Spain advances exhumation of Civil War mass graves in Villamesías and Castell de Ferro

Archaeologists working with the Diputación de Cáceres and the Spanish Secretariat for Democratic Memory uncovered the remains of at least six people in the Villamesías cemetery, Cáceres, with an 80 % likelihood that they are victims of the August 1936 repression. The excavation, carried out by the firm Fotex under the direction of archaeologists Ana María Rabazo and Laura Gutiérrez, confirmed a long‑suspected communal burial site.

In a separate project in the municipality of Castell de Ferro, a team led by historian José María Azuaga and the scientific association ArqueoAntro will locate, excavate and exhume a post‑war fosa común that is believed to contain the remains of four people executed on 26 July 1947. The effort, coordinated with the University of Madrid’s anthropology unit, aims to identify the victims through forensic anthropology and DNA matching with relatives, allowing for dignified reburial.

Both initiatives form part of Spain’s broader program to recover and commemorate victims of Francoist repression, funded by public authorities and guided by the State’s memory legislation.