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Illustration of Enrique el Mellizo as an imagined 19th-century Cádiz cantaor in a dark jacket and wide-brimmed hat, singing in a whitewashed Santa María courtyard
Artist Modern Cádiz1875–today

Enrique el Mellizo

Lived 1848–1906 (about 58 years)

Also known as
El Mellizo, Enrique Jiménez Fernández

Enrique el Mellizo (Enrique Jiménez Fernández) was born in Cádiz on 1 December 1848 and baptised days later at the parish of Santa Cruz, the city's old cathedral. He worked at the municipal slaughterhouse, a trade he inherited from his father, and sang mostly at private gatherings, with only occasional turns at the Cádiz cafés cantantes La Jardinera, El Perejil and La Filipina.

He never travelled out of his hometown, yet singers from across Andalusia came to Cádiz to hear him. His malagueña is the best known of his creations, and he is credited with three styles of soleá and with siguiriyas, alegrías and saetas. The attribution of the tientos to him rests on oral tradition and is contested. He never entered a recording studio, so his cantes survived through the singers who learned them.

He died of tuberculosis on 30 May 1906 and was buried in the Cádiz cemetery the next day. In 2006 the city marked the centenary with a gala at the Gran Teatro Falla.

To follow his trace, start in Santa María, the flamenco barrio, where a bust of him stands. His baptism parish is now the Iglesia de Santa Cruz. To hear the cante of Cádiz live, see the flamenco show in Cádiz.

Places to see

Red-brick Neo-Mudéjar façade of the Gran Teatro Falla on Plaza Fragela in Cádiz, with its three horseshoe-arched doorways in red and white stone
Gran Teatro Falla
Exterior of the Iglesia de Santa Cruz, the Catedral Vieja, on Plaza Fray Félix in El Pópulo, Cádiz
Iglesia de Santa Cruz (Catedral Vieja)
Narrow curving lane in the Barrio de Santa María, Cádiz, with whitewashed houses and a wrought-iron balcony in warm afternoon light
Santa María
Narrow cobbled lane and medieval stone archway in the El Pópulo quarter of Cádiz
El Pópulo & Santa María Walk

In their time

  1. Modern Cádiz

    1875–today

    Late 19th-century Cádiz added the Gran Teatro Falla and the Carnival tradition, and the 20th century brought shipbuilding, industry and the city's tourism economy. The Carnival of Cádiz remains the best known living tradition of the modern city.

    1. Parque Genovés

      1892 Monument

      Visit Parque Genovés in Cádiz: a free 3-hectare 1892 Romantic botanical garden on the seafront with 150+ exotic tree species, La Gruta waterfall and open hours.

    2. Emilio Castelar

      1832–1899 Historical figure

      Emilio Castelar (1832-1899), the Cádiz-born orator, historian and last president of the First Spanish Republic. Follow his life and trace across Cádiz today.

    3. Fermín Salvochea

      1842–1907 Historical figure

      Fermín Salvochea (1842-1907) was the Cádiz-born anarchist who became mayor in 1873. Who he was and where his trace remains in Cádiz today: route and grave.

    4. Manuel de Falla

      1876–1946 Historical figure

      Manuel de Falla was born in Cádiz in 1876 and rests in its cathedral crypt. See the Gran Teatro Falla, the Museo de Cádiz and the places tied to his life.

    5. José María Pemán

      1897–1981 Historical figure

      José María Pemán was born in Cádiz in 1897 and rests in its cathedral crypt. A poet and playwright with a contested record, see where his trace remains.

    6. Paco Alba

      1918–1976 Historical figure

      Paco Alba (1918-1976), creator of the Cádiz Carnival comparsa and composer of classic coplas at the Gran Teatro Falla. Discover his life and legacy in Cádiz.

    Undated

    1. Gran Teatro Falla

      Monument

      Cádiz's Neo-Mudéjar municipal theatre in Plaza Fragela, built 1884-1905 and home to the February Carnival contest. Interior opens only for programmed events.

Read more

Famous people from Cádiz: nine historical figures imagined against the old town roofline and the cathedral dome at sunset
Famous People From Cádiz and the Places They Left