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| The Cactus Garden was
the last work of César Manrique, finished in
Lanzarote in 1991. In 1973 the artisthad already restored
the mill that ornaments the limits ofthe Centre, with
the idea of changing some semiburied volcanic monoliths
into the main sculptures of a beautiful garden. And
a garden on the island could only be made of cactuses.
On the other hand, The Cactus Garden is an excellent
example ofhow to recover a deteriorated space because
it was built on an old quarry ofvolcanic ashes extraction,
also known as "rofe" or "picón"
and used by the peasants ofLanzarote to cover the crops
and keep the night humidity. This spectacular "botanical
garden" contains about ten thousand varieties of
catuses from morethan a thousand and four hundred of
different species, whose origin is found in America,
Madagascar and The Canary Islands, gathered by the late
expert botanist Estanislao González Ferrer. Nevertheless,
the intention of this workis notdidactic butesthetic
and entertaining as all the other spaceworkofthe author.
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All this is completed with
an old restored, white washed mill, that shows inside
the processing of"millo" flour, well known in
The Canary Islands as "gofio" and used from
time immemorial on the Islands.
From the building point of view, the most remarkable part
of the garden is its access, a space that prevents a parcial
view of the garden but in all its magnificence after passing
a smalllabyrinth ofbends. Thus, the visitor gets a wonderful
surprise when in front of him appears an imposing spectacle
of the stone amphitheatre, vegetation and, water. A huge
metal cactus of eight metres of height and bright green,
shows the arrival to the tourist centre.
The garden itself is surrounded by a sea of cactuses.
The area of Guatiza and Mala is the centre ofllcochinilla"
cultivation on the island. The "cochinilla"
is an insect whose female lives as a parasite in a kind
of cactus known as "tunera". From the larvae,
hand collected, a natural dye, the carmine, used in the
textile and cosmetic industries is obtained. This was
especially appreciated in the old times, before the discovering
of artificial colourings.
From the building point of view, the most remarkable part
of the garden is its access, a space that prevents a parcial
view of the garden but in all its magnificence after passing
a small labyrinth of bends. Thus, the visitor gets a wonderful
surprise when in front of him appears an imposing spectacle
of the stone amphitheatre, vegetation and water. A huge
metal cactus of eight metres of height and bright green,
shows the arrival to the tourist centre.
The garden itself is surrounded by a sea of cactuses.
The area of Guatiza and Mala is the centre of"cochinilla"
cultivation on the island. The "cochinilla"
is an insect whose female lives as a parasite in a kind
of cactus known as "tunera". From the larvae,
hand collected, a natural dye, the carmine, used in the
textile and cosmetic industries is obtained. This was
especially appreciated in the old times, before the discovering
of artificial colourings.
This Centre of Art, Culture and Tourism also has a small
restaurant with a terrace overlooking the garden which
is ideal for a rest after a long and hard tourist visit,
as well as a crafts and gift shop both perfectly integrated
in the complex. |
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