Dar valor a un territorio minero abandonado: Una propuesta para Las Minas (Hellín)

Abstract

Although the sulphur started to be mining by the romans, Las Minas de Hellín became an important settlement for the Spanish crown since the Modern Age. Anyway, it exploitation declined during the 18th century and it restarted during the 19th century. Along the 20th century, the modernisation of the facilities involved the neo-colonial control of the area by big companies, which after its closure in 1975 left an economic wasteland with important environmental problems. In this context, the mining remains and the modified landscape have become cultural heritage only when thinking as potential touristic attractions, moreover their conservation, recovery and valorising are important for the inhabitants of Las Minas and for the rest of the Hellín area subordinated to the attraction of tourists. Beyond real estate speculation, recovering and valuing the mining memory and its remains (train, furnaces, pits, cave-houses, etc.) could allow in a wider project revitalising the whole area. This paper is an exercise of reflexion and planning about how could and/or should be this project, starting with the participation of all the social actors in the area to decide which elements and practices should be considered as heritage and why should they. Our proposal, based in the ethnographic knowledge of the area and the study of others successful projects in Spain and Europe suggests interventions that first and foremost need to be supported and managed by the local community in order to build an innovative and sustainable project, both environmentally and economically.