The City Council of Antequera has approved six honorary distinctions to be awarded on 16 September at the Royal Collegiate Church of Santa María. Among the recipients are the municipal auditor, a professor of Prehistory, and the Prolibertas Foundation.
The Honour and Distinctions Tribunal of the City Council of Antequera has given the green light to the six municipal honorary distinctions to be awarded on the occasion of City Day. The institutional event is scheduled for next Wednesday, 16 September, at the Royal Collegiate Church of Santa María.
The tribunal, chaired by the mayor of Antequera, Manolo Barón, included the participation of councillors Elena Melero and Pilar Ruiz; former mayor Ricardo Millán; former councillors Juan Álvarez and Rafael Romero; and secretary Justo Muñoz.
Among the approved recognitions, the appointment of Francisco de Paula Díaz Argüelles as Favourite Son of the City stands out. Díaz Argüelles is a local administration official with national accreditation and the current general auditor of the City Council of Antequera, an institution to which he has dedicated a significant part of his professional career with responsibility, technical independence, and rigor in the control and auditing of municipal economic and financial management.
For years, he has played a fundamental role in the preparation and supervision of budgets, general accounts, economic-financial plans, and major municipal projects, contributing to consolidating an economic management based on budgetary stability, transparency, and compliance with the law.
Alongside his work in public administration, he has an intense history of volunteering and commitment to the associative movement, especially in favour of people with disabilities and the most vulnerable groups. He has collaborated for decades with entities such as CASIAC, the Málaga Association of Spina Bifida, and the Andalusian Federation of Spina Bifida, among other social and educational organisations.
In recognition of this altruistic dedication, the City Council of Antequera awarded him the XII Solidarity Prize in 2021, highlighting his permanent vocation for community service and his ability to balance a highly demanding professional responsibility with extraordinary social involvement.
The second award is that of Adoptive Son of the City, which will go to Leonardo García Sanjuán, professor of Prehistory at the University of Seville. García Sanjuán is one of the most internationally prestigious Spanish archaeologists in the study of megalithism, Recent Prehistory, and landscape archaeology.
His connection with the Dolmens of Antequera dates back to the beginning of this century and has been fundamental in renewing scientific knowledge about Menga, Viera, El Romeral, and the surrounding landscape. His research has allowed for the interpretation of the monuments not as isolated constructions but as integral elements of a large ritual and symbolic landscape.
He was one of the scientific leaders of the MEGA project, promoted by the University of Seville, and coordinated the studies derived from the archaeological excavation carried out at the dolmen of Menga in 2005. This research allowed for a deeper understanding of its construction sequence, chronology, archaeological materials found, and the different uses and interpretations of the monument over nearly six thousand years.
His work scientifically reinforced the relationship of Menga with the Peña de los Enamorados and El Romeral with the Sierra de El Torcal, providing some of the main arguments that supported the declaration of the Dolmens of Antequera as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016.
Leonardo García Sanjuán's career has decisively contributed to consolidating the international scientific prestige of the Dolmens of Antequera and turning them into a global reference for the study of megalithism and the early monumental societies of Europe.
The third distinction, that of Preferred Institution of the City, is awarded to the Prolibertas Foundation, a social action entity promoted by the Order of the Most Holy Trinity and established in Antequera on 26 June 2001, which celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary this year.
The Foundation was born with the aim of combating marginalisation and social exclusion of the most vulnerable people, continuing the Trinitarian charism of defending freedom and human dignity. Antequera was chosen as the social headquarters and general direction of the entity, taking advantage of the historical presence of the Trinitarian community and the facilities of the convent of the Trinity.
From its national headquarters, located on Cruz Blanca Street, Prolibertas develops programmes aimed at people deprived of liberty and former inmates, migrants, homeless individuals, women in vulnerable situations, at-risk youth, and groups with special difficulties in accessing employment.
Pioneering resources such as the Juan de Mata and Juan Gil shelters were the seed of a network that later expanded to different Spanish cities. Its activities include residential accommodation, social intervention, legal guidance, vocational training, job placement, psychological support, and intercultural mediation.
The award ceremony will take place on Wednesday, 16 September, at the Royal Collegiate Church of Santa María, as part of City Day. The residents of Antequera will be able to follow the ceremony, which recognises the contributions of these individuals and entities to the development and prestige of the locality.
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