Photos by Daniel Ochoa de Olza
Across Spain, volunteer teams of archeologists, anthropologists and forensic scientists head out every year on expeditions to dig for suspected mass graves — a legacy of Spain’s fascist past.
In this photo taken on July 26, 2014, skeletons are unearthed on what was a hidden mass grave during an excavation by the Aranzadi Sciences Society searching for the remains of those killed by their political ideology during and after the Spanish civil war in El Estepar, Spain. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)
Frequently watching them are the elderly sons and daughters who have long suspected they know locations of their loved ones who died many decades ago. Some were killed during the 1936-1939 civil war but many, primarily from the left, were summarily executed after the victory of the forces loyal to General Francisco Franco.
So in villages like Estepar, less than three hour’s drive north from Madrid, the elderly descendants of the dead watch as the volunteers dig and carefully place the remains they find, together with clothing and personal objects, into plastic tubs so they can be identified.
Spain’s government in 2007 passed a Historic Memory Law condemning atrocities committed during Franco’s regime, which lasted until 1975. However, it has never come up with funding to embark on the searches or pay for DNA testing.
In this photo taken on July 26, 2014, skeletons and evidence are packed in plastic boxes after being exhumed from a hidden mass grave during an excavation by the Aranzadi Sciences Society searching for the remains of those killed by their political ideology during and after the Spanish civil war in El Estepar, Spain. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)
Most exhumations have been financed through local and international donations or crowd-funding.
More than 200 graves have been exhumed since 2000 and about 5,700 bodies have been found, according to Spain’s nonprofit Association for the Recovery of Historical Memory.
The government has never provided an estimate of how many died during Franco’s regime, but former Spanish Judge Baltasar Garzon has estimated that 114,000 could have ended up in the mass graves.
His much publicized investigation into Franco era crimes was halted when the magistrate was barred from the bench in 2012 for overstepping his jurisdiction in a separate case.
Click on any image to launch the Spain Finding the Dead gallery.
In this photo taken on July 26, 2014, skeletons are numbered on what was a hidden mass grave, during an excavation by the Aranzadi Sciences Society searching for the remains of those killed by their political ideology during and after the Spanish civil war in El Estepar, Spain. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)
In this photo taken on July 19, 2014, a man looks at an excavation as an A.R.M.H., Association for the Recovery of Historical Memory, volunteer digs on the search for the body of Perfecto de Dios, in a hidden grave in Chaherrero, Spain. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)
In this photo taken on Dec. 16, 2014, a volunteer holds a repaired skull before placing it inside a box during an exhumation of a mass grave at the cemetery of Puerto Real, Spain. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)
In this photo taken on July 19, 2014, Camilo De Dios, 81, stands in front of the wall in Chaherrero, Spain, where his brother Perfecto de Dios was killed at the age of 19, holding Perfecto’s only portrait. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)
In this photo taken on July 24, 2014, a ray of sunlight shines on a skull at sunset on what was a hidden mass grave during an excavation by the Aranzadi Sciences Society searching for the remains of those killed by their political ideology during and after the Spanish civil war in El Estepar, Spain. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)
In this photo taken on July 24, 2014, skeletons are unearthed on what was a hidden mass grave during an excavation by the Aranzadi Sciences Society searching for the remains of those killed by their political ideology during and after the spanish civil war in El Estepar, Spain. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)
This photo taken on Dec. 17, 2014, shows a pocket watch found during the exhumation of a mass grave of those killed by their political ideology during and after the Spanish civil war at the Puerto Real cemetery is displayed to be pictured by the photographer in Puerto Real, Spain. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)
In this photo taken on Dec. 16, 2014, a volunteer uses a brush to clean the skull of a victim before his exhumation inside a mass grave at the cemetery of Puerto Real, Spain. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)
In this photo taken on July 26, 2014, the sun sets as people attend an homage to those killed by their political ideology during and after the Spanish civil war at the site where four mass graves with at least 80 skeletons where found in El Estepar, Spain. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)
In this photo taken on July 26, 2014, volunteer archaeologists, anthropologists and forensic scientists from the Aranzadi Sciences Society and Association for the Recovery of Historical Memory of Burgos work in what it was a hidden mass grave in El Estepar, Spain. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)
In this photo taken on July 24, 2014, according to forensic experts, shows a bullet hole on a skull on an excavation during a search for the remains of those killed by their political ideology during and after the Spanish civil war in El Estepar, Spain. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)
This photo taken on Dec. 17, 2014, shows a lighter, a pendant and its chain, a pocket watch, glasses, coins and a cigarette holder found during the exhumation of a mass grave in Cazalla de la Sierra, Spain. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)
In this photo taken on Dec. 16, 2014, a bullet shell stands on top of human bones found during an excavation searching for the remains of those killed by their political ideology during and after the Spanish civil war at a mass grave at the cemetery of Puerto Real, Spain. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)
In this photo taken on July 26, 2014, skeletons are unearthed on what was a hidden mass grave during an excavation by the Aranzadi Sciences Society searching for the remains of those killed by their political ideology during and after the Spanish civil war in El Estepar, Spain. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)
In this photo taken on July 26, 2014, skeletons and evidence are packed in plastic boxes after being exhumed from a hidden mass grave during an excavation by the Aranzadi Sciences Society searching for the remains of those killed by their political ideology during and after the Spanish civil war in El Estepar, Spain. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)
In this photo taken on July 19, 2014, the skull of Perfecto de Dios killed in 1950 at the age of 19 is partially visible during his exhumation from a hidden grave in Chaherrero, Spain. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)
See full collection of photos
Opening text from the AP news story, AP PHOTOS: Spain searches for Franco-era graves, by Daniel Ochoa de Olza.
Spotlight is the blog of AP Images, the world’s largest collection of historical and contemporary photos. AP Images provides instant access to AP’s iconic photos and adds new content every minute of every day from every corner of the world, making it an essential source of photos and graphics for professional image buyers and commercial customers. Whether your needs are for editorial, commercial, or personal use, AP Images has the content and the expert sales team to fulfill your image requirements. Visit apimages.com to learn more.
Written content on this site is not created by the editorial department of AP, unless otherwise noted.
AP Images on Twitter | AP Images on Facebook | AP Images on Google+
AP Images Blog 
Reblogged this on The Rockstar Anthropologist.
LikeLike
Reblogged this on Shooting the Shadows.
LikeLike