the immigrant experience. If you’re in the area, definitely stop by.
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The Spanish architecture is so special, many houses are colorful and it's so satisfying to just look at them. I love the building of the museum. My favorite picture is the one from the top where you can see all the different floors in the building. I have only been to Madrid. This year I'm going to Barcelona and Asturias might be my next destination! I will check out your blog from 2010 :)
Thank you so much for your time to leave this comment. Asturias is a special spot in Spain, it's so different up there. We actually live in Valencia - which has become soooo popular over the years. We also have a blog about it. So you might want to come down here if you have time.
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TrufflePigWhat a grand building and such interesting photography on a variety of things seen.
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Hi @for91days, I love the Spanish language, and therefore the spanish people to, but architecture is great there. Your pics are fascinating and full of Spanish details, that make the Spanish people and language so unique. Great, and hope to have more posts like this, to be able to learn something.
Thank you for your nice words ... we love Spain so much that we made Valencia our home. Aaaaand!!! You forgot to mention the Spanish Food :)
this looks so subtle and classy.
Ahh!! Lovely staircases again!
If I see a staircase, I have to take a picture ..haha. It's in me :)
I definitely like that light blue walls of the building. I did not know of that emigration from Asturias to Americas and as consequence this museum it looks have a nice furniture and staircases . By the way I am curios in the last photo was that a coin or a medal?