Carpets of salt
The art of making carpets with salt is on display on the Corpus Christi celebrations. There is no documentation as to the origins of this unusual art, but there are memories in some inhabitants of Lanzarote about those beginnings.
Relying on those memories we can be quite sure that the making of the carpets of salt began around 1930 to 1935; they were made with salt donated, amongst others, by Lloret & Llinares Canning Co., covering an area that stretched from the church of San Ginés to La Plazuela. In those times the carpets of salt were watch over by the Army (in full gear) who stood in attention when the official committee passed by. The many different colours of the carpet were achieved with dyes bought at Don Rogelio Tenorio's pharmacy, and later on at the hardware stores. There came a time when the making of the carpets became a very neglected matter (apparently because during Franco's rule it was of an mandatory nature, and when the regime no longer existed, the art of the carpets began to fade away). Lately though, thanks to the initiative of many of the locals, the making of the carpets of salt has had a welcome rebirth.
At present, there are countless numbers of artists who participate in the celebration, including private institutions, as well as social and religious organisations.
Photographs of carpets of salt. 2001
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Esta pagina ha sido realizada por Sarabel y Chino.
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