Carabanchel

Photographer Mark Parascandola’s Carabanchel documents the former prison, its history and nearby community in text and images. The former Carabanchel prison was one of the most infamous architectural landmarks from Spain’s decades of dictatorship. General Francisco Franco ordered construction of the complex in the 1940s to house the regime’s many political prisoners. After the prison was finally closed in 1998, the building became a haven for squatters, graffiti artists, and curious visitors.



In October 2008, as a fierce debate over the future of the prison buildings grew, Parascandola visited the site in a suburb of Madrid. Unknown then to the photographer and the community, the prison was to be demolished within days. Carabanchel gives audiences a view into the famous prison’s unique architecture as it was altered by dozens of graffiti artists.