Historical event in El Poble Nou de Benitatxell that recovers the memory of the municipality. After several days of excavation work, the discovery of the archaeological remains of the old l'Abiar washing place has been confirmed, a true symbol of local heritage that was buried when the road was built in the 70s.
Despite the great difficulty of the work due to the groundwater table, which constantly flooded the excavation area with water, the archaeologists from Arqueo Inventario, who are in charge of the local Heritage and Archeology Office, have confirmed the excellent condition of conservation of the washing place, which is 2,9 meters wide and is filled to a depth of 1,5 meters at the top and 2,4 meters at the bottom.
As the experts suppose, the laundry room would be at least twice as long as it is wide, since, according to the testimonies of the older women who have collaborated in the description and recreation of this space, at the time about five women washed on each side and two on each end. The pavement is ceramic and would be built with stone and lime mortar and topped with smooth wash stones, which have a characteristic inclination.
In addition to the laundry, other important elements have appeared, such as an old ditch that was separated from the laundry by a stone wall and a bottle dated between 1916 and 1934.
As established by the protocol, these findings have already been notified to the Ministry of Culture and the corresponding report is being written. For the moment, the area will be limited at the expense of the instructions of the Ministry with the following steps to follow for its recovery.
Important social space for women in the XNUMXth century
The lavadero de l'Abiar was in the first half of the 70th century a very relevant social space, especially for the women of the time, who came walking from the old town to do their laundry, taking advantage of the waters of the wells. In the XNUMXs it was covered up to build the current road and the underground pipes, but until now it was unknown if the laundry was destroyed or simply asphalted over it.
At the end of 2021, the government team began working on its possible recovery. In November, the area of Heritage and Culture, in charge of Víctor Bisquert, commissioned a study with georadar in the surroundings of the Pous de l'Abiar to try to locate and document it. This study concluded in December that "in the georadar profiles carried out, a series of anomalies have been detected, whose characteristics make us think that they could correspond to archaeological remains corresponding to various existing structures in the investigated area."
The next step was to document the location of the laundry and its characteristics through the oral testimony of different older residents who were familiar with its use at the beginning of the 2022th century. These testimonies were recorded and compiled, and in July XNUMX, the City Council premiered the documentary 'El llavador de l'Abiar' in an emotional public event. Memòria viva d'un poble' (can be viewed at the following link).
"We are very excited about this discovery," said the mayor, moved Miguel Ángel García. “It is a very important fact that recovers the roots and traditions of all the poor men and women. The lavador was a symbol and a precious space that one day, suddenly, they decided to snatch from us without any hesitation. Despite the opposition and the demands of the citizenry, in the 70s they covered it up and with it a part of our history as a people was buried. Getting it back is a triumph."
A triumph that, as assured by the Councilor for Heritage, Víctor Bisquert, has been possible thanks to the invaluable collaboration of the women of the town who have helped with their memory to be able to locate the laundry. “Without the testimonies of María, Teresita, Isabel and Lola, as well as Pepe Vidal, we would have had a difficult time. They and he have been our guides at all times. We will be eternally grateful to them."
Bisquert, also responsible for the Equality and Gender Policies area, has also highlighted the gender perspective of this finding. “This space was run almost exclusively by women, who, in a world of patriarchal organization, had to assume all domestic and child-rearing tasks, in addition to the work they did outside the home. Recovering the l'Abiar laundry is also paying homage to all those poor women who gave their all for us and valuing their efforts”.
