Patterns of skeletal trauma inflicted during the Spanish Civil War

Abstract

This chapter discusses patterns of trauma to a group of individuals executed during the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) and highlights three individuals as exemplars. It highlights patterns of trauma on male individuals as a result of state‐sponsored violence. The Spanish Civil War may be directly responsible for the deaths of as many as 150,000 individuals throughout Spain. While the process of recovering and identifying these individuals is ongoing, it was not until recently that organizations and institutions began to formalize these efforts. From the remains in the present sample from Monte Costaján, it is clear that most individuals were shot in the back of the head; however, additional gunshot or blunt force trauma to the remains is not uncommon. This pattern of trauma is consistent with general witness statements regarding executions and with other attempts to examine traumatic patterns in Spanish Civil War remains.