The Town Hall of Martín del Río invites the public to discover medieval Martín with the announcement of the second edition of the Summer Archaeological Days, inviting participants to take part in a three-day field excavation. This will take place from July 24 to 26, and in addition to the fieldwork, three talks on archaeology will be held on July 19 and August 22 and 23.
The first vice president of the Provincial Council of Teruel, Beatriz Martín, has accompanied the mayor, Manuel Del Río, along with the archaeologist and head of the organizing entity, Qualcina, Javier Ibáñez, in the presentation of this new edition. They encourage residents, students pursuing a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in History or Archaeology, and history enthusiasts in general, to register for this archaeological adventure, with a program of activities extending over the months of July and August.
The activities will commence on July 19 with an introductory talk to learn the basic concepts of archaeological methodology and the tools used. This will take place at 12 noon in the multipurpose room of Martín del Río and will serve as preparation for the field excavation from July 24 to 26. As detailed, there will be three days of intensive work from 8 AM to 12 PM at the hermitage of San Martín and the medieval village of Martín, organized into small groups of about ten people per day, with expert supervision at all times and lunch provided by the Town Hall.
Manuel Del Río explained that all this comes from our efforts to clean up an old church that has likely been in ruins for 300 years, and we still found some elements that could give us clues about how those constructions were. Javier (Ibáñez) told us it was not a chapel as we thought, but probably the church of the village, situated at the upper part of the current village, and we considered it appropriate, along with the culture councilor, to conduct a small study and attempt to learn more about our history, which is ultimately the primary goal of these activities.
The preliminary results of the excavation will be announced on August 22 at 7 PM in the multipurpose room. The sessions will conclude the following day with a talk on heritage and cultural tourism, which will invite reflection on the conservation of heritage, archaeological looting, and the potential of historical tourism as a tool to revitalize rural areas. The meeting is scheduled for noon in the same room.
When asked what they expect to find with the excavation, Ibáñez explained that they are looking for sufficient evidence to demonstrate that we are dealing with a medieval temple. We do not know if it was built after the war with Castile or earlier, but it was the parish church of Martín del Río, a village with the oldest references dating back to the mid-12th century. We are not sure from exactly what moment it is; we seek to date it and gather key information about what medieval Martín could have been like, because the church is the most significant building in any village during the Middle Ages and organizes the whole space. If we identify it as such and gather more information from the periphery of that space, we can begin to think about what medieval Martín was like.
To access one of the limited spots, participants must be over 14 years old and register for free by filling out the Google Forms: https://goo.su/lekqG2 before July 17. The organization will send a confirmation via email after the registration deadline. Del Río has stated that the Town Hall is willing to even provide transportation and accommodation for those interested in participating.
The Museum of Teruel houses a door from a mansion in Martín del Río
Beatriz Martín, deputy delegate of the Provincial Museum, took the opportunity during the press conference to announce that the Museum of Teruel has marked with a sign the original door of a house in the village of Martín del Río that leads to the library. She explained that the identification of the door was requested from the locality, noted, and the indication has been incorporated.
Both the first vice president and the mayor have highlighted the interest of the residents in enhancing the local heritage. Martín added, I also give you an example that it was requested that, since the Provincial Museum had a door from a mansion that used to be in Martín del Río, we should put up a sign. It has now been placed. There is a small QR code explaining where the door comes from. Let the people of Martín del Río know that there is a space in the Museum that belongs to Martín del Río. The pursuit of your history and belonging also unites the village and helps you to have your own identity.
