The expansion works at the Madrid City Council's Comprehensive Training Center for Security and Emergencies (CIFSE) have uncovered a vestige of the past that has surprised everyone. During the construction of the new classroom building in the Latina district, workers stumbled upon the remains of the shell of a giant turtle that lived more than 15 million years ago, during the Miocene period. The discovery has become one of the most significant paleontological news stories in the capital in recent months.
The Deputy Mayor and Councillor for Security and Emergencies, Inma Sanz, accompanied by the Councillor for Public Works and Infrastructure, Paloma GarcÃa Romero, visited the site to confirm the discovery. Sanz noted that this is not the first time municipal works have unearthed valuable fossils: mammoth remains were previously discovered at the Atalayuela fire station . "This project has also uncovered a very surprising find: the shell of a turtle over 15 million years old, from the Miocene epoch," declared the Deputy Mayor, visibly impressed by the depth at which the fossil was found.
A surprising discovery in the municipal works
The shell was discovered several meters deep during excavations for the new classroom building at Cifse, a training center for municipal police officers, firefighters, SAMUR-Civil Protection personnel, and traffic officers. According to Sanz, "It is absolutely astonishing that a turtle over 15 million years old has appeared here, and at such a depth ." Paleontology experts acted immediately and transported the remains to the Regional Archaeological Museum in Alcalá de Henares, where they will be studied and properly preserved.
Identification and scientific value
Initial analyses indicate that the shell belongs to the species Titanochelon bolivari , a large land tortoise that inhabited the Iberian Peninsula during the Early and Middle Miocene. This species is particularly well-known in Spain thanks to the fossils housed in the National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN-CSIC). A study published in 2014 by researchers from the UNED (National University of Distance Education) and Aristotle University of Thessaloniki allowed for the reconstruction of the anatomy of these animals, which could reach shells of between one and two meters in length and had robust limbs covered in ossified scales. The discovery at Cifse adds a new piece to the puzzle of the prehistoric fauna of Madrid, a region with a rich fossil record of giant tortoises.
The project for the new classroom building at Cifse
The discovery has not halted construction, which continues as planned. The new Cifse classroom building represents an investment of €16,8 million and is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2027. The nearly 9.720-square-meter building will connect to the existing facilities and will include workshop classrooms, a large lecture hall, an immersive classroom, multipurpose rooms, and an underground parking garage with 60 spaces for cars and 62 for motorcycles. In addition, a large, multifunctional outdoor area will be created so that the various emergency services can conduct exercises and maneuvers simultaneously, something that was not possible until now.
The Cifse already has around twenty classrooms, three shooting ranges, a diving pool, a multi-purpose pavilion, and an auditorium for over 200 people. The expansion will allow the center to meet the increased training needs of the municipal security and emergency services, whose practical exercises require open spaces to simulate interventions and emergency situations. The paleontological discovery, far from being a setback, has added unexpected historical value to a project that aims to improve the training of the professionals who ensure the safety of Madrid's residents.
Thus, the shell of the Titanochelon bolivari turtle joins other similar discoveries in the region, such as the remains of prehistoric elephants found in Vallecas or the mammoth of La Atalayuela, and reinforces Madrid's importance as a first-rate paleontological site. The fossils are now in the hands of specialists at the Regional Archaeological Museum, who will analyze them to extract as much information as possible about what life was like on the Iberian Peninsula millions of years ago, when giant prehistoric turtles like this one roamed what is now the capital of Spain.