Some 73 Civil War victims found in first phase of mass grave exhumation in inland Malaga town
More than 20% of the bodies recovered belonged to women, well above the usual average, and studies show evidence of high levels of violence in the executions
The first phase of the exhumation of one of the two mass graves found in the Campillos municipal cemetery over a year ago has just been completed. The process lasted approximately two and a half months and the result of this first intervention is the recovery of the remains of 73 victims executed during the Civil War.
73 bodies recovered during the first phase
These results have surprised the research team for several reasons. The first is the high number of women found in the grave, which exceeds 20% of the total number of bodies recovered - a much higher percentage than has been recorded to date in this type of exhumation, where the average number of female victims was between 3% and 5%.
On the other hand, all indications are that the total number of victims found in the grave will far exceed the initial estimates of around 150 bodies. This is due to the fact that the size of the first excavated grave has turned out to be larger than expected, which has led to a considerable change in the calculations.
In addition to the quantitative data, the team of archaeologists and anthropologists have documented evidence of a high level of violence in most of the executions.
At present, the work is focused on the drafting of the mandatory reports, which are required by law after each intervention and which serve as a basis for subsequent administrative, judicial or historical memory-related decisions. At the same time, bone samples are taken from the exhumed victims in order to compare their DNA.
Coffins
To the 73 bodies must be added the exhumation of the remains of nine bodies of people who died in the years after the Civil War and were buried in coffins just above this first excavated grave. "It is an act of justice and reparation. It is not about reopening wounds, but quite the opposite: to dignify all these victims and ensure that, after almost 90 years, their families can bury them and close one of the darkest periods in the history of Spain," said Campillos mayor Daniel Gómez.
This first phase has been possible with the participation of students from the University of Malaga, who have been able to gain practical skills in the fields of forensic archaeology and archaeological research. The second phase of the exhumation of the mass graves in the Campillos cemetery is scheduled for 2026.
The state project, in which the University of Malaga is collaborating with the regional government of Andalucía, has a budget of approximately 30,000 euros for the first phase. The agreement is coordinated by University of Malaga lecturers Dr María José Berlanga Palomo from the Department of Historical Sciences and Dr Encarnación Barranquero Texeira from the Department of Modern and Contemporary History.
