Burgos

5 Sept 2025

After yesterday’s exciting visit to the archeological dig site, today I spent time in the Museum of Human Evolution in the big city of Burgos. The Spaniards abbreviate the Museum as MEH which just made me laugh because it was anything but meh. There I viewed the actual fossils discovered at the dig site and the explanation of the development and destruction of the cave system that housed many species of hominid and others for millions of years. I didn’t take a single photo inside the museum as I was too busy absorbing interesting information.

One thing that has stuck with me is how archeologists have been able to identify signs of community helping each other just from looking at bones. One example was the skeleton of a young girl 10-12 years old with a skull deformity that would have ended her life in toddlerhood were it not for the extra care of her people. The same goes for an “elderly” pelvis of a 45 year old man who was riddled with arthritis. Someone took care of them. There was a skull with a broken tooth and signs of infection in the bone. Someone must have chewed his food for him while he healed! Amazing.

After the museum I headed into the Cathedral- started in 1221, it is a gothic style cathedral with many later architectural style embellishments in the centuries that followed. Burgos is the home city of the famous El Cid who fought against the Muslims and was portrayed in Spanish history as the knight ideal. He (and apparently his horse) are buried here.