Argentine settlers breathe life into dying rural Spain

The Aragonese hamlet of Foz Calanda, renowned throughout Spain for its peach trees, seems full of children, shouting and playing among the poplars by the river. But most are offspring of those who have left, and just visiting for the summer fiestas.

The bench of elderly men watching the fun reveals the real picture: Foz Calanda is ageing, and was, until an enterprising local mayor invited Argentines to settle, in danger of dying.

"Foz has 250 inhabitants, compared with 800 a century ago. People kept leaving, and we were reaching the point of no return. We desperately needed young people to stop the demoralisation and reverse the downward spiral," said Daniel Gimeno, 36, the deputy mayor, who was organising fiesta games. "Four Argentine families have settled, so that instead of 12 children in our village school, we now have 18."

Silvina Alonso-Mejy, 36, came from Buenos Aires last year with her husband, Walter, to escape Argentina's collapsing economy. "It was hard at first," she said. "It was cold, and the village was full of old people. Our house is ram- shackle and needs work."

Silvina's daughters, Julieta, six, and Catalina, four, exhausted after the afternoon's excitement, cling to their mother. "I never wanted to leave Argentina, but our life was so insecure. We came because we want to open up a future for our children."

Walter had Spanish ancestry, enabling the couple to obtain the Spanish nationality the village authorities required. His grandparents emigrated from an impoverished Spain to start anew in Argentina, never dreaming their offspring would one day retrace their steps. Walter, a journalist, found work on a weekly in nearby Zaragoza. Silvina, a teacher, does odd jobs in shops and hotels.

"People here are generous," said Silvina. "They offer help, if only a bag of peaches. But it's painful to cut the cord with your country. Now I'm not sure where my home is."

Foz joined a scheme pioneered by the nearby village of Aguaviva, whose mayor, Luis Bricio, visited Argentina in 2000 to urge those with EU nationality to repopulate Aragon's dying villages.

"We said they should be a married couple under 40, with at least two children under 12, and without a university degree," said Pilar Marti, responsible for settling immigrant families throughout Aragon. "We need truck drivers, factory hands, mechanics, people with basic skills."

Five thousand Argentines applied, among them Gilda Mazzeo, 34, of Italian origin, and her husband Marcelo, the son of Spaniards, who are now settled in Aguaviva. "We learned about it from a taxi driver in Buenos Aires who'd heard it on the radio. We applied, and three weeks later received a call saying we'd been chosen," said Gilda, showing photos of her children Martin, 12, Damian, 4, and baby Rocio who was born in the village.

Marcelo got a truck-driving job. Aguaviva town hall found them a house and advanced a month's rent and their fare. The family signed a contract giving them five years to repay the loan, interest-free. "We had a business in Argentina making cables, but the crisis got so bad there were no orders, cheques bounced, and we were robbed of our equipment. Our business was dying; we were prisoners in our own home," Gilda recalled.

Eventually the whole family decamped to Aguaviva: Gilda's father, Antonio, and her mother, her sister Rosana, 36, her husband, Gustavo, 36, and their children Franco, 8, and Julian, 3. They sold everything to ship 17 machines, with which they plan to relaunch their cable business in Aguaviva.

Hardest hit is Antonio, 68, who sailed from his native Italy for Argentina from Genoa 50 years ago. "I had my 18th birthday on the boat," he recalled with emotion. "I arrived with nothing, not even speaking Spanish, but there was work and you could get on. I had no intention of leaving Argentina. It was my home, and my children and grandchildren are Argentine. Now we're starting again."

He surveyed his precious machines in their recently-bought warehouse. Then he added: "The children love it, they're in heaven."