The Government of the Canary Islands, through the Ministry of Universities, Science and Innovation and Culture headed by Migdalia Machín, has signed an amendment to the cooperation agreement with the Yaiza City Council, the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the University of La Laguna to continue the archaeological research project at the San Marcial de Rubicón site in Lanzarote.
The update of the agreement responds to the recent discovery of thirteen burials, four of them infant, which requires a reorganization of the scientific and technical priorities of the project to ensure a rigorous intervention that avoids the irreversible loss of information.
This discovery is added to the one located in October 2024, when the research team documented what could be one of the first lime kilns excavated in Lanzarote, reinforcing the uniqueness of the enclave and the need to continue deepening its study.
With this addendum, the Ministry allocates an additional 150,000 euros, channeled through the General Directorate of Culture and Cultural Heritage and distributed between the two Canarian public universities. This funding complements the resources already committed in previous phases and responds to the request made by the scientific directors of the project, the researchers Mª del Cristo González Marrero and Mª Esther Chávez Álvarez.
Councilor Migdalia Machín has reiterated that "the protection of the Canarian cultural heritage is a task of vital importance, not only to understand who we were, but also to strengthen the sense of belonging and project our identity towards the future." She stressed that "each archaeological discovery is an opportunity to dignify our history, and that requires institutions to be up to the task, guaranteeing resources and continuity."
Since its inception, the San Marcial de Rubicón project has had the active involvement of the signatory institutions, which share its relevance in the historical and heritage research of the Canary Islands. The addendum now formalized reinforces the Government's commitment to scientific research from public universities and to the defense of the historical legacy of the archipelago.