A documentary recovers previously unpublished forensic reports from the exhumation of a mass grave in La Palma in 1994, thirteen years before the Priaranza del Bierzo case, which until now was considered pioneering.
The island of La Palma hosted in 1994 the first exhumation of victims of Francoism under judicial supervision and with forensic methodology, according to documentation recovered for the documentary Consuelo 1994. The reports, previously unknown, rewrite the chronology of democratic memory in Spain by advancing the start of scientific exhumations by six years.
The remains of the republican mayor of Los Llanos de Aridane
The excavation took place on 7 May 1994 in one of the mass graves at Pino del Consuelo, in the municipality of Los Llanos de Aridane. There, the remains of five people were found, including those of the last republican mayor of the locality, Francisco Rodríguez Betancort, whose search by his family lasted more than six decades.
The judicial procedure that supported the exhumation stands as the first legal precedent of this type in Spain, thirteen years before the first historical memory law. Until now, historiographical accounts placed the exhumation of Priaranza del Bierzo (León), in October 2000, as the starting point for scientific exhumations.
“Those reports change the chronology of democratic memory in Spain,” say the documentary's producers.
A family investigation that becomes a film
The documentary Consuelo 1994 has been produced by T-REC based on an investigation by journalist Javier Rodríguez, great-grandson of one of the victims. The direction is by the Palmero filmmaker Besay Viña, who has recovered the complete judicial file of the exhumation, as well as previously unseen images of the excavation and testimonies from those who made it possible.
“It is a story practically unknown until now, which provides the keys to a foundational chapter of democratic memory,” explain the authors. The official trailer can already be seen on YouTube.
For the residents of La Palma, this discovery represents a recognition of the struggle of the families on the island who searched for their loved ones for decades. The exhumation at Pino del Consuelo demonstrates that the Canary memorialist movement was pioneering in Spain, long before laws existed to protect it.
The documentary will be presented soon on the island, with screenings planned in Los Llanos de Aridane and Santa Cruz de La Palma. The organizers hope that the material will help to complete the historical narrative and for new generations to learn about an episode silenced for decades.
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