The social archaeology collective Imastanen warned this Saturday about the Work begins on controversial racetrack of Tenerife, in the region of Arogo (southern municipality of Granadilla de Abona). After being warned by the inhabitants of the area, the members of this group went to the site and yesterday morning photographed the new sign posted these days, while talking with the workers present from the company that will be in charge of the excavations, those who explained the presence of various archaeological sites that these works could affect.
The group also verified that the perimeter of the work is fenced and informed the island heritage area of the news and its responsibility in protecting this indigenous heritage. Indeed, and after the relevant authorizations to carry out the analysis, last year, a total of 19 existing archaeological units, 17 ethnographic and 3 architectural.
The group hopes that, given the commitment of the competent administrations, these deposits will be protected, even if it fears that there will be consequences, it continues to oppose this equipment and wonders about the fate “of all these heritage riches if its existence had not been communicated some time ago.” a year, as part of a controversial project that has been continuing intermittently for years, with clearing work and the construction of structural roads.
Likewise, it asks what was the end of the archaeological and ethnographic assets extracted and transferred from their original context, “which have lost a large part of their value, which prevents their possible study and, therefore, the condition will be irreversible.” In this sense, they recall that “the archaeological context of some engravings contains many keys and meanings that only make sense in the original enclave; that is, where they were made. The motivations that led the Guanches to carry out these rock manifestations, in many cases to sacralize specific points of the territory, still remain partially unknown and the study of these valuable sites on site “This would provide a lot of valuable information about our ancestors, their beliefs and their way of life.”
Of course, and as up to now, they warn about the consequences of maintaining this heritage in the middle of a facility like a motor circuit. “It is difficult for us to understand how these other deposits that, due to their characteristics and fragility, cannot be extracted without being irreversibly damaged, manage to coexist and maintain their dignity and original cultural significance between the parking lots, pits, bends and asphalt straights of a motor circuit designed to host high-speed competitions.
This is why they warn that they will closely follow the next movements of a work that, in our eyes, clearly shows the incompatibility between the desire to preserve and protect our natural resources, the cultural and identity heritage and the development model proposed by the current managers of the territory.
