Joaquina Eguaras

Joaquina Eguaras is an avenue of the northern neighborhood of Almanjayar; it was built approximately in the 80s, and it is named after a very interesting woman that we would like to talk to you about today.

Joaquina Eguaras Ibáñez was born in Navarra, but when she was two years old her family moved to Granada, because her father, who was a military man, was transferred here. They resided in the Realejo neighborhood, where she spent his childhood.

She studied primary school and then studied Teaching, later validating them for high school and thus entering university, specifically the Faculty of Letters, in 1918; In fact, Joaquina was apparently one of the first women to enroll and graduate from the University of Granada. And she did it with great honors: she obtained fifteen honors and was awarded an Extraordinary Prize in her bachelor's degree.

After completing her studies, she worked as a university teacher in Granada, she was selected shortly after to be a professor of Spanish literature at the Local Institute of Second Education of Baza, and she also joined the Faculty of Archivists, Librarians and Archaeologists, in 1930. And if all this doesn't seem enough to you, she was appointed director of the Archaeological Museum.

A couple of years later, with the fundation of the School of Arabic Studies, she joined as a research fellow, later becoming a librarian and, after that, assistant to the Philology section and professor of Arabic. On several occasions, she managed to combine different jobs, even during the years of the Civil War.

Among other positions and awards, it is worth highlighting that she was named honorary director of the Archaeological Museum by the Ministry of Education, was secretary of the Monuments Commission of Granada, and was a member of The Hispanic Society of America and the Royal Academy of History. She was awarded, among others, the Medal of Merit in Fine Arts, and the Commendation of the Civil Order of Alfonso X the Wise.

Joaquina Eguaras died in 1981, but her memory is still alive today. On the avenue that bears her name, we can find a small bust.