One of the least central Fallas monuments in the Sección Especial merited the pain of arriving there. In the southwest corner of Valencia, Archiduque Carlos-Xiva’s Egyptian-themed Fallas monument managed to finish 11th, earning it a coveted prize (prizes are awarded to the top 11 monuments in each category), and will be considered a victory by their commission.
This was one of the last monuments we visited, and we really enjoyed it. In stark contrast to, say, Pilar, there was hardly anyone there, so we could relax and really take our time examining the various facets of the monument.
More than most others, Archiduque Carlos-Xiva’s ninots were highly charged with the issues of the day, particularly the crises. We loved Queen Rita (Bárbera, the city’s mayor), riding on a ship. Beneath her, normal citizens toiled like Egyptian slaves, dragging a huge cement block that had words like “mortgage” and “education”.
