"Archive of Mourning" commemorates Madrid terror-attack victims

Madrid, Mar 9 (EFE).- Curtains, tablecloths, clothing and an immigrant's residency papers are among the objects bearing messages of peace and unity that make up the "Archive of Mourning," a collection of more than 70,000 pieces with which Spain commemorates the victims of the March 11, 2004 terrorist attacks in Madrid.

The collection, assembled by Spain's Higher Council of Scientific Research, or CSIC, is intended to help reconstruct what happened on that tragic morning through the preservation and analysis of certain materials that, because of their ephemeral nature, tend to disappear.

The social impact caused by the death of 191 people in the explosion of 10 backpack bombs on four commuter trains sparked an outpouring of grief that is poignantly captured in these 2,482 photos, 495 objects of all kinds, 6,432 papers and more than 58,000 digital pieces.

The materials gathered at the Atocha, El Pozo and Santa Eugenia railroad stations, where the terrorists exploded the bombs, and the recordings and photos made by investigators and volunteers afterwards, have contributed to the study of this ritualization of mourning in public spaces.

A moment of crisis like the March 11 attacks meant a return to rituals and the importance of the written word, Cristina Sanchez-Carretero, coordinator of the "Archive of Mourning," said Tuesday during its presentation to the media, together with CSIC President Rafael Rodrigo.

About the study, Sanchez-Carretero spoke of the variety of materials that citizens used to express their sentiments, among which predominated the desire for peace.

Notable among the materials used are curtains that "had been directly yanked out of the house to write the word 'peace' on them," the tablecloths recently used for a meal, the clothing and even an immigrant's residency papers that were all used to write messages on.

Sanchez-Carretero also pointed out the "local nature" of the response of Madrid residents compared with, for example, the reaction of New Yorkers after Sept. 11, where messages expressed patriotism and unity with the government based on the fear of terrorism and the common enemy.

In Madrid the messages were mainly positive, with the repetition of the word "peace" and the idea of building a better world, together with the well-known slogan "All of us were on that train."

Those three messages are the ones repeated most on the items compiled in the public places that were taken over by citizens following the attacks to speak out immediately, the researcher said.

She also said that the expressions of sorrow "erased" any borderlines between poetry and rock, and make "Antonio Machado and Bruce Springsteen equals" in the messages.

Original poems, some very complex, pieces by popular authors and song lyrics mix with slogans, passages from the Bible and quotes from Martin Luther King in these documents, among which there are also letters to the victims and chronicles of the events that occurred on March 11, 2004.

The many religious images found in those places have surprised investigators, who have analyzed 919 Catholic testimonies found on altars (pictures, rosaries, crosses, crucifixes, and above all, holy cards), although some Orthodox and Islamic messages were also found.