The Spanish Civil War and Its Aftermath

The Civil War (1936–1939) and Franco's dictatorship (1939–1977) in Spain were characterized by mass violence and human rights violations. Hiding and destroying criminal evidence were systematic and intentional. Documentary sources were purged or destroyed, concentration camps were dismantled, and mass graves were eliminated or hidden. In recent decades, archaeology has contributed to revealing the Franco regime's repressive strategies. The focus on materiality, or the materiality turn, has greatly advanced the production of historical knowledge. Mass graves, concentration camps, labor camps, and prisons have been archaeologically investigated, producing new narratives surrounding contemporary Spanish history. Forensic archaeology has unearthed the traces of those who sometimes left no documents but left material evidence of their existence. This review aims to contribute to the studies of mass violence that reveal the technologies of exclusion, disappearance, and erasure of specific political and gender-neglected groups of society under Franco's repressive system.