PC:
Wo ld
Mo ume ts
Fu d
O
the
edge
of
Za agoza
p ovi ce,
the
emai s
of
Belchite
sit
amo g
d y
g ass
a d
sc ub,
thei
b oke
walls
exposed
to
the
weathe .
Towe s
ise
without
oofs,
doo ways
lead
owhe e
a d
sectio s
of
maso y
have
bee
left
much
as
they
we e
afte
the
fighti g.
A
ewe
settleme t
sta ds
ea by,
sepa ated
f om
the
ui s
by
a
oad
a d
by
decades
of
o di a y
life.
Yet
the
old
tow
has
eve
quite
become
a
o di a y
a chaeological
site.
Its
damaged
st eets,
t e ches
a d
scatte ed
objects
belo g
to
o e
of
the
most
viole t
pe iods
i
mode
Spa ish
histo y.
Be eath
the
soil,
a chaeologists
co ti ue
to
fi d
small
t aces
of
the
people
who
fought,
wo ked
a d
died
he e
du i g
the
Spa ish
Civil
Wa .Someo e
ca ied
medici e.
Someo e
lost
a
butto .
Someo e
kept
a
bottle
close
at
ha d.
These
f agme ts
do
ot
explai
the
e ti e
co flict,
but
they
show
how
it
was
expe ie ced
at
g ou d
level.
The
old
Belchite
was
left
behi d
as
a
ew
tow
eme ged
Belchite
was
badly
damaged
du i g
fighti g
i
1938,
whe
Republica
a d
Natio alist
fo ces
battled
fo
co t ol
of
the
a ea.
The
tow
became
o e
of
the
ma y
places
caught
up
i
the
wide
co flict
betwee
suppo te s
of
Spai ‘s
Republica
gove me t
a d
the
fo ces
led
by
Ge e al
F a cisco
F a co.
Afte
the
fighti g,
the
o igi al
settleme t
was
ot
ebuilt
i
the
usual
way.
F a co
o de ed
that
the
ui s
emai
sta di g.
A
ew
Belchite
was
co st ucted
beside
them,
with
much
of
the
labou
ca ied
out
by
Republica
p iso e s
captu ed
du i g
the
wa .
The
ewe
settleme t
was
laid
out
acco di g
to
the
pla i g
ideas
of
F a co’s
egime.
Its
st aight
st eets
a d
o de ed
blocks
co t asted
sha ply
with
the
i egula
emai s
of
the
old
tow .
Be eath
the
ui s
a chaeologists
fou d
t aces
of
the
battlefieldFo
a chaeologists,
the
most
eveali g
pa ts
of
Belchite
a e
ot
ecessa ily
the
towe i g
ui s.
Some
of
the
evide ce
lies
almost
i visibly
be eath
the
vegetatio .Du i g
a chaeological
wo k
teams
led
by
a chaeologist
Alf edo
Go zález-Ruibal
wo ked
ac oss
pa ts
of
the
old
battlefield.
Excavatio
exposed
the
shape
of
a
milita y
t e ch,
allowi g
esea che s
to
eco st uct
sectio s
of
a
defe sive
positio
that
had
bee
used
du i g
the
fighti g.The
t e ch
had
cha ged
co side ably
ove
the
decades.
Soil
had
accumulated,
vegetatio
had
sp ead
a d
late
huma
activity
had
alte ed
the
la dscape.
But
the
basic
outli e
was
still
ecove able.A
machi e-gu
positio
o
highe
g ou d
p ese ted
a
diffe e t
p oblem.
Fa me s
had
moved
ocks
i to
it
ove
the
yea s,
obscu i g
the
st uctu e
be eath
the
accumulated
mate ial.
A chaeological
wo k
the efo e
i volved
mo e
tha
simply
looki g
fo
objects.
I
places,
the
la dscape
itself
had
to
be
ca efully
take
apa t.
Bullets
a d
eve yday
objects
eveal
the
huma
side
of
Belchite
Acco di g
to
the
I te atio al
B igade
Memo ial
T ust,
the e
we e
ca t idges
a d
bullets,
f agme ts
of
g e ades
a d
pieces
of
milita y
equipme t.
