1 Diciembre, 2021 culture,césar manrique
Not sure what to do in Lanzarote? A visit to Cacti Garden is an excellent plan full of art, culture, and many cacti!
Lets Know about Lanzarote culture:
The Cacti Garden in the north of Lanzarote is a perfect mixture of Guanche culture, art, nature, and gastronomy. This souvenir wants to represent all these qualities harmonically so that you don't forget this great tourist experience in Lanzarote.
“César Manrique was an important artist of Lanzarote, who, among many other works, designed this cactus garden”
The garden is located among the cactus trees in the village of Guatiza, on what used to be a quarry for the extraction of rofe. César Manrique saw how an apparently dead space could become a piece of art respectful of the nature and culture of Lanzarote.
The cactus is a symbol of the Lanzarote peasants, as they knew how to take advantage of its properties to fight against the dry climate of the island. In this garden, there are 4,500 specimens of 450 different species, all of them grouped in 13 families of cactus that César Manrique distributed among the corridors and stairs of volcanic rock.
An important element of the garden is the gofio mill in the upper area, one of the most important architectural figures in the culture and economy of the Canary Islands.
“Gofio is a roasted maize flour, also called millo, which was traditionally ground on stone by windmills, and then refined by hand”
For the Guanches, gofio was and still is one of the primary sources of energy in their diet. It was, therefore, also of great economic importance. It is an important part of Lanzarote's history and culture. In the garden itself, you can see how gofio used to be made and learn more about the island's culture.
But that's not all, because although nature and gastronomy are very important in this place, the local artist César Manrique put it all together with impressive murals, sculptures, and bathrooms of very peculiar architecture.
In short, the Cactus Garden has everything that gives the island of Lanzarote its identity, so whether or not you visit, it's filled with key elements you're guaranteed to enjoy on your trip.
In conclusion, in the Catus Garden designed by César Manrique, and its surroundings are a must to enjoy quality tourism in Lanzarote. Therefore, the area deserved its own magnet.
My experience visiting Cacti Garden
If you visit the garden and are interested in learning more about the Guanche roots and culture of Lanzarote, I highly recommend attending one show on how the gofio mill works.
It is also very interesting to learn about their historical and economic influence, oh, and don't forget to ask about 'asientos de suegras' :)
By Yaiza Parra
Now you know one of the best cultural plans to do in Lanzarote. Don't miss out on other ways to discover the island in the blog's tourist guides.
“A windmill, corn, cactus and a representation of the art of César Manrique, are the elements included in this magnet, one of my favourites!”
