'Paco' aesthetic: Wamba sneakers, Franco plaques

'Paco' aesthetic: Wamba sneakers, Franco plaques

There is a thread on a consumer forum collecting photos of what participants call «lo Paco». It is not an insult. It is a sentimental archaeology of Spain's developmentalism: Wamba sneakers, wooden clogs, the sky sofa, the plaque from the Ministerio de la Vivienda (Ministry of Housing), and the sugar in village wafer rolls. The most cited, and most uncomfortable, definition comes from one participant: «those traditional things of lower and lower-middle classes in past eras, especially before the technological boom of the 90s/2000s, with a certain smell of freedom and future optimism within the poverty and shabbiness they entailed».

What exactly is lo Paco

The term does not designate a specific object, but an aesthetics of scarcity. The accumulating examples range from canvas sneakers with rubber soles —«identical to the ones I am wearing», writes someone who also pairs them with wooden clogs— to the metal orange juicer that «is still alive and squeezes mercilessly», passing by the locked gas cap, the metal switch, the chain-hung toilet tank, and the sugar cube in village wafer rolls.

The list is not nostalgic by chance. Each object refers to a Spain that produced for durability because it could not afford replacement. One participant summarizes it: «Without so many control units, there were cars that would knock down a wall, without so many screens». Another adds the domestic detail: the bidet, the sink, and the soap dish as auxiliary furniture for the shower.

The Ministerio de la Vivienda plaque: the Paco being removed

The most political symbol of the phenomenon is the plaque of the Francoist Ministerio de la Vivienda (Ministry of Housing) that still hangs on thousands of blocks built between the 1950s and 70s. «The most paco thing is the plaque of the Francoist ministry of housing that we can still see in many homes built in the 50s~60s~70s», writes a participant. «There are towns that have deliberately removed them».

The example cited is Manises, which «finishes removing all the Francoist plaques from its buildings». The anecdote serves to show that lo Paco is not just an aesthetic: it is also a temporal and political marker. What was yesterday pride in public promotion today is a vestige being removed with cranes and workers.

Paco as social class, not style

The most cited definition in the thread insists on the class component: «traditional things of lower and lower-middle classes in past eras». It is not the same as tacky. It is tacky with dignity, with «smell of freedom and future optimism within poverty». A participant formulates it bluntly: «I was very happy in my Paco world».

That mix of poverty and optimism explains why the phenomenon generates rejection in subsequent generations. «My parents and surely many of yours live anchored in that lifestyle, objects, designs, decorations, materials, unaware of the rejection it generates in us new generations», writes another. The gap is not aesthetic: it is of class and expectations.

From Seat 127 to Pegaso: Paco automotive

The car occupies a central place. Appearances include the Seat 127, the R8 by Prada «with some very American horns, cow-like», the Pegaso truck from the 1982 World Cup in Spain, and the Seat Ibiza keychain that a participant remembers in his uncle's car. «What a alucinación back in time», writes someone. «How did you end up there?».

The Pegaso brand receives special treatment: «it was always a marvel, one of my favorite paco brands. Trucks, for me who am from the late paco era, the Tronner were the best, and the Z sports car that I have seen only once in my life». Iberia also appears: «Spanish flag carrier company. Totally destroyed by incompetents at the time, and if that wasn't enough, also by scoundrels today».

Television, radio, and juicer: Paco technology

The thread dedicates a section to the appliances and devices that defined the childhood of several generations. The metal orange juicer is the most praised object: «My mother has that same model, from the 70s, and it is fantastic. Still alive, and squeezes oranges mercilessly, at lightning estimulante ilegal». Against planned obsolescence, the Paco juicer is indestructible.

Also appearing is the black-and-white television that «wanted to be tonalidad», the tube radio, the crystal set, and the transistor radio. «Today you talk about the transistor and people don't even know what it is», laments a participant. «And if you talk to them about a tube radio, they collapse».

Paco as political weapon

Not everything is nostalgia. A participant launches a slogan that sums up an underlying current: «Long live Paquismo! Spain became great and prosperous thanks to Paquismo. With Paquismo we all lived well, everyone had a job, their big salary, their car, their apartment, children had toys, their clothes, education, values, their summer vacations, Holy Week, family unity». The message continues with a list of contemporary evils that the article does not reproduce.

The reaction does not wait. «Failed coup, paco», writes someone. «Nothing failed, it was a complete success. It perfectly fulfilled everything it was designed for», replies another. The discussion drifts towards Francoism, the Transition, and the role of public television: «This seventies collection, sponsored by Fraga's Ministry of Information and Tourism and RTVE».

The Paco that doesn't die

The thread remains active. The most repeated conclusion is that lo Paco is not a dead past, but a geological layer that remains under the asphalt. «The future will be paco and we pacos will enjoy it alone», states a participant. «PACO RESISTS», adds another, regarding the shaving soap bar.

The open question is not what lo Paco is, but who claims it and for what purpose. The Ministerio de la Vivienda plaque is removed from facades, but the metal juicer remains in the kitchen. Is it nostalgia, class, or a way of saying that before, with less, life was better? The thread does not resolve it. It only accumulates photos.