Xaló protects the Roman ruins and ‘La Bassa dels Arcs’ with the declaration of Heritage of Local Importance
The village council signs an agreement with the University of Alacante to continue excavating the ceramic workshop from Roman times. In addition, the local government team will take the 2020 municipal budgets to the plenary this Wednesday (December 4th 2019)
The department of heritage and the ethnology museum have begun procedures so that two of the most important historical sites of the town, which are ‘La Bassa dels Arcs or dels Sapena’ and the Roman ruin site of ‘Les Hortes’, are declared Heritage of Local Importance (H.L.I.).
With this aim in mind, the plenary which will be held this Wednesday will approve the opening of the two files. In practice, this will involve the immediate protection of the two sites, which are privately owned. However, the declaration of H.L.I. by the Ministry of Culture takes some time as it involves a long process.
The Roman site of ‘Les Hortes’ has so far provided evidence that there was a clay workshop where ceramics were made. In addition, tools for domestic use have also been found as there was also a villa next to it.
The importance of this site from Roman times has made it possible to sign an agreement between the municipality of Xaló and the University of Alicante to continue the research work. Thanks to this agreement, the excavations will resume in April next year.
Regarding ‘La Bassa dels Arcs’, it is a very unique piece of heritage in Jalon. The date of construction was between the late Eighteenth and early Nineteenth centuries. Its purpose was to collect the surplus water from the irrigation system (irrigation ditches, diversion dams and mills…) which existed then in Xaló.
As explained by the Councillor for Patrimony, Gerard Fullana, “the declaration of these two sites as heritage of local importance is an important step for the future catalogue of patrimony and protected spaces in Xaló, which we want to prepare next year”.
