Coffins unexpectedly found in Campillos mass grave might indicate post-Civil War burials

The exhumation work carried out in the municipal cemetery of Campillos in the north of Malaga province has brought to light an important discovery: the appearance of several coffins in one of the mass graves found last year. This type of arrangement is unusual in collective burial contexts. For this reason, the responsible technical team is carrying out a detailed analysis to determine the chronology of the burials and, as far as possible, to identify the human remains found inside the coffins.

The excavation is directed by professors María José Berlanga and Encarnación Barranquero from the University of Malaga. Their team of experts in forensic archaeology and contemporary history is trying to answer questions about how and when the burials took place and assess whether all of them happened at the same moment in time.

As SUR has learned, one of the lines of investigation underway suggests that the mass graves may have been altered by later burials or may even be located under niche pavilions built at a later date. These would be clandestine burial areas, the location of which was not always known or was not respected over time. Berlanga said that they are currently working on the precise dating of these burials as well as on the anthropological study of the remains in order to detect possible signs of violence related to the cause of death. Researchers estimate that the two mass graves located could contain the remains of more than a hundred individuals.

University students are also involved in the work, participating in excavation, documentation and analysis tasks within a framework of practical training in archaeological research. Their participation contributes both to the progress of the project and to learning in a real working environment. The municipal authorities, who were present during a recent visit, applauded the institutional and academic involvement in this scientific action.

The state project, in which the University of Malaga is collaborating with the regional government of Andalucía, has a budget of approximately 30,000 euros. Intervention in the second mass grave is planned for 2026.