In Madrid's Aguacate industrial area in Carabanchel, 19 evangelical churches cluster within just a few streets, making the district home to the capital's most non-Catholic temples. This concentration highlights the rise of evangelicalism driven by migration and religious freedom. Experts attribute the phenomenon to socioeconomic factors and the vibrancy of these communities.
Carabanchel, in southern Madrid, has become a key hub for evangelical churches, with 19 temples clustered in an area of just over a kilometer in the Aguacate industrial zone. Streets like Secoya, Haya, and Cidro host these worship sites in industrial warehouses and building floors, where the sound of drums and pianos echoes freely. "In residential areas, neighbors complain about the music; here we can enjoy gatherings with freedom," explain community members, who also highlight affordable rents and diverse sub-confessions.
Madrid has 451 non-Catholic temples, of which Carabanchel groups one in five, according to Ministry of Justice data. Evangelicalism leads with 365 churches, 80.9% of the total, and in the last five years, 91.1% of new registrations have been evangelical. This surge, which has increased worship sites by 368% since the early 2000s, stems from religious freedom enacted 45 years ago and migration flows, especially from Latin America.
"The great boom of evangelicalism has been thanks to the Latin population," observes Rafael Ruiz Andrés, a doctor in Religious Sciences. Samuel López, executive secretary of the Madrid Evangelical Council, adds: "Evangelism has been in Spain since 1529, but with democracy it has increased its presence." Factors like chain migration, the social action of churches, and conversions among native Gypsy communities contribute to the growth.
Geography reflects inequalities: seven out of ten non-Catholic temples are outside the M-30, in lower-income areas like Carabanchel, where 37.4% of residents are migrants and the average income is 12,275 euros annually, half of the capital's. Puente de Vallecas is the second district with the most communities. Muslims (43 churches) and Buddhists (10) are minorities compared to the more dynamic evangelicals. This diversity promotes integration, according to experts like Mohamed Ajana: "It reflects its open, plural, and dynamic character."