Jose Guadalupe Posada Broadside Over 200 Drowned Spanish Floods Tragedy 1907

Description

Original edition of the Gaceta Callejera titled "Terrible Inundacion en las Ciudades de Malaga, Veloz y Pueblo del Colemar Mas De 200 Ahogados Muchas Familias Sin Hogar " (Terrible Flood in the Cities of Malaga, Veloz And the Town of Colemar More Than 200 Drowned Many Families Homeless) with etchings by Jose Guadalupe Posada. Published by the shop of Antonio Vanegas Arroyo in Mexico City in 1907. Part of the Jean Charlot collection at the University of Hawaii. Sensational news such as the great flood of Malaga in 1907 travelled across borders and continents. In this case we find this broadside that tells the horrific tragedy of what happened in Andalucia, Spain on September 26, 1907. Torrential rains, estimated to have been around 300mm in just 24 hours, triggered flash floods that swept through the region, catching many people off guard. Malaga, a coastal city, was particularly hard hit as the floodwaters surged through the streets, inundating homes and businesses. The Guadalmedina River, which runs through the city, overflowed its banks, exacerbating the flooding. Veloz and Colemar, two smaller towns located inland, were also severely affected. The floods destroyed bridges, roads, and other infrastructure, leaving many people stranded and isolated. The death toll from the floods reached over 200, with many more injured or missing. The majority of the fatalities occurred in Malaga, where the floodwaters were most intense. The disaster left a deep scar on the region, and the memory of that fateful day still resonates in the communities affected. In the aftermath of the floods, the Spanish government declared a state of emergency and mobilized resources for rescue and relief efforts. The King of Spain, Alfonso XIII, even visited the affected areas to offer his condolences and support. The reconstruction process was long and arduous, but the communities eventually rebuilt their homes and lives. In the early 1900s, print shops like the one run by Antonio Vanegas Arroyo capitalized on major tragedies, such as the devastating floods in Andalucia, to sell their broadsheets to the public. These broadsheets, also known as corridos or relaciones, were single-sheet publications that combined sensationalized news with eye-catching illustrations made by famously made by Posada and Manuel Manila to capture the attention of a largely illiterate population. Print shops like Vanegas Arroyo's recognized the public's fascination with tragic events and used it to their advantage. They would quickly produce broadsheets detailing the disaster, often exaggerating the death toll and embellishing the narrative with dramatic language and imagery. These broadsheets were then sold on the streets by voceadores, or street vendors, who would loudly proclaim the headlines and attract curious onlookers. The broadsheets served as a form of mass communication in a time when newspapers were not widely accessible. They provided a glimpse into the events of the day, albeit often sensationalized, and satisfied the public's appetite for dramatic stories. The tragic events themselves became a commodity for print shops, allowing them to profit from the public's interest in the macabre and sensational.