Over 200 people participate in Estepona in the ninth historical reenactment honoring Salvador Manzanares and Pedro Manrique

In an opening ceremony presented by local historian José María Guerrero, these IX sessions were inaugurated by the poet from Estepona, María Ángeles Castillo, ... in memory of Salvador Manzanares and Pedro Manrique, "defenders of the constitutional values of which we are direct heirs and defenders also of those civic values that nourish us," Guerrero recalled.

In this 2026 edition, 12 associations from all over Andalusia are participating: Cultural Association Torrijos 1831 from Málaga; Historical Recreation Association Bandoleros de Grazalema; Historical-Cultural Association Quema de Algarrobo; Cultural Association José María El Tempranillo-Bandoleros de Alameda; Battle of the Bridge of Montejaque Association; Cultural Association Bandoleros de Despeñaperros; Cultural Association Algodonales Libre de Cádiz; Bandolero Gallery of El Borge; Cultural Association Los Coloraos de Almería; Cultural Association Manifiesto Cortesano de Cortes de la Frontera; Cultural Association Málaga Recreadora and the host entity Manzanares Estepona 1831.

Historical-Cultural Program

The program will take place throughout the weekend. It will start on Saturday, March 7th from 11 in the morning, with a historical reenactment centered around the central Antonia Guerrero square, where passages and scenes from the era will be performed, showcasing history, culture, and tradition.

And on Sunday, March 8th, the streets of Estepona will also be taken from 11 in the morning by the historical reenactment and the romantic-liberal era parade in which participants, dressed in 1831 outfits, will stage the death of Manzanares, the capture of the liberal troops, and the execution by the beach. In addition, a tribute will be held for Pedro Manrique, a young man from Estepona who was an agent for General Torrijos and the Gibraltar Junta in 1831, born on Santa Ana street.

The procession will start at 11 am from the Botanical-Orchid Park, where the first scene will take place, continue through Terraza street, Plaza del Reloj where the central acts will take place at 12 noon; it will continue with the tribute to Pedro Manrique on the street where he was born, Santa Ana street at the height of Real street, and will proceed towards La Rada beach, where the occupation of the beach and the execution of the liberals will take place, ending at 2 pm in the Historic Cemetery of Estepona, before the tomb of Salvador Manzanares and his men.

History of Estepona

The historical memory of Salvador Manzanares and Pedro Manrique is linked in Estepona because both were part of the same liberal movement that in 1831 tried to overthrow the absolutism of Fernando VII and restore the Constitution of 1812. Although they did not participate in exactly the same operation or die in the same place, both represented a generation of Andalusian liberals committed to constitutionalism. In practice, their stories are part of the same historical episode: the series of liberal conspiracies and expeditions that departed from Gibraltar and the Malaga coast against the absolutist regime.

First was the expedition led by Manzanares, who landed on the Malaga coast in 1831 to try to start a liberal uprising. The operation quickly failed, and Manzanares was captured in the Serranía and executed that same year near Casares.

Months later, another liberal attempt occurred with the famous expedition of General José María Torrijos, which also ended in tragedy when he and his companions were executed in Malaga after being captured. Pedro Manrique was among those liberals who participated in that movement and died alongside them.

Over time, in Estepona, both names have become associated because they symbolize the sacrifice of the local liberals in 1831. Local historiography and civic tributes remember them together as representatives of Estepona's contribution to the fight for constitutional freedoms in Spain during the 19th century and the Cultural Association Manzanares Estepona 1831 is in charge of keeping their memory alive.