The paleontological and archaeological museum “Ildefonso Recio Valverde” (Totanés, Toledo). A new area for understanding our past

Abstract

The Palaeontological and Archaeological Museum “Ildefonso Recio Valverde” was recently opened in Totanés (Toledo). The material included in this museum mostly belonged to the personal collection of I. Recio, who donated it to this municipality to contribute to the dissemination of Palaeontology and Archaeology. Its creation, and the even more recent discovery of a Neolithic cromlech in its vicinity, provides this small village with great potential to become a centre for heritage tourism and scientific outreach. This paper presents the process of arranging the museum and cataloguing the paleontological collection, as well as outlining its value as a local museum.