Podcast Summary: “Cualquier tiempo pasado fue anterior”

Episode: Masonería: la intolerancia contra el librepensamiento

Host: Nieves Concostrina (SER Podcast)
Date: March 26, 2023

Overview

This episode offers an irreverent yet deeply informative tour through the history of Freemasonry—its medieval origins, its transformation during the Enlightenment, the myths spun around it, and the virulent intolerance it sparked from religious and dictatorial powers. Nieves Concostrina and her collaborators dissect the truth and legends of the masons, expose the orchestrated campaigns against freedom of thought, and profile their surprising presence in art, music, and European society.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origins and Essence of Masonry (00:33 – 13:56)

• Introduction and Historical Foundation:

  • Modern Freemasonry arrived in Spain in 1728 via the English Logia Matritense, symbolizing a space for free-thinking and liberal minds.
  • Early participation was mostly by foreigners; Spaniards, under Catholic control, found participation difficult.
  • Key element: Freedom of conscience, not bounded by religious dogma.
  • Quote (Nieves Concostrina, 01:38): “Las logias masónicas modernas surgen al calorcito intelectual de la Ilustración... un masón podía y puede ser cristiano católico, protestante, ateo, agnóstico, admirador de Buda o seguidor de los Hare Krishna.”

• Nature of Masonry:

  • Masonic ‘clubs’ compared to other human groups—a form of organized gregariousness with unique rites and codes, but not a religion.
  • The only shared traits with medieval masons are secrecy and symbolism (compass, square).
  • Origins of the term (mason / freemason / francmasón) as “libre albañil”.

• Legend and Myth-Building:

  • Masons bolstered their sense of unity by adopting biblical legends (Hiram Abif, Solomon's Temple).
  • Medieval secrecy was practical—protecting trade secrets, not mystic conspiracy.
    • Quote (Nieves Concostrina, 05:04): “El compás y la escuadra eran herramientas indispensables de los maestros albañiles... hasta aquí los únicos puntos en común de los masones medievales con los masones modernos. Los secretitos y la simbología.”

• Templar Connection and Scottish Roots:

  • An implausible yet popular link with the Templars is discussed and dismissed.
  • Example: Castillo de Mora de Rubielos as a local illustration of masonic symbolism integrated into architecture (spiral stair with symbols signifying stages of masonic advancement).

2. From Medieval Guild to Enlightenment Society (13:56 – 20:18)

• Birth of Organized Modern Masonry:

  • In 1717, London saw the creation of the first Grand Lodge: a move toward protocol, exclusion of politics/religion in meetings, and the invention of the “Great Architect of the Universe”.
  • Social aspect: More about theater, ritual, banquets, and camaraderie—a “sociedad gastronómica” for intellectuals.
  • Spread to continental Europe: Madrid (1728), Paris (1732).

• Tensions with Catholicism:

  • The danger: masons encouraged independent thought—a threat to religious authorities.
  • Quote (Nieves Concostrina, 19:16): “A ninguna religión les gustan los librepensadores porque el pensamiento crítico les desmonta el chiringuito.”
  • The church responds: Pope Clemente XII, in 1738, excommunicates all masons, labeling them heretics.
  • The animosity persists into the 20th century with Franco’s dictatorship and is visually illustrated with the story of Philip Wharton’s desecrated tomb (founder of the first Spanish lodge).

3. Masonry in the Arts & the Story of the Quinta Roja (23:41 – 33:09)

Guest: Ana Baltierra, PhD in Art History

• Masonic Symbolism in Canary Islands Art:

  • Multiple churches and artworks in the Canaries hide or display masonic symbols.
  • Main case: Garden and Mausoleum of Quinta Roja in La Orotava, Tenerife—a story of masonic and female patronage.

• The Marquesa Sebastiana del Castillo:

  • Built a mausoleum for her son, a prominent mason rejected Christian burial by the Catholic Church.
  • She responded by filling the mausoleum and gardens with overt masonic symbolism, both as tribute and quiet protest.
    • Quote (Ana Baltierra, 28:10): “Se convierte en otro ejemplo más de la invisibilización del papel de las mujeres como mecenas y artistas a lo largo de la historia.”

• Initiatic Journey Through the Gardens:

  • Seven symbolic terraces, starting with a rough stone cave (the initiate) leading to polished stones (wisdom).
  • Symbols: lotus, yin-yang, pelican, tortoise, flower of David, sun and moon, Tree of Life.
  • The epitaph’s inscription attacks religious intolerance.

4. The Academic Angle: Societies, Tolerance & Persecution (33:25 – 44:39)

Guest: Eduardo Juárez, Professor, Historian of Masonry and Secret Societies

• Masonry as a Civil Space:

  • Contrasted with religions, emphasizing inclusion and personal improvement without threat or guilt.
  • Persecution by the Catholic Church, especially by the Inquisition and during antiliberal regimes.
    • Quote (Eduardo Juárez, 34:17): “En cualquier momento en que un régimen antiliberal se ha desarrollado en España... se ha perseguido la masonería precisamente porque es la bandera del liberalismo político.”

