From a very young age, history has aroused great interest in me. I remember on family trips forcing my parents to visit as many museums as possible in the place we were visiting. This interest never disappeared, quite the contrary: as it grew, the interest was greater. This led me to opt for a career in History.

During the years that I spent studying the degree, my interest in the Camp d'Elx grew, reading and researching more and more about the idiosyncrasies of each district, talking with my grandparents to collect all possible information about life in the past, registering my grandmother's traditional recipes, asking for objects already forgotten by all, etc. It was at this time that I discovered the Puçol School Museum. I became interested in this very particular museum and discovered that everything I had been doing on my own was done by the museum's colleagues, conducting research, receiving donations and preserving those objects that have no longer been used, recording the Lost ancient trades… At this moment I knew that I wanted to do my curricular internships in this museum and not in another.

The work carried out by the Museum is fundamental, since it is in charge of compiling and investigating all those characteristic aspects of life in the past in Campo de Elche. In addition, the imbrication of the museum with the school provides the boys and girls with a very enriching experience and teaches them the importance of the heritage of their city.

When I decided to do the internship for the Master of Archeology and Heritage Management at the Puçol School Museum, people looked at me strangely, probably thinking “what will an archaeologist do in Puçol?”. Many times we forget that archeology is in charge of studying what life was like in societies through its material record -not only the ancient ones. That is, to reconstruct the way of life of societies through the study of its material vestiges. With this thought I opted for this museum, thinking of trying to contribute my vision to the museum, to help as much as possible in its work of collecting and recovering the traditions of the field. During this time I have learned a lot, both from the Elche countryside and from the work that takes place in a museum; and it has led me to fall in love with a project that I believe is essential for Elche, that we must take care of and support among all of us.

Author: David Navarro, internship student at the School Museum.