The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) was a global political event and experimental grounds to test modern weaponry and war tactics. One of the most consequential battles of the war was the Battle of Teruel, fought between December 1937 and February 1938. The vicious battle took place during one of the worst winters in Spain and considered to be the ‘Stalingrad’ of the Spanish Civil War. More than 40,000 soldiers from both sides died there. At least 406 of these soldiers were buried in a large mass grave at the site of San Blas, a small cemetery on the outskirts of Teruel. The soldiers were buried side by side, regardless of the side they fought for, with their weapons, uniforms, boots, and personal objects. This mass burial is the focus of this program.

Initial investigations at San Blas were carried out in 2022 and the remains of 18 individuals were recovered. One individual wore a uniform with brass buttons with symbols of the U.S. Army and other American artifacts. This suggest that American members of the Abraham Lincoln Battalion were buried at San Blas, and that more U.S. citizens may be recovered there.

This program is design to train students in the process of human remain exhumation from mass graves. The goal is to identify and bring closure to families and decedents of these dead. In addition, this program train students how to plan, execute, record, document and identify individuals from mass burials. While our hope is that such skills will not be needed, reality is different, and professionals trained in excavation of mass burials are still needed across the world.

This program will extract an emotional toll on its participants. Families of the deceased will be present and there is still a deep political division in Spain about its civil war. This program requires resilience, perseverance, strong ethics and attention to details. Consider how challenging this program is before applying.