Aranzadi begins the search for the bones of the Giant of Altzo
- Excavations are taking place in the cemetery under Altzo. It has been 160 years since the death of the giant, and it is still to be determined whether his bones are in the place of the facts.
The Society of Sciences Aranzadi has been working since Wednesday to search for the remains of Miguel Joaquín Elizegi, known as the “Giant of Altzo”, next to the church below Altzo. In fact, the location of the remains of the giant deceased in 1861 is today a mystery.
A man of about 2.40 meters became a popular legend of the time, leaving that small Guipuzkoan town and touring Europe offering shows. He lived in his hometown in the last years of his life and died a victim of an illness. Although he was buried in the local cemetery, no one knows if the bones remain in the cemetery, so they were exhumed and stolen.
According to the newspaper Berria, the descendants of the Giant of Altzo (Bizkaia) have moved to the site. They have also heard of the historical rumor of the theft of human remains. In any case, the mayor, Txomin Rezola, said that “this has never been known.” The objective of the research is, therefore, to form once and for all an “official version”.
Hypothesis
According to forensic scientist Paco Etxeberria, at the Museum of Man in Paris there is, as the Giant of Altzo, a skeleton with acromegaly. They don't know who those bones are, so if the remains of the Altzo Giant have been stolen, it's possible that those of Paris will be their bones. Therefore, if the remains were not found in the excavations of the cemetery, Aranzadi still has to follow the thread.
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