The Graves of Francoism (Las fosas del Franquismo) is a project with a public service vocation that aims to promote democratic memory. Society has a moral obligation to undo the base of oblivion in order to never again repeat the most tragic episodes of our history. The project is multidisciplinary in nature, as it is approached from the perspective of archaeology, anthropology and historical memory.

The Diputación de València, with the Historical Memory Delegation, and the Department of Culture, with the Museums of Prehistory and L'ETNO, have produced two exhibitions, a publication and a programme of cultural activities, which aim to contribute to the truth, justice and reparation of the memory of the people shot in the Paterna Cemetery between 1939 and 1956. Special attention has been devoted to the victims and their families.

The exhibitions are: Archaeology of Memory. The Graves of Paterna (Arqueología de la Memoria. Las fosas de Paterna), organised by the Museum of Prehistory of Valencia, and 2238 Paterna. A place of perpetration and memory  (2238 Paterna. Lugar de perpetración y memoria), organised by L'ETNO, Museu Valencià d'Etnologia, which will help to strengthen critical thinking in the face of events that should never be repeated.

2238 Paterna. A place of perpetration and memory.

Approaching the contemporary exhumations of the graves of victims of Franco's regime from the perspective of social anthropology allows us to look beyond these graves. From this discipline, the analytical focus is placed on understanding in depth and in all its dimensions the dynamic social world that surrounds them and endows them with meaning, whether in institutional, associative or family environments.

From this point of view, exhuming involves much more than digging up bones. The view widens and allows us to introduce new agents, to move through time and space and to put ourselves in the place of those people who were murdered and humiliated by Franco's repression, as well as to walk with them along the paths of memory and oblivion.

All these issues are present in one way or another in the exhibition 2238. Paterna, Place of Perpetration and Memory, organised by L'ETNO. Through different spaces and periods, it takes us from the past to the present, from the houses and locked chests of drawers to the cemetery of Paterna and inside the graves, from the experiences of several generations to the suffering of men and women repressed for their way of thinking and living, for defending the legitimate government or for their political militancy.

In the first room (Room 2) we enter a mass grave. From inside, we are led to reflect on its existence and the reasons for the current demands for exhumations, thanks, above all, to the transmission of memory by women.

The first courtyard recreates the Paterna cemetery, showing us the spaces, the small and humble family tributes, the different political demands that have taken place there over time up to the present day.

In the second courtyard we can stop to assimilate all that we have been shown, digest the violence and fear of so many families and share the seeds of hope that encapsulate their demands.

This project is the result of the joint effort and work of many people: the curator, the person responsible for the design, the institution and its workers (restoration, conservation, communication, didactics, administration and management...). And, of course, it is the fruit of the generosity of the families who have selflessly allowed their private and intimate memory to become public heritage and collective memory.

Consult press release in the right-hand column.

The Graves of Francoism (Las fosas del Franquismo) is a project with a public service vocation that aims to promote democratic memory. Society has a moral obligation to undo the base of oblivion in order to never again repeat the most tragic episodes of our history. The project is multidisciplinary in nature, as it is approached from the perspective of archaeology, anthropology and historical memory.

The Diputación de València, with the Historical Memory Delegation, and the Department of Culture, with the Museums of Prehistory and L'ETNO, have produced two exhibitions, a publication and a programme of cultural activities, which aim to contribute to the truth, justice and reparation of the memory of the people shot in the Paterna Cemetery between 1939 and 1956. Special attention has been devoted to the victims and their families.

The exhibitions are: Archaeology of Memory. The Graves of Paterna (Arqueología de la Memoria. Las fosas de Paterna), organised by the Museum of Prehistory of Valencia, and 2238 Paterna. A place of perpetration and memory  (2238 Paterna. Lugar de perpetración y memoria), organised by L'ETNO, Museu Valencià d'Etnologia, which will help to strengthen critical thinking in the face of events that should never be repeated.

