More bones may exist, but no further excavations are planned
The Algarve town of Lagos is preparing to unveil a slavery memorial next year to honour the 158 African slaves whose remains were discovered during a 2009 excavation.
The bones, uncovered in an urban waste site in Vale da Gafaria during construction of a car park, tell the harrowing story of Lagos as the first European city to bring in African slaves in the 15th century.
Archaeologist Elena Morán, director of the Museum of Slavery in Lagos, shared details of the planned tribute at the international conference “Slavery of Yesterday and Today: Servitude, Rebellion, and Oppression” in Lisbon on Wednesday. “The best way to honour these individuals is through a memorial,” she said, confirming its location near the excavation site.
The skeletons which were unearthed are being researched at the University of Coimbra’s Department of Forensic Anthropology, and the results are now part of a worldwide database, said Elena Morán.
The researcher said that the study is making it possible to confirm the provenance of these human beings, as well as the poor health of most of the skeletons analysed, whether due to malnutrition, traumatic impacts or violence.
Although she didn’t rule out the possibility of there being more corpses at the site where these 158 were found, Elena Morán said that the excavations would not be resumed.
“There may be other bones, an uncertain number, but we have no intention of excavating anymore,” she said.
The archaeologist added that the best way to honour the slaves would be to erect a memorial in the town, close to the area where the bones were discovered.
Elena Morán said she would like the memorial inaugurated next year, adding that the jury which will analyse proposals for the memorial has already been chosen.
