TY - JOUR
T1 - Myth, science and community
T2 - The archaeological project of San Lourenzo hillfort (Galicia, Spain)
AU - Vila, Xurxo Miguel Ayán
N1 - UIDB/04209/2020
UIDP/04209/2020
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Every night a saint flees the Parish church of Cereixa, a small hamlet in Atlantic Europe. It rushes back to its home, upon the hillfort of San Lourenzo, an Iron-Age fortified settlement. Despite having been Christianized in the Middle Ages, the hillfort is still home to mythical dwellers – the mouros (moors). In 2016 the villagers of Cereixa decided to restore and research this archaeological site. This article reviews the crucial role played by community archaeology throughout this particular process of heritage empowerment. Our work-team’s strategy draws on popular religion, folklore, and traditions to test the powers of science, and to provide a tourist resource that can foster local development while consolidating identity references. This paper includes some reflections on the methods of community management as part of an alternative and counter-hegemonic model.
AB - Every night a saint flees the Parish church of Cereixa, a small hamlet in Atlantic Europe. It rushes back to its home, upon the hillfort of San Lourenzo, an Iron-Age fortified settlement. Despite having been Christianized in the Middle Ages, the hillfort is still home to mythical dwellers – the mouros (moors). In 2016 the villagers of Cereixa decided to restore and research this archaeological site. This article reviews the crucial role played by community archaeology throughout this particular process of heritage empowerment. Our work-team’s strategy draws on popular religion, folklore, and traditions to test the powers of science, and to provide a tourist resource that can foster local development while consolidating identity references. This paper includes some reflections on the methods of community management as part of an alternative and counter-hegemonic model.
KW - Galician culture
KW - ethnoarchaeology
KW - empowerment
KW - Identity Building
KW - emotional archaeology
UR - https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85097911609&origin=inward&txGid=dca57cc75b72a6b02a0eab7cea35af9b
U2 - 10.1080/20518196.2020.1857502
DO - 10.1080/20518196.2020.1857502
M3 - Article
SN - 2051-8196
VL - 8
SP - 145
EP - 159
JO - Journal of Community Archaeology & Heritage
JF - Journal of Community Archaeology & Heritage
IS - 3
ER -