2238 Paterna. A place of perpetration and memory.

Approaching the contemporary exhumations of the graves of victims of Franco's regime from the perspective of social anthropology allows us to look beyond these graves. From this discipline, the analytical focus is placed on understanding in depth and in all its dimensions the dynamic social world that surrounds them and endows them with meaning, whether in institutional, associative or family environments.

From this point of view, exhuming involves much more than digging up bones. The view widens and allows us to introduce new agents, to move through time and space and to put ourselves in the place of those people who were murdered and humiliated by Franco's repression, as well as to walk with them along the paths of memory and oblivion.

All these issues are present in one way or another in the exhibition 2238. Paterna, Place of Perpetration and Memory, organised by L'ETNO. Through different spaces and periods, it takes us from the past to the present, from the houses and locked chests of drawers to the cemetery of Paterna and inside the graves, from the experiences of several generations to the suffering of men and women repressed for their way of thinking and living, for defending the legitimate government or for their political militancy.

In the first room (Room 2) we enter a mass grave. From inside, we are led to reflect on its existence and the reasons for the current demands for exhumations, thanks, above all, to the transmission of memory by women.

The first courtyard recreates the Paterna cemetery, showing us the spaces, the small and humble family tributes, the different political demands that have taken place there over time up to the present day.

In the second courtyard we can stop to assimilate all that we have been shown, digest the violence and fear of so many families and share the seeds of hope that encapsulate their demands.

This project is the result of the joint effort and work of many people: the curator, the person responsible for the design, the institution and its workers (restoration, conservation, communication, didactics, administration and management...). And, of course, it is the fruit of the generosity of the families who have selflessly allowed their private and intimate memory to become public heritage and collective memory.
Consult the brochure of complementary activities in the right-hand column.

Every Sunday of the months of the exhibition (July 2023 - April 2024) our guides will conduct free guided tours for all audiences to the temporary exhibition 2238 Paterna. Place of perpetration and memory, as part of the activities that will be carried out as part of the programme Las Fosas del Franquismo. Archaeology, Anthropology and Memory.

This programme, carried out jointly with the Museum of Prehistory of Valencia and the Delegation of Historical Memory of the Provincial Council of Valencia, includes another temporary exhibition organised by the Museum of Prehistory and which can also be visited at the La Beneficencia Museum Centre. It is called Archaeology of Memory. The graves of Paterna. The timetable can be chosen, i.e. you can see the Prehistory exhibition first (for example at 11 a.m.) and then the Ethnology exhibition (at 12:30 p.m.) or the other way round. They do not have a specific order, you can visit them as you see fit. 

Those who wish to visit the aforementioned exhibition should inform the information point at the Centro Museístico La Beneficencia, where groups of visitors will be formed.

The Turia Gardens are a space of indisputable urban, social and heritage value that has evolved with the city since its very foundation. In spite of everything, the awareness that allows us to perceive it in this way is still, to a large extent, yet to be built. The narratives, often focused on the catastrophic floods, have overlooked other types of economic, social and emotional relationships between the city and its river.

The conversion of the river into a garden from 1982 onwards expanded the idea that, before the transformation of the old river into a large green belt, it was a wasteland that was alien to the city. A place where nothing happened.

The result of photographic and documentary archive research, this exhibition tells the story of a reality that was more diverse and complex. The exhibition is divided into three sections: Living on the river, which focuses on the riverbed as a living space; Living from the river, which points out the different uses of resources often related to water; Living the river, which reveals the development of its social and popular use until it became a garden thanks to citizen mobilisation.

Looking at the past shows us how our everyday environment is constantly changing, the result of the evolution of the relationships between people and the environment they inhabit. Observing these processes helps to strengthen the emotional roots that link us to the spaces we inhabit, enjoy and are used to perceiving as natural and familiar.

València was not born with its back to the sea, as is often said, but deliberately facing its river.

