Four centuries of consulates

Following on the publication of a book detailing the history of consular services on the Costa del Sol, the Costa Press Club invited the book’s author and coordinator to be its guest speaker at a dinner at La Sierra restaurant in Cerro del Águila.

Rafael Pérez Peña, honorary consul of Portugal in Malaga and creator of the book “Historia del Cuerpo Consular en Málaga 1641-2026” spoke about his research, acknowledging the support and help given by all 55 consulates on the Costa del Sol.

He also told stories of some of the less conventional activities of the various consuls, such as those of Porfirio Smerdou Fleissner, the honorary consul of Mexico in the 1930s, who became known as the "Schindler of the Spanish Civil War" for the humanitarian assistance he gave to people from both political factions, turning his own home into a safe haven and helping refugees to escape.