(According to the testimonies of Asunción -Susi- Esclapez Mora, Carmen Gómiz Martínez, Asunción Sansano Mallorca, Gaspar Quirant Pomares "el Periquín" and Vicente Vicente Antón "el Arrendador", best man at Susi's parents' wedding)

At kilometer four of the CV-851 highway, the well-known “del León” highway, is the El Pino bar, with more than eighty years behind it. Thanks to its current owner, Susi Esclapez Mora, and a large group of collaborators, we have been able to learn something about the history of this popular establishment.

In 1936, before the outbreak of the civil war, Asunción and Francisco - Susi's grandparents - opened a store that they named "La Barraquera", a store that sold "everything": hats, espadrilles or needles; and, in bulk, sugar, rice, chickpeas, kidney beans, pine nuts... A little of everything. Later they set up the bar, then a barbershop and, later, a bicycle workshop.

Francisco was a beater for a [threshing] machine; his son "Frasquito" also. The machine belonged to a company called San Isidro. According to the granddaughter of the founders, Francisco worked long hours; he came exhausted, lay down under the pine tree and fell asleep. The machine was transported with a couple of cows and they pulled it up "by pulling"; the engine was carried separately, with a mare. When he had to do many things in Elche, Francisco went with the cart and the mare. If not, Asunción would go with his bicycle.

In the early years, the barbershop was in a room in the house; it later moved to the porch of the bar, where Susi still remembers her. In the barbershop were, first, Agapito, Paco and Juan "el Rojo Barbero"; others were brothers, Luis and Paco... Or Pepe, who was the one who worked there the longest, thirty.

The men went to the bar to play dominoes or cards and ate lunch under the pine tree. On Saturday and Sunday afternoons they had fun playing caliche, a game similar to petanque. There was also dancing, for example, on Candelaria day; our informants remember that there was a musician named Alejandro Ros who played the accordion. The young people in the party played pool, foosball or darts; there was also a ball machine and a jukebox. They drank some soft drinks, ice creams and, above all, they had a good time. The civil guards, when they were about to leave, would go by bicycle or on horseback to the bar and have a drink. They also remember a beekeeper who toured the Campo de Elche, whom they called "uncle Pachoches".

Sometimes they set up a circus on the terrace, which was attended by many people. For a while they had a cow that often grazed around the pine tree, which was then fenced off. On Sundays, Asunción made barley water and lemon water, and on Saturday nights, chocolate. Some days friends would get together to roast mullet and make cauldron, which they ate under the pine tree. When there was already a television, they bought one and some neighbors sat down to watch bullfights or movies. Several weddings were celebrated in the bar, those of the three sons of the founders and those of some neighbors.

When Asunción retired, the bar passed to her daughter. Although it has been in charge of other people for a few years, since 2017 it has been run by Susi Esclapez “la Barraquereta”, granddaughter of Francisco and Asunción, third generation of the family, whom we thank for the facilities she has given us to write this text.

Photo 1. The bar "El Pino" today.

Photo 2. Wedding of Tomás Esclapez and Asunción Mora, parents of the current owner, held in the bar (April 24, 1965).

Photo 3. José Francisco Esclapez, brother of Susi, at a family celebration at the bar (September 16, 1967).

Photo 4. José Francisco Esclapez playing on the porch of the old bar (late 1960s).

Photo 5. José Francisco Esclapez with his father on the porch of the old bar (late 1960s).

Photo 6. José Francisco Esclapez and his mother, Asunción Mora, in the shade of the pine tree (ca. 1970).

Photo 7. Asunción Esclapez, current owner.

Author: Rafa Martínez, director of the Puçol School Museum.