Amadeo Marco Ilincheta (1900–1987) was a Spanish Traditionalist politician, until 1942 active within the Carlist movement and afterwards in the Francoist structures. He is best known as the iconic Navarrese personality of the Franco era, principally as a longtime member of the regional self-government, Diputación Foral. He served as representative of the Aoiz-Sangüesa district in 1931 and then continuously during 6 successive terms in 1940–1979; during a few strings he was acting president of the Diputation. In 1943–1954 and in 1967–1977 he held a seat in the Francoist Cortes. In 1942–1954 he was a member of the Falange Española Tradicionalista executive, Consejo Nacional. Since 1927 he intermittently served as the mayor of Navascués.
Family and youth
The Marco family has been for centuries related to Valle de Roncal, a mountainous Pyrenean community in North-Eastern Navarre. Its first representatives were noted in the 12th centuryJesús Marco Jiménez, Genealógia de la casa de Marco, [in:] Zangotzarra 2/2 (1998), p. 96 and their descendants grew to major local positions in the early modern period; in the late 16th century Pedro Marco from Uztárrozon Pedro Marco see e.g. a collection of documents held in the Navarrese archives, available here was nominated Almirante del Valle de Roncal,Marco Jiménez 1998, p. 95 and his relatives held alcaldia of Uztárroz in the mid-17th century.Marco Jiménez 1998, pp. 95-96 The Marcos have aspired to the nobility status and got their hidalguia confirmed in the late 18th century.Marco Jiménez 1998, p. 95 At the time the strictly patrilinear ancestor of Amadeo was his great-great-grandfather Cristobál Marco Martín,he was married to María Geronima Salboch, see Cristobal Marco entry, [in:] Geni genealogical service, available here followed by Julián Marco Salbochhe was married to María Francisca Ezquer Garde, see Julián Marco Salboch entry, [in:] Geni genealogical service, available here and Amadeo's paternal grandfather Julián Ramón Marco Ezquer (1819-?).Julián Ramón Marco Ezquer entry, [in:] Geni genealogical service, available here Owner of the family residence in Uztárroz, he emerged as a successful cattle breeder and head of the locally known familia corraliza.Floren Aoiz, El jarrón roto, Tafalla 2005, ISBN 9788481363296, p. 67 Marco Ezquer was married twice; his second wifefirst was first with Fidela Pérez Pérez and the couple had at least 4 children, also named Marco Pérez, Fidela Pérez Pérez entry, [in:] Geni genealocal service, available here was Vicenta Catalina Pérez Marco, descendant to another well-off Uztárroz family.she was granddaughter to Pedro Marcos Pérez Garde, who purchased many estates in course of mid-19th century disamortización; he became major taxpayer of Ustárroz, Angel García-Sanz Marcotegui, Políticos-emresarios liberales y compañías en la explotación del bosque del Irati (Navarra) a mediados del siglo XIX, [in:] Principe de Viana 65/232 (2004), p. 554 They had at least 13 children; one of them was Amadeo's father, Pedro Nolasco Marco Pérez (1867–1913).Pedro Nolasco Marco Pérez entry, [in:] Geni genealogical service, available here, also Pedro Nolasco Marco Pérez entry, [in:] Geneaordoñez service, available here
In 1895Amadeo Marco Ilincheta entry, [in:] Geneaordoñez service, available here Marco Pérez married Bruna Ilinchetathe surname is also spelled “Ylincheta”, Amadeo Marco Ilincheta entry, [in:] Geneaordoñez service, available here Zalba (1869–1931), a girl from Navascués, a town in the neighboring Salazar Valley;Bruna Ilincheta Zalba entry, [in:] Geni genealogical service, available here she was daughter to a local merchant.she was daughter to Juan Fermín Bernado Ilincheta Itúrbide and Josefa Zalba Urzainqui, Bruna Ilincheta Zalba entry, [in:] Geni genealogical service, available here; for comerciante info see Annuario-Almanaque del Comercio 1884, available here The couple settled in Navascués. It is not clear what Marco Pérez did for a living; one source keeps referring to the family as to the cattle-breeders forming part of the Salazar/Roncal establishment,Aoiz 2005, p. 67 though other sources suggest he might have been operating a flour mill.El Progreso Agrícola y Pecuario 07.02.29, available here Exact number of their children is unknown, though genealogical sources claim there were at least 6 siblings,Pedro Nolasco Marco Pérez entry, [in:] Geni genealogical service, available here most of them boys.apart from Amadeo the other sons known by name were Adriano, Cipriano, José and Marcelo Except Amadeo none of them became a public figure and some held only minor local positions, e.g. José Marco Ilincheta was a local Navascués Falange leader during early Francoism.Aurora Villanueva Martínez, El carlismo navarro durante el primer franquismo, 1937-1951, Madrid 1998, ISBN 9788487863714, p. 507
