A group of archaeologists from the University of Granada has begun exhuming the mass graves of Franco’s victims in Órgiva and identifying them.

The group is led by the Head of the Prehistory and Archaeology Department, Professor, Francisco Carrión Méndez and the project was approved by the Board of Tourism, Culture & Sports, belonging to the Junta de Andalucía as part of the Plan de Recuperación de Memoria Democrática.

The work is centred upon the Barranco de El Carrizal, which is recognised as a Lugar de Memoria Histórica de Andalucía, as it was used for summary executions: lorries loaded with prisoners arrived regularly, who were shot and thrown down the barranco.

It is estimated that 5,000 people perished this way at the hands of Franco’s troops, both during the Civil War and afterwards in the years of repression. The victims were men, women and even young children.

Some historians say that there are up to six fosses, all of which will be undergo ‘magnetic prospecting,” which will allow volunteers to find the bodies. They will also be using a drone to establish the perimeter of the area.

The political group, Electores P’Alante Órgiva, are very glad that the work has begun, which, they described as, “The first page of history that tells of the tragic events that happened in this place.”

All of this is part of a wider campaign, approved by the Junta to exhume the remains and identify them from twelve fosses around Andalucía: Cádiz, Granada, Huelva, Málaga and Sevilla, thanks to a budget of 436,328 euros.

(News/Noticias: Orgiva, Alpujarra, Granada, Andalucia)