Castilla y León mining culture seeks Intangible Cultural Heritage status

The Socialist Parliamentary Group in the Cortes of Castilla y León has announced an initiative to have the region's mining culture recognized as an Intangible Bien de Interés Cultural (BIC). The proposal, to be presented as a Non-Law Proposition in the Culture Commission, seeks to protect the heritage tied to the mining basins.

Rather than focusing solely on industrial infrastructure like shafts or pits, the initiative emphasizes intangible heritage. This includes traditional professional knowledge, mining vocabulary, oral history, celebrations, family customs, songs, and social values such as solidarity and mutual aid that defined the identity of these communities for generations.

The proposal, defended by Mario Rivas, the procurator for León and mayor of Villablino, calls for immediate technical, historical, anthropological, and legal studies to document this heritage. The process aims to involve municipalities, unions, associations, museums, and specialists to ensure the collective identity of the mining families is preserved and valued.