The fourth phase of the research project at the San Marcial de Rubicón archaeological site in Yaiza will begin on September 18. This was announced by the southern City Council in a statement.
This campaign has been carried out since 2018, between the Government of the Canary Islands, the Yaiza City Council, the University of La Laguna and the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The objective is to "explore this enclave of high scientific and heritage level that shows the first contacts between European and native Canarian culture in the 15th century, and that on September 18 will begin its fourth investigative phase under the protection of the current agreement (2022-2024) signed by the intervening entities, a campaign that will extend until October 20 of the current year.
Within the framework of the patron saint festivities of Los Remedios, the Institution presided over by Óscar Noda programmed a talk and discussion last Monday to disseminate the results of the project with the participation of the archaeologist and former director of Cultural Heritage of the Government of the Canary Islands, Nona Perera, who has closely followed the research, and the archaeologist from the University of La Laguna, Esther Chávez, who together with María del Cristo González, from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, are leading the research.
The councilors of Heritage and Festivities of Yaiza, Silvia Santana, and Javier Camacho, respectively, value the high participation and citizen interest in knowing the scope of the initiative.
The meeting held at the Casa de la Cultura de Yaiza took a tour of the different activities that have been developed, with the attendees being able to see among the first results the terrestrial geophysics of the site and marine geophysics of the south coast of Lanzarote between Playa Mujeres and Punta de Papagayo; hydrogeological studies of the Los Pozos ravine; the digital documentation work of the San Marcial, de la Cruz and de la Pila wells (laser scanning and 3D photogrammetry) and the constructive study of the first two.
The talk closed with the presentation of the results of the excavations carried out so far, presenting the habitat spaces that have been brought to light so far, where the use of rammed earth for their construction has been verified, and the remains of the foundation of a defensive enclosure.
In addition, the various archaeological materials associated with the levels of use of these spaces were shown: remains of slag resulting from the transformation of metals, abundant remains of fauna for consumption, fragments of ceramics, both of aboriginal and colonial production, and several coins, with the countermark of a Gothic letter B, which evokes the initial of Bethercourt.
Finally, the objectives pursued by the next campaign, the fourth, which will be carried out between September 18 and October 20, 2023, were advanced.
