Remedios Montero Martínez

Remedios Montero Martínez (born in the Beamud Mountains, Cuenca, in 1927 – died in Valencia on October 24, 2010), commonly known as “Celia,” was a significant guerrilla fighter who actively opposed the ideals of Francisco Franco.

Celia was one of the few female Spanish guerrilla fighters during the Spanish Civil War. She was a close friend of Florián Garcia Velasco, the leader of the Guerrilla Group of Levante and Aragón.

Her life story inspired the film Memories of a Guerrilla, which also served as the basis for Dulce Chacón to write her novel La voz dormida (The Sleeping Voice), later adapted into a film of the same title by director Benito Zambrano.

Biography First years and Spanish Civil War Remedios Montero, known as “Celia,” joined the Guerrilla Group of Levante and Aragón when she was just a teenager. When the Civil Guard discovered her involvement with the revolutionary group, she escaped to the mountains to avoid arrest. It was during this time that she adopted the name “Celia” and became a maqui, or anti-Franco guerrilla fighter.

On October 24, 2010, Celia died, just one year after the death of her beloved husband and close friend, Florián.