ABSTRACT
In 2000, the first exhumation of victims of Francoist violence by archaeological and forensic experts took place in the village of Priaranza del Bierzo (León). The moment was of course shocking for the families of the victims, as well as for those who conducted the excavation. It is nonetheless often seen as a key moment in the revival of what has come to be known as ‘democratic memory’, and in hindsight can be seen as the origin of the movement for the recovery of historical memory in Spain. From this point onwards, associations began to form throughout Spain, which would eventually come together to form the Asociación para la Recuperación de la Memoria Histórica (ARMH – Association for the Recovery of Historical Memory), and from which other associations would follow, most notably the Foro por la Memoria (Forum for Memory). The excavation in Priaranza del Bierzo also prompted a new wave of locating and opening mass graves from the civil war period, a process which sought with the greatest care to recover the remains of victims, to identity them, and to give them a decent burial. A parallel feature of this process was an attempt to dignify the memory of the victims through acts of remembrance, plaques, and memorials. 1
