Un hombre, mil negocios

On March 4, 2018, the Barcelona City Council removed from its pedestal the replica of a statue that had originally been erected in 1884 to honor the figure of Antonio López y López. This decision was marked by controversy. For those who applauded the municipal initiative, López was a slave trader and the city should not honor his memory in a public space. Those who opposed the resolution considered that not only was it not clear that López had been involved in the slave trade, but that he was, above all, an exceptional businessman and a prominent patron, whose figure deserved to be remembered. Who was Antonio López? Why, more than a century after his death, does this character generate so much controversy? Was he really involved in the slave trade during his years in Cuba? What businesses were decisive for him to amass a huge fortune and how did he articulate the largest business holding in the Spanish economy at the end of the 19th century? This extraordinary biography answers questions like these through the most complete account of the life of the first Marquis of Comillas. A book that progressively reveals decisive passages in López's life trajectory and in turn offers us an unparalleled approach to a key period in the colonial history of Spain.