habitat rupestre.pdf - Società Friulana di Archeologia

EXCAVATED DWELLINGS IN SPAIN. FEATURES AND DISTRIBUTIONCRHIMA-CINP projectFig. 8-9-10 Barrio de Cuevas in Paterna: fl oor plan, detail and aerial photography.dwelling. This is why the majority of the settlements are builton flatlands, although there are also hillside settlements, justfewer of them.In the case of excavated barrios on the outskirts of Valencia,there is no documentary evidence as to their origins, althoughthey most likely result from renovation of areas originallyexcavated by the Arabs to store and preserve their harvestedcrops. With the expulsion of the Moriscos (Moors who hadconverted to Christianity and remained in Spain followingthe Reconquista) in 1609, which resulted in the loss of onethird of the population of the Kingdom of Valencia, the newcolonists arriving from Aragon and Castile found that many ofthose who had been expelled had destroyed their homes priorto abandoning them. The underground spaces used for storingfood were able to be enlarged becoming temporary accommodation,which over time became traditional housing.At the end of the 19 th Century, the major wave of migrationbrought about by the need for agricultural and industrial labourin and around Valencia and Alicante generated a need formore housing which in turn resulted in a major expansion ofthe settlements. Initially, the excavated dwelling neighbourhoodswere inhabited by people with limited resources, andthese were soon joined by those who had recently arrived andwere looking for work. The height of the pit-house neighbourhoodscame about during the first third of the 20 th Century,after which time there was a progressive deterioration, withthe marginalisation of its people and the abandoning of manyof the settlements.Currently, almost all the settlements have either been closedor demolished. Some municipalities have been sensitive to theissue of the excavated barrios and have put forward specialconservation and promotional programmes. Examples of thiscan be found in the municipalities of Paterna and Betera inValencia, Chinchilla in Albacete and Crevillente in Alicante.We can also find other examples of excavated flatland barriosin the municipalities of Rojales and Petrer in Alicante,Villacañas, Moral de Calatrava and Madridejos in Toledo,although in these examples, no attempt has been made byvolumeRicerca_OK_2012-11-15.indd 118 16/11/2012 15:02:08