A few kilometres away in the village of Tahiche a wind sculpture heralds your arrival at Cesar’s Manrique’s former home which today houses the headquarters of the Cesar Manrique Foundation – an organisation which Manrique himself set up. The Foundation is a showcase of the intense cultural and environmental activity on the islands and traces the creative vision of the artist throughout the course of his life.
As you travel on to the centre of the island you will come to the village of Teguise, the former capital of the island which has since been declared a place of Historical and Artistic Heritage. The Santa Barbara Castle rises out of nearby Mount Guanapay which has been converted into the emigrant’s Museum. Whilst in Teguise the Spinola Palace – el Palacio de SpĂnola and the Palacio del MarquĂ©s de Herrera y Rojas are places well worth a visit. A popular, bustling market is held every Sunday morning.
Returning in the direction of San Bartolomé, in the geographical centre of the islands, you will see the Monument to the Farm Labourer – El Monumento al Campesino built in tribute to the arduous work of the island’s farmers. Behind the Monument, a museum shows typical Lanzarote architecture and rural way of life and you can also sample the island’s traditional cuisine.
This jpurney ends in the village of Tiagua where you will find the Patio Farm Museum, Museo AgrĂcola El Patio, an enormous country estate which has been faithfully restored in the island’s traditional rural style. It houses a variety of windmills, as well as a number of farming implements and tools displayed in a collection of outbuildings which are all typical of Lanzarote’s traditional architecture.