Amadeo received his primary and secondary education in 1906–1916 in Zaragoza; he frequented a boarding school, run by the Piarists.Marco Ilincheta, Amadeo entry, [in:] Auñamendi Eusko Entziklopedia, available here Following bachillerato he enrolled in law at the University of Zaragoza. According to one source at unspecified time and for reasons which are not clear he later moved to Madrid and graduated in Universidad Central.Marco Ilincheta, Amadeo entry, [in:] Auñamendi Eusko Entziklopedia, available here, Marco Ilincheta, Amadeo entry, [in:] Gran Enciclopedia de Navarra service, available here Another source claims he graduated in Zaragoza as late as in 1931.La Voz de Aragon 31.08.32, available here He is reported to have also studied medicine and nautical sciences, but without completing his curriculum;Marco Ilincheta, Amadeo entry, [in:] Auñamendi Eusko Entziklopedia, available here, Marco Ilincheta, Amadeo entry, [in:] Gran Enciclopedia de Navarra service, available here he might have also been related to Instituto Provincial in Murcia.Reference code IAX 457/17, [in:] Archivo General Región de Murcia, available here In the mid-1920s Marco was recorded back home, busy upgrading the Navascués flour mill business;El Progreso Agrícola y Pecuario 07.02.29, available here he retained the family house in the town and lived there most of the time. By some sources he is referred to as “abogado y rentista”Villanueva Martínez 1998, p. 551 and in some ID documents his profession was also indicated as “abogado”,Víctor Javier Ibáñez, Una resistencia olvidada. Tradicionalistas mártires del terrorismo, s.l. 2017, p. 190 though there is no evidence he has ever practiced. Some historians discussing his activity in the early 1930s refer to him as to “propietario”. According to some sources he served in the merchant navy.Telmo Aldaz de la Quadra-Salcedo apuesta por la Tradición Católica frente al timo de la modernidad, [in:] Gloria TV service 25.01.21, available here He has never married and had no children;Joaquín Gortari Unanua, La transición política en Navarra, 1976-1979, Pamplona 1995, ISBN 9788423513796, p. 60, Diario de Burgos 14.04.87, available here he was godfather of the 2020-2022 Carlist leader, Telmo Aldaz.Telmo Aldaz Q-S, post of 27.12.17, [in:] Twitter service, available here
Early political career (1927–1936)
Political preferences of Marco's ancestors are unclear. On the one hand, related families on the paternal side, the Salboch, the Pérez, and the Amigot, have been linked to liberalism and some of their representatives distinguished themselves locally;Angel García-Sanz Marcotegui, La Confederación Liberal de la Montaña de Navarra (1836-1837), Pamplona 2020, ISBN 9788497693578, p. 212 the best known of them, the brother of Marco's grandmother Angel Pérez Marco (1828–1917), served as liberal deputy in the Navarrese diputación foral.Angel Pérez Marco (Uztárroz 1828 - Rentería 1917) served in the Diputation as the representative of the Aoiz-Sangüesa district, García-Sanz Marcotegui 2004, p. 554 On the other hand, his maternal grandfather nurtured Traditionalist sympathies.Fermin Ilincheta co-signed a letter defending religion in a Traditionalist daily in 1968, El Pensamiento Español 15.12.68, available here There is no data on preferences of Amadeo's parents, though it does not seem irrelevant that at least 4 of their sons volunteered later to the Carlist militia.compare their files as held in the regional archive of Navarre, available here Amadeo's political beginnings are obscure; the first information available is about his activity in the primoderiverista state party, Unión Patriótica, possibly in the mid-1920s.Villanueva Martínez 1998, p. 551 In 1927 he was nominated the mayor of Navascués.Villanueva Martínez 1998, pp. 550-551 Circumstances of his rising to the relatively high position at such a young age are unclear; some authors attribute it to political influence of his family.Aoiz 2005, p. 67 Marco ceased as alcalde in 1929.Villanueva Martínez 1998, p. 551
The fall of the monarchy and emergence of the republic in 1931 triggered nomination of new Diputación Foral, the Navarrese self-government. At the time Marco was already known as a right-winger; some sources refer to him generally as to “monarquico”Marco Ilincheta, Amadeo entry, [in:] Auñamendi Eusko Entziklopedia, available here and some specifically as to “Jaimista”.Jaime Ignacio del Burgo, La epopeya de la foralidad vasca y navarra, vol. 1, Pamplona 2015, ISBN 9788494503702, p. 92 In spite of it, acting on the advice of the local comité republicano-socialista the new civil governor appointed him member of Diputación from Aoiz-Sangüesa, one of 5 Navarrese merindades represented in the body;El Sol 26.04.31, available here he was also nominated the new Navascués alcaldeVillanueva Martínez 1998, p. 551 and president of a local traditional body Junta de Veintena.Marco Ilincheta, Amadeo entry, [in:] Auñamendi Eusko Entziklopedia, available here Marco reportedly complained that these bodies should have been filled by means of elections and not by means of governmental nominations, nevertheless he accepted the appointments "por el bien de la Patria y por respeto al poder constituido".compare Marco Ilincheta, Amadeo entry, [in:] Auñamendi Eusko Entziklopedia, available here His rise is again attributed to the caciquismo culture and especially to the “long hand of his [liberalism-related] grandfather”,“larga mano de su abuelo”, Aoiz 2005, p. 67 though other scholars suggest the family link in question is rather about the brother of his grandmother.García-Sanz Marcotegui 2004, p. 554