Arqueología de un silencio. Arqueología forense de la Guerra Civil y del Franquismo

Abstract

During the last ten years, Spain has witnessed a sudden rise of the so-called “movement for the recovery of historical memory”. In this context, dozens of mass graves from the Spanish Civil War and Franco’s dictatorship have been excavated, and hundreds of bodies have been recovered. These activities have helped increase public awareness on one of the most terrible aspects of the Franco regime. This article examines those archaeological practices, which are developing as a genuine forensic archaeology, in the context of the movement for the recovery of historical memory, the current Spanish legislation, and the policies of public administrations.