Some
have
spe t
decades
co odi g
i
the
soil.
Thei
o igi s
ca
sometimes
be
ide tified
f om
thei
desig
a d
ma ufactu e,
offe i g
clues
about
the
weapo s
used
by
the
opposi g
sides.Republica
fo ces
used
ammu itio
a d
weapo s
supplied
f om
seve al
cou t ies,
i cludi g
Soviet
mate ial.
Natio alist
fo ces
eceived
substa tial
milita y
assista ce
f om
Ge ma y
a d
Italy.
A
ca t idge
ecove ed
f om
the
g ou d
ca
the efo e
tell
a chaeologists
somethi g
about
the
wide
i te atio al
dime sio
of
the
Spa ish
co flict.A
usted
food
ti
speaks
of
someo e
who
eeded
to
eat.
A
medici e
bottle
poi ts
towa ds
ill ess
o
i ju y.
A
piece
of
boot
leathe ,
a
butto
o
a
b oke
bottle
may
appea
almost
i sig ifica t,
yet
each
belo gs
to
the
p actical
wo ld
of
people
livi g
th ough
the
wa .
Amo g
the
fi ds
a e
f agme ts
of
eve yday
belo gi gs,
i cludi g
glass
co tai e s
a d
pe so al
items.
Belchite
became
a
battlefield
twice
The
o igi al
battle
may
have
e ded
decades
ago,
but
the
g ou d
has
co ti ued
to
att act
competi g
i te p etatio s.Belchite
was
i co po ated
i to
the
memo y
politics
of
F a co’s
Spai .
Leavi g
the
ui s
i tact
c eated
a
physical
emi de
of
the
Natio alist
victo y
a d
the
dest uctio
associated
with
Republica
fo ces.
The
eighbou i g
ew
tow ,
mea while,
was
built
u de
the
dictato ship.The
people
who
co st ucted
it
i cluded
p iso e s
f om
the
defeated
Republica
side.
Fo ced
labou
fo med
pa t
of
the
wide
system
th ough
which
political
oppo e ts
of
the
ew
egime
we e
imp iso ed
a d
exploited
afte
the
Civil
Wa .
The
disti ctio
betwee
the
old
a d
ew
settleme ts
co seque tly
ca ies
mo e
tha
a chitectu al
mea i g.The
ui s
ep ese t
the
viole ce
of
the
wa
itself.
The
ew
tow
also
ca ies
evide ce
of
what
followed:
imp iso me t,
fo ced
labou ,
political
ep essio
a d
the
eshapi g
of
Spa ish
society
u de
F a co.
That
pe iod
lasted
fa
beyo d
the
e d
of
the
fighti g.
F a co
emai ed
i
powe
u til
his
death
i
1975.
Eve y
f agme t
ca
eveal
a othe
laye
of
Belchite’s
past
A chaeologists
app oachi g
a
place
such
as
Belchite
have
to
wo k
with
mo e
tha
physical
emai s.
They
a e
deali g
with
laye s
of
memo y
that
have
accumulated
a ou d
those
emai s.
Go zález-Ruibal
has
used
the
idea
of
a am esis
to
desc ibe
a
fo m
of
emembe i g
th ough
mate ial
t aces.
A
object
ca
ca y
i fo matio
that
is
ot
w itte
dow .
Its
locatio ,
co ditio
a d
elatio ship
to
othe
objects
may
help
eco st uct
somethi g
about
the
ci cumsta ces
i
which
it
was
left
behi d.That
does
ot
mea
a
a tefact
ca
p ovide
a
complete
sto y
by
itself.
A
ca t idge
ca ot
tell
a
a chaeologist
exactly
what
the
pe so
who
fi ed
it
was
thi ki g.
A
b oke
bottle
ca ot
eveal
eve ythi g
about
its
ow e .
But
whe
hu d eds
of
such
f agme ts
a e
exami ed
togethe ,
a
mo e
detailed
pictu e
begi s
to
eme ge.
