The evolution of Valdemingómez should not just simply be seen as some organic process whereby working-class and immigrant people have somehow ended up congregating there in search of economic security and work in the city, but as a consequence of macro processes of economic growth and technological advancement as rural domestic economies submitted to urban industrialisation in Spain. Equally, its configuration as a ghetto, compounded by drug markets, should not be viewed as a consequence of some kind of poverty saturation, but of spatial and structural processes that have rendered people in the urban metropolis increasingly socially redundant, resulting in their destitution and political disaffection. Here, in this chapter, we look at these processes, charting the evolution of the Cañada Real Galiana, and how economic change in Spain, which led to the growth of the suburbs, collided with the economic crisis, increasing zonal inequalities in the capital and expanding drug markets.

Historical evolution of the Cañada Real Galiana

Dating back to the 13th century, the Cañada Real Galiana was a route for goods being transported from the north of the Spanish peninsula to its centre, connecting four autonomous communities (La Rioja, Castilla and León, Comunidad de Madrid and Castilla la Mancha). Known as a ‘cattle path’, these cañadas became increasingly significant during the Middle Ages to transport livestock; their function was to permit farmers and shepherds to move their cattle across the land to take advantage of the best climate for the time of year. Indeed, such was their domestic economic significance for agriculture and farming industries, that this was reflected by laws set out by the Spanish crown to protect them. As a consequence, there was high competition and rivalry between the shepherds and farmers that caused much conflict, as lawful protection from the crown brought significant earnings and profit (ACCEM and Fundación Secretariado Gitano, 2010).

This continued up until its peak during the 19th century, at which point over 5 million cattle owners were using the cañadas each spring and autumn to transport livestock. Although the agricultural industry gathered increasing economic importance during the 19th century, by the second part of the 20th century, they had practically been abandoned because of advances in technology, and transport had led to the construction of rail networks and roads.