He was born on September 4, 1941 in the bosom of a family linked to the teaching profession and with notable relevance in the agricultural development of Antas. Son of Diego Martínez Torres, school teacher, and Carmen Guerrero Martínez; and grandson of Gabriel Guerrero Simón, mayor of Antas, secretary of the town council and justice of the peace. In 1969, he married Josefina Simón López, since then his life partner, with whom he had three daughters and five grandchildren.
National teacher since he was 18 years old, he worked for a long period as director of a public school in Antas. His enterprising nature led him to further his studies and he obtained the title of Social Graduate in the first promotion of the School of Social Work of Almeria in 1985; later he complemented his training with the titles of insurance broker and real estate agent.
In 1966 he was secretary of the Grupo Sindical de Colonización, actively participating in the elaboration of the statutes of the society. He was also secretary of the Comunidad de Regantes de la Huerta con la Fuente La Cerrada (1990).
Beyond administrative positions related to agriculture or politics, Gabriel was a great innovator of agriculture in the land of Antas, introducing in the fields of the town the cultivation of peaches, as well as new varieties of oranges and tangerines, and even dared with a jojoba plantation. He founded the Agroantas company in 1990, dedicated to the export of fruits and vegetables. He also participated in livestock projects, such as the creation of a laying hen farm for the sale of eggs.
In love with his town, his environment and his past, he left as a legacy the transcription of original documentary sources from different periods, publishing with Arráez Editores an interesting collection -under the title of Apuntes para una Historia de Antas- with which he has contributed to the generation of identity and knowledge about his town. Within this collection, the works dedicated to archeology (El Argar) and the History of Water stand out: The Church (2006), Water in the 19th century (2011), The Volcanoes of Cabezo María and Los Picachos (2013), The name of Antas (2013), The sanctuary of Cabezo María until its restoration in 2012 (2013) and the Land of Antas and its archaeological river.
His great passion was always the archaeological site of El Argar and he became one of its great ambassadors in terms of its custody, study and enhancement. His love for the site not only led him to generate multiple initiatives, but he used his name to name the public school “El Argar” or some of his personal business initiatives, such as the agency “Argar Consultants”, one of the first in the Levant. He instigated and actively participated in the coordination of the First International Symposium of El Argar, held in Antas in 2022, as well as in projects that saw the light later or will do so in the future, such as the construction of the Argaric houses, the interpretation center of El Argar and even its long-awaited excavation. He was a member of the Argaric Council founded in 2021.
His tireless contribution to the history and culture of Antas served for the City Council to appoint him official chronicler unanimously by all political parties in 2019. Among other awards, he received the Levante Award for Culture.
After his death on September 27, 2022, his family donated in his name the original book Las primeras edades del metal en el Sudeste de España, by Luis Siret to be exhibited in the future Archaeological Museum of Antas.
Biography written by: Eva Leonarda Martínez Simón and Luis Artero Ridao
Link to biography: https://www.dipalme.org/Servicios/IEA/edba.nsf/xlecturabiografias.xsp?ref=1214
