We have called this press conference to inform the residents of Totana and also anyone interested in history and heritage, in reference to our archaeological site of La Bastida.The problems that have occurred in this archaeological site are well known, when at the end of 2017, the Bastida Project research team had its pluses and minuses with the Totana city council and with who was then councilor for archaeological sites, today our mayor Juan José Cánovas.This was the seed that led to the creation of our Platform in Defense of the Bastidas-UAB Project.The problems of yesteryear, which in addition to, due to the lack of funding from the Autonomous Community (problem solved with aid for research and excavation for archaeological sites in the Region of Murcia with the contribution of one million euros), were the The same ones that we meet again today: the lack of empathy on the part of the political representatives of the government team of our municipality, regarding what has been the most important site in the Bronze Age of Western Europe.The issue of monitoring the site has always been a subject of conflict due to the high cost it entails for municipal coffers.
No one is going to deny that, but it is also true that since 2017, from the PDPB-UAB, ideas have been presented so that this problem can be solved.Actually, La Bastida has always been related to the high cost of surveillance, to the point that the numbers presented as city council expenses were exaggerated by the then Councilor for archaeological sites and today our mayor Juan José Cánovas ; accounts that we proved to be false, and that were only intended to put Project Bastida in a bad place.We have to bear in mind that all the money invested in La Bastida, apart from what is maintenance (electricity, water, surveillance ...), like any other municipal building, has been achieved with projects presented by the research professionals of the Bastida Project, amounts that exceed 4 million euros, and have been for the benefit of our municipality.
Also the good image outside our municipality thanks to its informative work, in which both national and international media have been interested.All that work achieved is what is now at risk.
They say from the authorities that they want the Bastida Project to be maintained and that the professionals continue with the investigation at the site, which does not make sense, since there will no longer be materials to investigate.
The truth is that with the transfer of the pieces to Murcia, they are being invited to leave.We must be aware of the impact of the departure of the Bastida Project team from the site.
The facilities would remain in the hands of God, with the risk that this entails for acts of vandalism to occur in the buildings themselves, which are equipped and could be looted, as well as the site at the foot of the mountain where they could return furtive for their plunder.
There are precedents in our nation, in which deposits of great importance, such as the Romano de Segóbriga deposit, in which due to a bad political decision they decided to leave it abandoned also to save on surveillance.
After a few years they had to invest much more than they did not spend to be able to recover it from its damage.There is not a municipality in our region that has come up with such nonsense.
Anyone who has a moderately important site has worked so that the pieces remain in their territory through a museum.
Here they were working with a table created for such a case at the request of a political group in one of the plenary sessions.
Each party proposed to this working table someone they trust in their representation, which was interrupted due to the pandemic.
This pandemic has been taken advantage of to act behind the back of the other parties and also the citizens, with nocturnal and treacherous acts, without going through the plenary session of the city council a decision of such caliber.
Once again, this shows bad faith on the part of those who should look after the interests of the municipality.The Bastida project was forged with the intention of being the Argar research center, a place of reference for the study of the Argaric culture, whose headquarters would be established in our municipality in the Bastida facilities.
That is the reason why the archaeological pieces were studied in situ, at the foot of the field, and always with the purpose of setting up a living museum, or interpretation center, at the site itself in the building enabled for this purpose, in which The excavated materials from each campaign would be exhibited temporarily, and with the purpose of achieving a more important archaeological museum in the urban area, where the pieces would be permanently exhibited.
But that, our Government team does not like.Apparently, all the problems in this municipality lie in the cost of keeping watch on La Bastida to guard the excavated archaeological materials.
As I have commented previously, since our journey with the Platform in Defense of the Bastida Project - UAB, in different meetings that we have had both with opposition parties and with the municipal government, we have always presented ourselves in a conciliatory way and with ideas to try to solve possible conflicts.
On the topic of surveillance, we came up with three ideas: The first, to be able to supply surveillance through student volunteers.
Which would be financially compensated for being combining their work from the facilities and thus significantly reduce the amount of security.The second, instead of being carried out by a security company, could be supplied with troops from the local Totana police force, doing office work directly from the site itself.
This proposal was consulted with some members of the municipal agents themselves, who told us that they did not think it was a bad idea.The third, converting our site into an archaeological park, and being managed by a Foundation.
This would involve other entities, both public and private, so maintenance would not depend so much on the city council Of all these measures, all were problems and none were taken into account by making all kinds of excuses, which makes us think that the underlying problem is not so much one of means but of will.
From the Platform in Defense of the Bastida Project, we request that the decision to transfer the archaeological pieces to Murcia be revoked, and that all the parties, all, get to work together with the team of the Autonomous University of Barcelona to continue with the research, as with the creation of the museum or museums to promote La Bastida and thus promote tourism in our municipality.Let us not forget that Totana has a great Heritage, and that it is our duty to defend it, conserve it and put it in value.
