Ethnobotany and mining heritage: The case of Aljustrel

Authors

  • Ana Paula Figueira Institute of Contemporary History, University of Évora; IN2PAST — Associate Laboratory for Research and Innovation in Heritage, Arts, Sustainability and Territory, Nova University of Lisbon, Portugal
  • Luis Mendonça de Carvalho Botanical Museum at Beja Polytechnic University, Beja, Portugal
  • Ana Encarnação Municipality of Aljustrel
  • Victor Figueira CiTUR | Centre for Tourism Research, Development and Innovation, Beja Polytechnic University, Beja, Portugal
  • Francisca Maria Fernandes Institute of Contemporary History, University of Évora; IN2PAST — Associate Laboratory for Research and Innovation in Heritage, Arts, Sustainability and Territory, Nova University of Lisbon, Portugal

Abstract

Aljustrel is a mining town located in southern Portugal, within the Iberian Pyrite Belt and since the Antiquity the local geological resources have been exploited. As in most human communities, plants sustained the miners’ health, diet, and labor. Plants helped to address the hard conditions of mining life, because respiratory illnesses and wounds were very common and were treated with local medicinal plants. Besides healing, local flora was used in traditional soups and stews, providing nutrition. These practices revealed a deep interdependence between miners and plants who helped them in a demanding and harsh profession and were also seen as cultural elements of their community. In this study, miners and their families selected the plant species they considered most significant, both for their utilitarian functions and their cultural value, during periods of active labour and close engagement with the mining environment.

Keywords: Miners and plants, Aljustrel, material culture, traditional knowledge, medicinal plants

Author Biographies

Ana Paula Figueira, Institute of Contemporary History, University of Évora; IN2PAST — Associate Laboratory for Research and Innovation in Heritage, Arts, Sustainability and Territory, Nova University of Lisbon, Portugal

Coordinator Professor at Beja Polytechnic University, Beja, Portugal.

Luis Mendonça de Carvalho, Botanical Museum at Beja Polytechnic University, Beja, Portugal

Coordinator Professor at Beja Polytechnic University, Beja, Portugal

Ana Encarnação, Municipality of Aljustrel

Researcher associated with the UNESCO Chair in Ethnobotany, Beja Polytechnic University, Beja, Portugal

Victor Figueira, CiTUR | Centre for Tourism Research, Development and Innovation, Beja Polytechnic University, Beja, Portugal

Adjunct Professor at Beja Polytechnic University, Beja, Portugal

Francisca Maria Fernandes, Institute of Contemporary History, University of Évora; IN2PAST — Associate Laboratory for Research and Innovation in Heritage, Arts, Sustainability and Territory, Nova University of Lisbon, Portugal

Researcher associated with the UNESCO Chair in Ethnobotany, Beja Polytechnic University, Beja, Portugal

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Published

2026-05-25

How to Cite

Figueira, A. P., Mendonça de Carvalho, L., Encarnação, A., Figueira, V., & Fernandes, F. M. (2026). Ethnobotany and mining heritage: The case of Aljustrel. Ethnobotany Research and Applications, 34, 1–11. Retrieved from https://www.ethnobotanyjournal.org/index.php/era/article/view/8471

Issue

Vol. 34 (2026)

Section

Notes on Ethnobotany

License

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