The story of Alejandro Rojas Marcos and Luis Valls is, to say the least, unique. It began when Rojas Marcos, a recent graduate in Madrid, was offered to work in the orbit of Banco Popular. He initially declined, but Valls persisted and proposed a professional collaboration, assigning him several studies that Rojas Marcos describes as “extremely interesting.” He couldn’t refuse.

Rojas Marcos highlights three projects in which he was involved. The first was conducting a study on the Mondragón cooperative, an emerging and innovative phenomenon in Spain. The second involved traveling to France, accompanied by his mentor Aristóbulo de Juan, to explore new political movements forming within political clubs in the late 1960s. His final assignment was to meet the then Count of Barcelona to gauge his opinion on Spain’s political situation and its future.

Their relationship did not end there. The Andalusian politician, who would later go on to found the Andalusian Party, serve as a deputy in both the Spanish Parliament and the Andalusian Parliament, and become mayor of Seville, recounts an anecdote about how Valls called him in the 1970s to ask if it would be appropriate to create a bank office specialized in political parties. With a broad smile, Alejandro recalls, “When I told Santiago Carrillo that Luis Valls was willing to offer credit to the Communist Party, he couldn’t believe it.”

Coherence is the virtue that the Andalusian politician emphasizes most. According to Rojas Marcos, Valls was a person of principles and values. In his testimony, he expresses gratitude for their relationship: “Luis, you cannot imagine how much your attitude and way of being taught me—that actions should always have an impact on others.”

He concludes his account by stating, “Luis Valls was exceptional.”