The first phase of the exhumation of a mass grave in Campillos has concluded, recovering remains of 73 victims of the Spanish Civil War. The percentage of women, over 20%, is unusually high compared to similar excavations.
The excavation of a mass grave at the municipal cemetery of Campillos, which began in June 2024, has concluded its first phase with the recovery of 73 bodies, a figure that has surprised the research team both for its size and the high proportion of female victims.
Of the total remains exhumed, more than 20% correspond to women, a percentage that far exceeds the usual 3% to 5% recorded in other mass grave exhumations from the same period. The team of archaeologists and anthropologists from the University of Málaga, who worked continuously for two and a half months, also documented evidence of extreme violence in most of the executions.
Initial estimates had suggested the grave contained around 150 bodies, but the actual dimensions of the pit turned out to be larger than expected, leading to revised calculations. In addition to the 73 executed victims, the excavation uncovered nine coffins containing individuals who died in the years after the Civil War, buried directly above the mass grave.
“It is an act of justice and reparation. It is not about reopening wounds, but quite the opposite: to dignify all those victims and ensure that, after almost 90 years, their families can give them a burial and thus close one of the darkest chapters in Spain’s history,” said the mayor of Campillos, Daniel Gómez.
The first phase had a budget of approximately €30,000 and involved students from the University of Málaga, who gained hands-on experience in forensic archaeology. Currently, the team is focused on writing the mandatory reports required by law and taking bone samples for DNA analysis to help identify the victims and return them to their families.
This project is part of an agreement between the Andalusian Regional Ministry of Culture and Sport and the University of Málaga, within the framework of the State Plan for Exhumations of the Secretary of State for Democratic Memory. The work is coordinated by professors María José Berlanga Palomo and Encarnación Barranquero Texeira.
A second phase of the exhumation of the mass graves at the Campillos cemetery is planned for 2026, with the aim of recovering the remaining victims and continuing the process of historical memory restoration.
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