Conservation and community archaeology: the Capdella cardboard hospital project (Catalonia, Spain)

This article discusses the archaeology and conservation actions carried out in the prefabricated Cardboard Hospital of Capdella in Catalonia, Spain. The project aims to sustain the hospital's materiality through co-created processes that incorporate the memories of its objects and the oral stories shared by diverse individuals over time. From its inception, the initiative has been shaped by a participatory approach in which the research team has sought to involve local stakeholders in each stage of the scientific process and its outcomes. One of the main findings reveals that community archaeology can serve as an essential tool for the preventive conservation of heritage sites. The article argues that by combining ethnographic and archaeological methods, it is possible to avoid silencing local perspectives, support the development of future multivocal narratives, and empower communities to articulate what, why and how archaeological heritage should be preserved.