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ARCHIVED PROJECTS: "Spanish mass grave" by Francisco Seco

On september 3rd of 1936 a few residents from Paredes de Navas village (Palencia, Spain) were killed by Franco´s militia during 1936-39 Spanish Civil War. The killed were common people. They were no soldiers but bakery, ingeneer, peasant, teacher, shepper, travelling sealman, etc. After the killings, the dead bodies were carried and buried in an mass grave next to San Miguel´s Hermitage at Frenchilla village (few kilometres far away). La Asociación para la Recuperación de la Memoria Histórica (Asociation for the Recovery of the Historical Memory) has gathered information about the killings and were almost sure that fourteen people had been killed that day, but as soon as the exhumation went over they founded two more bodies. Nevertheless, Angel an eye witness that was only ten years old at that time, it is sure that he counted at least 17 people that day.

An estimated 500,000 people died in the Spanish civil war after Franco rose up against an elected, leftist Republican government and ultimately ousted it, fighting against Spaniards who backed that government.

As the exhumation took place, many family members of the deads went to the digging place, hopping that they would be able to meet their relatives once again.

Hopefully now these people will be able to rest in peace and may be their history will be known at last.

San Miguel´s Hermitage at Frenchilla village (Palencia, Spain). On April, 2009, sixteen bodies were founded in a mass grave next to the hermitage
   
  
     
  
   
  
Ángel (left) an eye witness that was only ten years old at that time talks with Belén Larrea (right) niece of Emiliano Vian Emperador (peasant, 37 years old) one of the killed on september 3rd, 1936.
     
  
As the exhumation took place, many family members of the deads, residents and onlookers from around went to the digging place
   
  
Remanins of bottons, shoes, a lighter, a notebook, etc were founded during the exhumation.
     
  
Forensic doctor Alvano de Juan holds a human skull. All these human remains were taken to Valladolid University in Palencia to analyze them.
  
  
An exhumation members team used a metal detector machine to find a bullet remains inside an skull.
     
  
Belen Larrea Vian niece of Emiliano Vian (peasant, 37 years old) and Jesús Aparicio nephew of Jesús Aparicio Blanco (ingeneer, 30 years old) took photos each other with Spanish 2nd Republic flag next to San Miguel´s hermitage.
   
Volunteers of the Association for the Recovery of Historical Memory (ARHM) analyze a human skeleton excavated from a mass grave at Valladolid University in Palencia. These humans remains were founded in a mass grave next to San Miguel´s Hermitage at Frenchilla village (Palencia). ARHM's goal is to identify the remains in unmarked mass graves and return them to their families for a proper burial.
   
     
  
The killed man list (plus two unkowned persons):Faustino Antolín Expósito, bakery, 40 years old.Jesús Aparicio Blanco, ingeneer, 30 years old.Elías Diez Cea, peasant, 60 years old.Emiliano Elices Rejón, travelling saleman, 26 years old.Segundo García Asenjo, peasant, 32 years old.Mauro García Espinosa, national railway employee, 29 years old.Benito Guerra Abad, peasant, 52 years old.Severino Gutiérrez Elices, peasant, 25 years old.Arturo Paniagua Rodríguez, teacher, 40 years old.Mariano Raposo Hoyos, peasant, 30 years old.Anastasio Rejón Alonso, shepperd, 30 years old.Dionisio Vián Antolín, peasant, 40 years old.Emiliano Vián Emperador, peasant, 37 years old.Manuel Villagrá Molledo, Peasant, 20 years old