# Spanish historical memory and missing persons searches > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/spanish-historical-memory-and-missing-persons-searches > Updated: 2026-08-15T01:48:54.000Z. Sources: 4. Developments: 2. Spain continues to address the legacy of the Spanish Civil War and the Franco dictatorship, characterized by the presence of approximately 6,000 documented mass graves. It is estimated that between 114,000 and 130,000 people remain forcibly disappeared, buried in locations such as ditches, mine shafts, and ravines. While roughly 17,000 victims have been exhumed over the last 25 years, at least 12,000 bodies are believed to remain unrecovered. Efforts to locate remains include high-profile historical cases, such as the unresolved search for poet Federico García Lorca, whose remains have not been found 90 years after his execution in Granada. These historical searches exist alongside contemporary investigations into missing persons, including the use of new technologies to review decades-old cold cases and ongoing investigations into more recent disappearances. The broader issue of unidentified common graves remains a central point of social and political debate regarding historical justice. ## Timeline ### 2026-08-15: Spain faces ongoing searches for missing persons and historical remains Spain faces ongoing challenges regarding missing persons and historical memory, from the 90-year search for Federico García Lorca's remains to modern cold case investigations in Motril and Tarragona. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/spain-faces-ongoing-searches-for-missing-persons-and-historical-remains ### 2026-08-08: Spain faces unresolved legacy of mass graves from Civil War and dictatorship Spain faces a massive historical memory crisis with an estimated 12,000 bodies still missing in mass graves from the Civil War and Franco dictatorship. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/spain-faces-unresolved-legacy-of-mass-graves-from-civil-war-and-dictatorship --- Cite as: Spanish historical memory and missing persons searches. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/spanish-historical-memory-and-missing-persons-searches