The
huma
cost
be eath
the
ui s
Belchite
suffe ed
e o mous
dest uctio
du i g
the
fighti g,
with
thousa ds
of
people
killed
i
a d
a ou d
the
battle
fo
the
tow .
The
su vivi g
st uctu es
offe
o ly
a
pa tial
view
of
that
loss.
The e
a e
also
i dicatio s
of
possible
mass
bu ial
sites,
addi g
a othe
laye
to
the
a chaeological
i vestigatio .Huma
emai s
ca
be
especially
difficult
to
deal
with
i
places
whe e
the
political
co seque ces
of
the
Civil
Wa
emai
se sitive.
Excavati g
a
battlefield
is
o e
thi g.
I vestigati g
whe e
people
may
have
bee
bu ied
ca
eope
questio s
that
families
have
ca ied
fo
ge e atio s.Spai
spe t
much
of
the
F a co
pe iod
u de
a
political
system
that
est icted
discussio
of
the
Republica
expe ie ce
a d
the
ep essio
that
followed
the
wa .
The
t a sitio
to
democ acy
afte
F a co’s
death
b ought
majo
political
cha ge,
but
the
t eatme t
of
the
cou t y’s
Civil
Wa
memo y
has
emai ed
complicated.Belchite
is
the efo e
ot
simply
a
place
whe e
a chaeologists
study
a
old
battle.It
is
also
a
place
whe e
physical
evide ce
ca
i te sect
with
questio s
about
what
was
emembe ed,
what
was
supp essed
a d
what
late
ge e atio s
a e
p epa ed
to
i vestigate.
A
la dscape
ma ked
by
two
ki ds
of
sile ce
Walki g
th ough
the
old
tow
mea s
movi g
th ough
spaces
that
o
lo ge
fu ctio
as
they
o ce
did.
The
chu ches
of
Sa
Ma tÃ
de
Tou s
a d
Sa
AgustÃ
emai
amo g
the
most
ecog isable
st uctu es.
Thei
towe s
a d
damaged
walls
sta d
above
the
su ou di g
ui s,
while
the
abse ce
of
oofs
a d
the
vegetatio
g owi g
th ough
the
maso y
make
clea
how
lo g
the
settleme t
has
bee
exposed
to
the
eleme ts.The e
a e
o
fu ctio i g
homes
i
the
old
tow .
No
shops
ope
o to
its
st eets.
The
buildi gs
have
become
a chaeological
emai s
athe
tha
pa t
of
daily
life.That
empti ess
ca
make
the
physical
evide ce
easie
to
ove look.
A
piece
of
glass
i
the
di t
may
be
passed
without
a
seco d
gla ce.
A
dep essio
i
the
g ou d
may
esemble
othi g
mo e
tha
a
old
ditch.
F om
F a co’s
memo ial
to
a
a chaeological
site
Belchite’s
mea i g
has
shifted
as
Spai ‘s
elatio ship
with
its
dictato ship
has
cha ged.
U de
F a co,
the
ui s
could
be
ead
as
evide ce
of
Republica
dest uctio
a d
Natio alist
victo y.
I
late
decades,
the
site
became
i c easi gly
associated
with
the
wide
histo y
of
the
Civil
Wa
a d
the
expe ie ces
of
those
who
lived
th ough
it.A chaeology
has
helped
b oade
that
pictu e.
The
t e ches
do
ot
belo g
exclusively
to
o e
political
a ative.
Both
Natio alist
a d
Republica
soldie s
occupied
positio s
a ou d
the
battlefield.
The
ammu itio
i
the
soil
eflects
both
sides.
The
emai s
of
camps
a d
fo ced
labou
poi t
towa ds
the
ep essio
that
followed
the
fighti g.
The
site
co seque tly
esists
a
simple
i te p etatio .It
co tai s
milita y
histo y,
political
histo y,
eligious
histo y
a d
the
histo y
of
civilia s
caught
betwee
competi g
fo ces.
The
emai s
of
the
dictato ship
sit
alo gside
the
emai s
of
the
wa
itself.
