Conversation with Ana Martínez Arenaz and Jaime Oiza Galán

The discussion, held at A Coruña's Archaeology and History Museum, features museum manager Ana Martínez Arenaz and museum director Jaime Oiza Galán. The two museum staff members discuss the relationship between the museum and the UNESCO-listed lighthouse, and the city's cultural landscape.They explain how the Tower functions as A Coruña's primary monument in the absence of competing religious architecture, serving as the city's emblematic symbol and most visited site alongside the museum housed in the San Antón fortress.The conversation explores artefacts from the Tower of Hercules' excavation campaigns displayed in the museum, visitor engagement with A Coruña's legends, and personal memories about the lighthouse. The museum staff discuss the possible cultural barriers affecting visits to heritage sites by local residents.A significant theme emerges around Geryon's underrepresentation compared to Hercules, with participants discussing recent artistic attempts to reclaim this figure through street art (Xeriongram) and children's literature. Contemporary reinterpretations seek to rehabilitate Geryon as a relatable, non-threatening local character with Galician features, rather than Hercules' defeated antagonist.