• Development in Spain:

  • Spanish lodges rare before French influence in the 19th century due to the Inquisition’s control.
  • European monarchs sometimes masons but not in Spain due to religious/legal climate.

• The Illuminati and Secret Societies:

  • Illuminati’s continental spread stopped short of Spain due to the Inquisition.
  • Juárez lampoons their sloppiness in secrecy and discusses why, unlike religions, secret societies rarely endure.
  • The convergence of power, escapism, and ritual in aristocratic groups.

• Pythagoreans and Religious Rituals:

  • Colourful anecdote about Pythagoras and bean fields, criticism of cultish reliance on rituals—parallels drawn with religious ceremonies and “alucinaciones”.

• The Templars:

  • Framed more as a moneyed, militarized banking sect than mystical order; downfall from lending to French kings.

5. The Campaign of Fear and Fake News (44:45 – 52:29)

• The Church and Franco’s Paranoia:

  • The persistence of anti-masonic propaganda, even when no threat remained.
  • Example: Franco’s bizarre speech linking everything to a “conspiración masónica izquierdista” (44:59).
    • Quote (Nieves Concostrina, 45:36): “...todo obedece a una conspiración masónica izquierdista… Que aquel dictador dijera semejante gilipollez sin saber lo que decía no era tan grave como los miles de espectadores que aplaudían...”

• Leo Taxil’s Hoax:

  • A 19th-century fraudster who, answering Pope Leo XIII’s call, launched sensational falsehoods about masons’ Satanic rites—claims ultimately admitted to be fabrications but widely believed at the time.
    • Quote (Nieves Concostrina, 50:59): “Me lo he inventado todo. Idiotas, que sois unos idiotas.”
  • Reflection on the public’s willingness to believe any outlandish claim lacking critical thinking.

6. Masonry in Music (20:22–23:23, 52:36 – end)

• Masons in Jazz:

  • Many star American jazz musicians, like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Nat King Cole, were Masons, as noted in Luis Antonio Muñoz’s “Historia oculta de la música”.

• Mozart’s The Magic Flute:

  • A masonic opera, saturated with symbolic references (notably the number 3, and the Great Architect motif).
    • Quote (Nieves Concostrina, 52:50): “La tonalidad de mi bemol mayor.... tres bemoles, un triángulo que representa al Gran arquitecto del universo.”

Notable Quotes

• Nieves Concostrina (01:38):
  “Un masón podía y puede ser cristiano católico, cristiano protestante, ateo, agnóstico, admirador de Buda o seguidor de los Hare Krishna.”

• Eduardo Juárez (34:17):
  “...precisamente porque es la bandera del liberalismo político.”

• Nieves Concostrina (45:36):
  “...todo obedece a una conspiración masónica izquierdista… Que aquel dictador dijera semejante gilipollez...”

• Ana Baltierra (28:10):
  “Se convierte en otro ejemplo más de la invisibilización del papel de las mujeres como mecenas y artistas...”

• Nieves Concostrina (50:59):
  “Me lo he inventado todo. Idiotas, que sois unos idiotas.” (quoting Leo Taxil)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Opening and Framing the Myths (00:33–07:00)
• Freemasons, Secrecy, and Legends (07:00–13:56)
• Modern Masonry and the Age of Enlightenment (13:56–20:18)
• Masons in Jazz & The Arts (20:22–23:23 / 23:41–33:09)
• Art and Feminism: Quinta Roja Story (24:44–32:59)
• Expert Interview: Eduardo Juárez on Masonry & Secret Societies (33:25–44:39)
• Criminalization and Fake News (44:45–52:29)
• Masonry and Music: Mozart's Magic Flute (52:36–53:26)

Memorable Moments

• The story of Sebastiana del Castillo’s subversive mausoleum—a peaceful yet emphatic feminist and freethought protest (29:17–32:59).
• Nieves’s razor-sharp satire of Catholic and dictatorial paranoia, including Franco’s rambling about “conspiración masónica izquierdista” (44:59).
• Leo Taxil’s admission of his anti-masonic hoax and its lasting impact on public perceptions (50:00–51:45).
• Eduardo Juárez’s hilarious take on Pythagoreans and religious rituals (41:09–43:12).

Conclusion

The episode unpacks the reality and legend of the Masons: an evolving intellectual society born from medieval craft traditions, persistently smeared by religious and authoritarian powers threatened by tolerance and free thought. Through humor, scholarship, and vivid storytelling, the program unmasks a history twisted by ignorance but redeemed by the enduring hunger for reason and liberty.