The Turia Gardens are a space of indisputable urban, social and heritage value that has evolved with the city since its very foundation. In spite of everything, the awareness that allows us to perceive it in this way is still, to a large extent, yet to be built. The narratives, often focused on the catastrophic floods, have overlooked other types of economic, social and emotional relationships between the city and its river.

The conversion of the river into a garden from 1982 onwards expanded the idea that, before the transformation of the old river into a large green belt, it was a wasteland that was alien to the city. A place where nothing happened.

The result of photographic and documentary archive research, this exhibition tells the story of a reality that was more diverse and complex. The exhibition is divided into three sections: Living on the river, which focuses on the riverbed as a living space; Living from the river, which points out the different uses of resources often related to water; Living the river, which reveals the development of its social and popular use until it became a garden thanks to citizen mobilisation.

Looking at the past shows us how our everyday environment is constantly changing, the result of the evolution of the relationships between people and the environment they inhabit. Observing these processes helps to strengthen the emotional roots that link us to the spaces we inhabit, enjoy and are used to perceiving as natural and familiar.

València was not born with its back to the sea, as is often said, but deliberately facing its river.

​

Amb l’arribada del mes de setembre i l’inici del curs, L’ETNO presenta dues noves propostes per famílies i col·legis derivats de la nova exposició permanent No és fàcil ser valencià/na. 

Els projectes per famílies són dos: ETNOVIATGE i BUSCA L’ETNO. El primer proposa un etnoviatge en la secció de Ciutat (Ciutat: Global – Local) de la mostra permanent del museu, l’objectiu de la qual és que estes famílies puguen aprofundir i valorar/comentar entre pares i fills els continguts de la mostra sense necessitat de guia o monitor/a. Es tracta d’una guia que proposa diferents activitats sobre el fenòmen urbà. En ella les famílies desevoluparan exercicis i jocs sobre la mobilitat urbana, els edificis singulars, la forma de la ciutat antiga i el seu reflexe en la moderna, la festa urbana, les noves formes de consum o de treball, així com la diversitat cultural que aporten les persones que venen de fora.

ETNOVIATGE està pensat per famílies amb xiquets i xiquetes de 6 a 11 anys que puguen visitar i recórrer de forma autònoma (visita lliure) esta secció de l’exposició, i està organitzat amb exercicis amb diferents graus de dificultat segons l’edat. La guia pot completar-se durant la visita, en casa, o en una sala de descans que L’ETNO ha posat en marxa este estiu destinada al descans i la lectura, ubicada al final de la secció de la Ciutat.   

BUSCA L’ETNO és un joc en el què cal trobar a L’ETNO (mascota del museu) entre les diferents vitrines de tota l’exposició permanent. Una de les modificacions introduïdes fa dos anys amb la renovació de la mostra permanent del museu fou la instal·lació de vitrines menudes a baixa alçada dirigides a un públic més menut (menor a 6 anys). Estes vitrines mostren amb objectes (joguets) cadascun dels continguts de l’exposició, però amb una iconografia i un llenguatge pensat per xiquets. El joc proposa el repte per famílies de trobar la nostra mascota a llarg de l’exposició. 

Amb estes novetats, L’ETNO amplia la seua oferta per a públic familiar i proporciona recursos per a que les famílies puguen gaudir de la mostra de forma autònoma i puguen utilitzar el museu com un recurs per l’oci familiar.  

Durant els caps de setmana L’ETNO continua oferint les seues visites guiades realitzades pels conservadors del museu a les mostres temporals i permanents (per adults) i tallers de caràcter etnològic per xiquets i xiquetes. 

L’oferta per centres educatius i associacions es conforma amb: El joc de l’horta, joc de taula sobre l’ús de l’aigua dirigit a grups d'Educació Primària; De cap a peus, taller sobre indumentària tradicional, dirigit a grups d'Educació Primària i 1er cicle de l’ESO; Faltar o morir, projecte educatiu que reflexiona sobre la mort sorgit de l’exposició Faltar o morir. Un recorregut per l’absència produïda pel museu en l’any 2020, dirigit a grups d'Educació Primària, ESO i Batxillerat.

