Araceli Sánchez Urquijo facts for kids

Araceli Sánchez Urquijo (1920–2010) was an amazing Spanish woman. She was one of the "Niños de Rusia" (Children of Russia), a group of children who were sent away from Spain during the Spanish Civil War. She also made history as the first woman to work as a civil engineer in Spain.

Early Life

Araceli Sánchez Urquijo was born in 1920 in a town called Sestao, which is in the Basque Country region of Spain.

Evacuation to the Soviet Union

During the Spanish Civil War (1937-1938), thousands of children living in areas controlled by the Spanish Republic were sent abroad. This was done to keep them safe from the fighting and dangers of the war. About 2,895 children, mostly from the Basque Country, Asturias, and Cantabria, went to the Soviet Union. They became known as the Niños de Rusia, or "Children of Russia." Araceli Sánchez Urquijo was one of these children. She left Spain from the port of Santurtzi in 1937.

The "Niños de Rusia" were generally welcomed and cared for in Russia. They lived in large homes called Las Casas de Niños (Children's Houses). They were mostly taught in Spanish and learned about Spanish culture. Some children also learned Russian. The Soviet Union saw caring for these children as a way to show support for a future socialist Spain.

Araceli Sánchez Urquijo lived in a Children's House in Leningrad. She was amazed by how many toys there were and how long the days were because of the city's location far north. She later said that her early years in Russia were the happiest of her life.

When World War II began, the children's houses closed. The children moved to more basic living places and went to Soviet schools. The invasion by the Nazi army put the Spanish children in danger. They faced extreme difficulties and shortages, just like everyone else in the Soviet Union.

Even after the war, it was hard for the children to return to Francoist Spain. The relationship between Spain and the Soviet Union was difficult.

Education and Career in Russia

After World War II, most of the "Niños de Rusia" who survived settled near Moscow. Many were now young adults and trained for different jobs. Araceli Sánchez Urquijo was one of 23 Spaniards (including 5 women) who were among the first 45 hydropower engineers trained at the University of Moscow. In 1949, she graduated as a civil engineer, specializing in how water power works, from the Moscow Power Engineering Institute. She later said, "I owe everything to Russia... What I did would have been impossible for a woman in Spain."

Araceli Sánchez Urquijo started her engineering career in Uzbekistan. For five years, she worked in Central Asia, helping to build power plants that used water and power lines. She was even promoted to lead a technology department.

Return to Spain

After the death of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in 1953, relations between Spain and the Soviet Union slowly improved. This allowed talks to begin about the "Niños de Rusia" returning home.

An agreement was made for the exiles to return to Spain. In late 1956, Araceli Sánchez Urquijo was in the first group of adult "Niños de Rusia" to come back. She left from Odessa on a ship and arrived in Valencia. Many people, including the press and authorities, welcomed them. Her reunion with her family after nearly twenty years was very emotional. Her father and sister had faced difficulties because of their beliefs and work for the Basque people.

Returning to Spain was tough for most of the "Niños de Rusia." The government in Spain, led by Franco, was suspicious of them. They were seen as possibly supporting the Soviet Union. Also, their education and job qualifications from Russia were not easily accepted in Spain. This made it hard for them to find jobs that matched their skills. Araceli Sánchez Urquijo was even questioned by security agents.

Breaking Barriers in Engineering

In 1957, Araceli Sánchez Urquijo applied for a job at Isodel Sprecher, an engineering company in Madrid. The company made electrical equipment and set up production plants. When she tried to enter for her interview, a security guard told her, "Cleaning women can only enter the factory when the workers have left." He was very surprised when he found out she was an engineer and one of the candidates for the job!

Araceli was one of five people applying for the position. She took three tests and scored much higher than the others. The company's founder, Clemente Cebrián Martínez, hired her right away. She later remembered, "The engineers who competed with me did not want to accept the result. They rudely insulted me..." Despite their different political views, Cebrián supported Araceli. Her advanced engineering knowledge from the Soviet Union was very valuable to his business. She became the head of the Isolux project department, leading more than 150 professionals.

When engineers from other countries visited, Cebrián enjoyed introducing her by saying, "This is the engineer Sánchez: she is a woman and a communist." Araceli would smile and reply that she was not a communist but a Marxist.

Araceli's qualifications were in Russian, and she hadn't learned technical Spanish. So, she created her own Russian-Spanish engineering dictionary. She was careful not to show any confusion to her colleagues.

She was not allowed to leave Spain or get a passport until 1975, after Franco died. This made it difficult to work in international projects. Her work at Isodel involved adapting plans for building power plants that used water, electricity, heat, and nuclear energy. For a few months, she worked with Ernesto Botella, who was the head of workshops. He wanted her in his department because he knew about her amazing technical skills. Her first two years were a constant struggle with other engineers. She often found their plans to be "a disaster" and sent them back with corrections.

In the mid-1960s, the big company Kellogg's Corporation held a competition for an electrical project at the Repsol refinery in Puertollano. Araceli sent a project proposal with hundreds of plans to their London office. A few days later, Isodel received a telegram asking for engineer Sánchez to come to London. It was the first time the company had won an international competition, and Clemente was thrilled. However, Franco's government threatened to shut down Isodel if Araceli left Spain. Luckily, the Kellogg engineers were so impressed that they traveled to Spain instead, and Isodel won the project.

Araceli Sánchez Urquijo continued to work for Isodel until she retired in 1987. By the time she retired, she had hired 14 female draftsmen to work in her department, showing her commitment to supporting women in engineering.

Personal Life

Araceli Sánchez Urquijo was a founding member of an organization for the "Niños de Rusia," and she was proud to have membership card number one. After retiring, she became president of a social organization for the elderly and kept her mind busy with many activities. She always held onto her socialist beliefs. In an interview in 1999, she summed up her beliefs as: "To be the most honest, the most supportive and the one that helps the workers the most." She also appeared in a documentary about the "Niños de Rusia" in 2001.

Araceli Sánchez Urquijo passed away in Cabuérniga in 2010.

See Also

In Spanish: Araceli Sánchez Urquijo para niños