Malaga village strengthens ties with USA ahead of America 250
Macharaviaya town hall has met with representatives from the US Embassy in Spain and is strengthening its links with cities including Pensacola ahead of this year's 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence
The village of Macharaviaya in Malaga province's Axarquía has intensified its ties to the USA ahead of this year's 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The town hall has held an official meeting with representatives of the US Embassy in Spain, which took place in Malaga city, during which possible lines of cultural and commemorative collaboration were discussed.
The meeting was attended by the mayor of Macharaviaya, Antonio Campos and the president of the Association of the Order of Grenadiers and Ladies of Gálvez de Macharaviaya, Alfonso Aurioles, together with the cultural attaché of the American Embassy, Catherine Muller, and Cristina Torras, coordinator of programmes and exchanges of the public diplomacy section, accompanied by the consular agent Roberta Aaron.
The exhibition 'Macharaviaya Universal', which would trace the relationship between Spain and America, was presented at the meeting.
During the meeting, the exhibition 'Macharaviaya Universal' was presented. This will trace the historical relationship between Spain and the USA through role of the Gálvez family, with special attention to the figure of Bernardo de Gálvez. Considered a hero in the United States for his decisive military and diplomatic support during the war of independence against the British, he was born in Macharaviaya.
The US Embassy in Spain expressed its interest in learning about the programme planned by Macharaviaya and in exploring ways of institutional and cultural cooperation. During the visit, Muller presented Macharaviaya town hall with the official commemorative medal 'America 250'.
This reinforcement of international relations is in addition to the recent official visit of the president of the Pensacola City Council (Florida), Allison Patton, who travelled to Macharaviaya to see first hand the local heritage and the historical links that have united both communities for more than two centuries. Patton was received at the town hall by Campos and the deputy mayor, Soledad Montañez, who underlined the symbolic and cultural value of this type of meeting.
During her stay, Patton showed a special interest in Bernardo de Gálvez and the role that Macharaviaya plays as the homeland of the Gálvez family, a legacy that continues to unite the village and cities like Pensacola. "It is exciting to visit the place where such an important figure in the history of my country was born," said Patton, who expressed her willingness to continue strengthening the cultural, educational and academic ties between the two sides of the Atlantic.
Macharaviaya town hall said that the meetings have been "another step forward in the external projection of Macharaviaya" and in the consolidation of a shared historical story which, more than 250 years later, continues to generate opportunities for international collaboration in the cultural, heritage and tourist spheres.
