Blas Infante, originally from Casares, approached Andalusian popular culture with a critical eye, particularly in the religious sphere. His analysis focused on identifying pagan elements and fertility rituals in Andalusian celebrations, such as Holy Week, which he interpreted as a representation of spring's rebirth, or the worship of the Virgin Mary as a “Mother Goddess”.
For the notary from Casares, Andalucía was fundamentally a land of pagan and free-thinking spirit, despite being clothed in Christian attributes that he did not recognize as his own. This perspective contrasts with the clerical origins of other nationalisms like Catalan or Basque, which were closely linked to religious orders and sanctuaries.
“"A people who love life, beautifully pagan… Persecuted, almost dead, the genius of Andalucía still has eloquent manifestations in the songs, in the liturgies, in the festivities, in the customs, in the art of its children, even in the way the people walk."
Despite his anticlericalism, religious themes interested Infante. In the fireplace of his house in Coria del Río, a Holy Week procession is depicted, though curiously without the traditional Cruz de Guía (Processional Cross). This detail underscores his particular approach and his critical reflections on ecclesiastical hierarchies, whom he reproached for their identification with the values of a traditional society he sought to transform.
Infante analyzed a Good Friday procession with an almost scientific objectivity, describing Christ's funeral procession and the presence of ecclesiastical and civil dignitaries. However, this view has been criticized, accusing him of distorting the real Andalucía in favor of an ideological vision, using the figure of Christ as a political symbol of progressivism.
“"The Burial of Christ…! In the procession, the highest dignitaries of the Church and the City. Generally, the funeral processions are composed of the killers of the deceased. Christ, personification of the redemptive spirit persecuted and martyred always in its human incarnations."
