Social archeology at the El Rebollar site in El Boalo
A territorial and regional development project around the Visigothic culture
This project is part of an investigation on the Early Medieval Settlement in the Upper Manzanares Basin carried out by the cultural association Equipo A de Arqueología since 2010. From this association, a proposal was made to the BOCEMA town hall (El Boalo, Cerceda and Mataelpino) the possibility of excavating El Rebollar to confirm the presence of a late-antique place of worship associated with an already known necropolis. After accepting the proposal, the Autonomous University of Madrid is incorporated into the project and excavations begin in 2018.
One of the lines of work of the council is the conservation of the natural heritage and also of the cultural, architectural and archaeological heritage of the municipality and put it at the service of society. For this reason, from the beginning the public archeology methodology is applied, which implies citizen participation, in the excavations and in the work with the materials, through volunteers from the region. In addition, thanks to the involvement of the Autonomous University of Madrid, the project has been endowed with an academic function: students take their curricular or extracurricular internships and it allows them a direct relationship with other actors in archeology fieldwork.
Video presentation
Description:
There is a commitment to responsible and sustainable tourism in the Sierra de Guadarrama.
«Cultural heritage is our roots and can generate qualified employment attached to the territory"
Objectives
- Learn about the early medieval religious world, its characteristics and its territorial implantation in the Cuenca Alta del Manzanares.
- Raise awareness in society about the importance of research, conservation and enhancement of archaeological heritage.
- Combat the looting of archaeological sites through the training of volunteers who understand and transmit the message: "the object has no value if its context is lost."
- Generate a new cultural and tourist resource in the municipality.
- Strengthen the link between the new residents and the municipality through cultural heritage as an element of identity.
- Generate a cultural and responsible tourism.
- Promote the creation of quality employment attached to the territory through the recovery of the enhancement of cultural heritage.
Challenges: there is a very strong demand for traditional culture in the area closest to Madrid. We must seek the social recovery of this heritage, such as recovering trades, creating experiences for the visitor...
Combining tradition, landscape and gastronomy, through the protagonists of that culture.
Development
Heritage research and conservation:
- Archaeological excavation of the El Rebollar site.
Training and education:
- Training of volunteers and training of students in practices.
- Dissemination campaigns in schools.
Cultural tourism:
- Open days.
- Tourism promotion through the Visigothic Autumn.
- Support for the artisans of the municipality by inviting them to create new products inspired by the Visigothic culture.
- Circular economy
- Reuse of waste generated in the excavation
Financing through institutions:
- The initial financing is carried out by the BOCEMA town hall. The second year, funds from the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage of the Community of Madrid are incorporated into complementary and fundamental research and restoration work, such as anthropology and the consolidation of the most relevant graves, structures and materials. Since its third year, the project has been part of the Knowledge Transfer program of the Autonomous University of Madrid Foundation, which has provided funding for works and dissemination and educational strategies around the site.
We understand cultural heritage as an indissoluble part of the identity of peoples.
In order to exercise this right, they have to be informed and be able to participate in the processes of investigation and discovery of their own roots.