Com tots els anys, en arribar la tardor, L’ETNO posarà en marxa 7ena edició d’ESPANTA LA POR, projecte de recuperació de l’imaginari tradicional sobre la por, dirigit a grups d'Educació infantil i Primària. 

Així mateix, el museu continuarà amb els seus programes de salut i benestar: Caixa dels records, memòries d’una vida projecte dirigit persones amb demència en estat inicial, i L’ETN(H)OSPITAL, projecte en qual el museu proporciona recursos educatius pels xiquets i xiquetes ingressats en la Unitat Pediàtrica de l’Hospital Doctor Peset (UPH Peset) per millorar el seu estat emocional i afectiu
 

The network of Museum Itineraries in a gender perspective incorporates the gender perspective into the cultural visit to the museum. A perspective that studies the cultural and social constructions that are specific to men and women, that which identifies the feminine and the masculine. This network offers visitors to the participating museums a different reading of the collections on display, with the aim of promoting gender equality in the face of diversity. 

L'ETNO, Museu Valencià d'Etnologia has developed a gender itinerary or tour, selecting a set of pieces and spaces from its permanent collection that show significant interest in relation to gender representations. Visitors can consult and download the information and material necessary to follow the proposed routes at www.relecturas.es. 

These itineraries do not focus exclusively on the figure of women, but also explore representations of men and masculinity, as well as the presence of transgender identities, third genders or alternative genders to the Western dual system of sex/gender. They also focus on aspects such as gender ideology and systems, stereotypes and roles, relations between spaces, history and gender, etc. 

Some of the objectives of the Relecturas network are to contribute to the knowledge and dissemination of Valencian cultural heritage, to promote intercultural dialogue, to strengthen links between Valencian museums, and to boost cultural tourism. It also seeks to teach values of respect, coexistence and tolerance in order to achieve real and effective equality between women and men.

“El Maestrat Filmat” is a audiovisual project that brings to the present the different views that have been responsible for immortalizing this territory of inland Castelló (the north part of the Valencian country) throughout the last century. A proposal that aims to reflect on the visual imagery of this eminently rural territory. During the project, more than 20 film archive collections from towns such as Albocàsser, Benassal, Catí or Ares del Maestrat have been located and preserved.

This exhibition proposal is an adaptation of this documentary project. In the first part of the visit, the construction of the archive is presented. A constellation of images that show its origin, scope and context of creation, each one with its own characteristics. Discovering these collections will help us rethink their mere existence and reproduction, as well as their importance as documentary (intangible) heritage. Inside we can enjoy an audiovisual installation, a reconstruction of the interactive web documentary “El Maestrat Filmat-La Memòria Rescatada”.

The exhibition focuses on the origins, history and social relevance of the current Levante UD football club, one of the classic clubs of the city of València. 

The exhibition will deal with some of the following topics:
- The social and political reality of the maritime settlements at that time.
- Catholic trade unionism and the Catholic circles created to counteract the influence of the class unions. In particular, it focuses on the Patronato de la Juventud Obrera.
- The reasons for the forced merger of Levante UD.
- The problems betwenn the two teams' supporters and players. 
- The "dance" of symbology: colours, shields, kits.

*Photo of Levante in a match against Atlético de Madrid at the Vallejo stadium. 1957. L'ETNO Archive. Col. Márquez Lambán.

Through the exhibition, objects from the L'ETNO clothing collection (Casa Insa) are presented in dialogue with others that are part of the festival in different valencian towns. The main objectives of the project are:

• To value the work of L'ETNO in the recovery, conservation and restoration of the Casa Insa clothing collection.
• Help the museum visitor understanding how the Corpus Christi festival was a "performance" in which the whole society participated.
• To analyze the iconography that has configured one of the main Valencian traditions.

Between 2 October and 13 November there will be guided tours on Sundays at 11:30 a.m. by the exhibition curators. Languages: Spanish and Valencian.