The archaeological intervention will take place in the coming days due to the fragility of the bones, which have been partially exposed at a point on the northern municipality's coast. This process could provide clues about the era and circumstances of the individual's death.
A historian specializing in the Spanish Civil War and Francoist repression, Luana Studer, visited the site and ruled out that the remains belong to a Guanche. According to initial conclusions, the body was buried quickly and hastily. The anatomically complete skeleton was discovered three days ago by a citizen who alerted the Local Police of Garachico. The area has been cordoned off.
Juan Carlos García Ávila, inspector of Cultural Heritage for the Government of the Canary Islands, explained that the presence of specialists in contemporary historical periods is necessary, as the discovery occurred in a site corresponding to earth movements after the Castilian Conquest of the Canary Islands. This led to collaboration with Luana Studer.
Studer indicated that it is not yet possible to determine if the person is linked to the Spanish Civil War or the Franco dictatorship. Archaeological stratigraphy suggests a hasty burial, thus ruling out a pre-Hispanic hypothesis with funerary rituals. The possibility of more individuals appearing during the intervention is not ruled out.
The specialist remained cautious about the exact dating, emphasizing the need to recover the remains and dignify the person, regardless of their possible connection to Francoist repression. He highlighted that the burial is in an isolated context, not a cemetery.
It was noted that in a small perimeter of the west coast of Tenerife, since 1973, the remains of seven people have appeared. The only ones analyzed so far were from 2010, which showed no signs of violence, according to bioanthropologist José Ramos.
