The depopulation of rural Spain is one of the great demographic challenges of our time. But beyond the figures and statistics, this phenomenon has a heritage dimension that often goes unnoticed.
Architecture without inhabitants
When a village loses its last inhabitants, its buildings begin a process of deterioration that, without intervention, becomes irreversible. Roofs collapse, walls crumble and, with them, a unique testimony of our constructive history disappears.
The value of the vernacular
Rural popular architecture represents centuries of adaptation to the environment, experimentation with local materials and ingenious responses to everyday needs. Each construction is a document that tells us how our ancestors lived.
Proposals for action
The conservation of rural heritage requires strategies that go beyond simple restoration. It is necessary to find new uses that guarantee the economic sustainability of these interventions and contribute to revitalizing depopulated territories.