#MostRead of 2019: A rundown of our readers’ favorite features, part 1

This touching story of Catalina Muñoz, who was carrying her son’s baby rattle with her when she was shot in 1936, was of great interest to our readers. Archaeologists recovered the toy as they were looking for 250 victims of the Franco regime’s repression in Palencia, in northern Spain.

After climbing six rungs from 2017 and pushing Italy from first spot, Spain ranked at the top of the Bloomberg Healthiest Country Index, which considers several factors that contribute to overall health, such as life expectancy at birth, sanitation and health services.

This feature looked at how sex traffickers are placing women in private properties, where they are forced to pay €250 a week for a shared room, and hand over 50% of what they make from clients.

Stories about how Spain compares to the rest of the world never fail to generate interest, and this one was no exception. This article explored why the country had jumped to fourth position on the HSBC Expat Explorer Survey, with 83% of foreign residents saying their overall wellbeing had improved since arriving in Spain.

A historian located more than 500 images taken by the Hungarian photographer Kati Horna between 1937 and 1938, when she was working for the CNT anarchist labor union.

A study placed Spain in 25th spot on a list of 33 European states with respect to its proficiency in the English language.

The directors behind the documentary Alcàsser Murders, Ramón Campos and Elías León Siminiani, discussed why they thought it was time to shed new light on one of Spain’s most notorious murder cases – the abduction and rape of three three teenage girls from the Valencian village of Alcàsser.

The stars of the Netflix hit series Elite, Omar Ayuso and Arón Piper talked to EL PAÍS about their rise to fame, and the success of the Spanish show.

Using data from Spain’s National Institute of Statistics, EL PAÍS put together an interactive map based on the average per capita income. Madrid and Barcelona were home to 10 of the country’s wealthiest neighborhoods.

Travel stories always have great appeal. This feature, from El Viajero, looked at why the southern province had been ranked on The New York Times’ list of best trips for 2019.