Professor Emiliano Aguirre’s library is part of the Atapuerca Memory and is made up of more than 2,200 books. These holdings are currently owned by the Emiliano Aguirre Paleontological Foundation and managed by the Atapuerca Foundation. It is a historical collection that includes titles dating back to the 1950s, as well as offprints and scientific articles ranging from the 1930s well into the 21st century.
Some of the books from the Emiliano Aguirre Bibliographic Collection. Photo: Susana Santamaría / Atapuerca Foundation
The Atapuerca Foundation and the Emiliano Aguirre Paleontological Foundation work together to fulfill the researcher’s wish that his personal library remain in Ibeas de Juarros (Burgos), as he always identified with the region and its people.
The bibliographic collection reflects Aguirre’s training and multidisciplinary interests in the natural sciences, such as geology, paleontology, biology, and zoology; but also in philosophy, the humanities, and theology. The collection includes books in different languages, showcasing his polyglot, inquisitive, and well-traveled character.
Professor Emiliano Aguirre was a leading scientific figure in the second half of the 20th century, first excelling in vertebrate paleontology and later in paleoanthropology, his great passion.
Doctoral theses from the Atapuerca Memory. Photo: Susana Santamaría / Atapuerca Foundation
In addition, this library holds a large part of the Atapuerca doctoral theses and academic works, such as dissertations and master’s theses (TFMs), supervised by Emiliano Aguirre, Eudald Carbonell, and José María Bermúdez de Castro between 1984 and 2025.