Malaga housing construction unveils possible Civil War shelter

History

An archaeologist from the city council has inspected a small cavity that appeared following the demolition of a house to make way for eight homes in the Pedregalejo district

Jesús Hinojosa

Construction work on an eight-unit building in the steep Monte de San Telmo area between Baños del Carmen and Cerrado de Calderón in Malaga city has led to the discovery of a cavity possibly used as a shelter during the Civil War.

Following the demolition of a house on Calle Jarama, during clearing tasks workers discovered the vertical opening in the eastern part of the Torre de San Telmo grounds.

"It's an archaeological zone. This area is protected. We've noticed what could be a cave. We are going to call the authorities," says the video shared on social media.

Following inquiries from locals, an archaeologist from the municipal planning department visited the area to investigate the nature of this small cavity.

According to sources, this opening in the mountain is barely a metre and a half deep and may have been excavated or used as a shelter or hiding place during the Spanish Civil War.

The project currently under way in the area plans to build eight homes with a swimming pool and 12 parking spaces on two basement levels.

"The cavity was at the level of the patio and served as an exterior storage area for the house. It was enclosed with a door," sources explained.

According to them, this discovery will not affect the ongoing development, designed by architects Moisés and Abraham Gómez Giner and Silvia Terrón Álvarez. Technicians will now measure the cavity to document it and remove any remaining debris.

The municipal planning department stated that, in principle, this discovery is not relevant from an archaeological point of view. However, it remains unclear whether this hole was deliberately made to serve as a shelter during the Civil War or was created by reusing an existing cavity that had been used as a quarry.