[1] At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in Alicante he founded the Maroto Column,[2] initially composed of 270 anarcho-syndicalist militiamen.

Finding himself in the capital of Almeria [n. 2] he participated in an anarchist rally at the Cervantes theater and he gave a speech that was very critical of the authorities.[n.

3] Subsequently, he went to the headquarters of the civil government, accompanied by an armed guard, and had a violent confrontation with the governor in his office.

The anarchist leader spent several months in prison and was prosecuted by the Permanent Tribunal of the Andalusian Army, which sentenced him to death; Finally, he was pardoned and released in May 1938.

[13] In the spring of 1937 he was handed the command of the newly created 147th Mixed Brigade,[14] a unit composed of elements from his old column.