Fuerteventura

The island of Fuerteventura, with 1658 km², is the second biggest of the Canarian Archipel. It is an island with extended plains, as its relief corresponds in a state of advanced matureness. Although it had to suffer many volcanic eruptions along its geological history, they were never strong enough to counterbalance the erosive process, nor give it a much younger look.

The island is divided into 6 villages: La Oliva, Puerto del Rosario, Betancuria, Antigua, Pájara y Tuineje. The small island of Lobos with its 5 km² is part of the commune of La Oliva. This is due to the interrelation of factors such as the high pressure area of the Azores, the sea temperature and the topography.

One of the main characteristics is its mild temperatures (20.8&mord;C average temperature) with small variation throughout the year, little rainfall (an annual average of 105.2 mm), constant prevailing north-easterly winds and a lot of sunshine (70% of the total sunshine hours per year). The climate of the Betancuria Massif is considerably different from the rest of the island. Its more favorable humid conditions enable a series of natural elements to exist which are unusual on the island.

Given the lack of vegetation, the dominating feature of the landscape is the appearance of geomorphic formations which are interesting visually, cientifically, culturally and didactically. The most interesting formations can be found in areas of recent volcanic activity, examples of the erosive forms of old volcanic rocks, those covered with volcanic sand, the sedimentaries of the Basal Complex where fossils have been found and which have enabled geological dating. The specific areas are the Dunas de Corralejo and Isla de Lobos nature reserve, the area of volcanic sands of Lajares and Istmo de la Pared, El Cuchillete de Buenavista and the Jandía Massif.

The Dunas de Corralejo and Isla de Lobos nature reserve, with incredible, evocative landscapes with golden sands and beautiful beaches with amazing transparent, blue and turquoise-coloured waters; Tindaya Mountain, the Bayuyo Lavascape, an authentic geological extension of the island, and in particular the alignment of cinder cones, which can be visited by walking along the specially made footpaths; the Arenas Lavascape, the Arrabales Lavascape and the area of the Caldera de Jacomar, the coast of the Puerto de la Peña, the series of raised beaches.

In spite of the sparse vegetation, microclimatic factors favour the appearance of plant endemisms in certain areas, some of which are extremely important naturalistically, since they are examples of representative formations in a near natural state. Among these, we can highlight the following areas: The Vallebrón slopes, the Vigan Massif or the Cardones Mountain. Of particular note are the protected areas of Saladar de Jandía, the Carnicero Crags, and the crags of the Jandía Massif. Finally, it is also worth mentioning the palm groves in the Gran Tarajal Valley and Ajui with stunning examples of both the date palm (Phoenix Dactylífera) and the Canary Island date palm (Phoenix Canariensis).

Embroidery

This handiwork consists in removing threads from the fabric in order to form different designs on the woven material: these pictures are often inspired by wildlife or architectural motifs which have been taken from nature. The women from Fuerteventura have deservedly won recognition for this handiwork, this delicate art, which they generally carry out in their own homes and it is still common to see them sitting in the doors of their houses, bending over their embroidery frames and working on spotlessly white cloth.

The embroidery designs elaborated in Fuerteventura are very characteristic and they stand out for their delicacy and their excellence. This is one of the island crafts which has achieved greatest recognition on its own individual merits, and according to historians, it originates from Portugal. Buying and owning embroidered table linen is always a good investment, as they are unique pieces which have been worked with love and dedication.

Fabrics

Wools, both in their original colours and dyed, are generally used to make blankets which are produced from the yarn which is then woven on large wooden looms, and, later, various cloths are sewn together to obtain the sizes required for different uses. A large range of designs are produced on these fabrics, and among the most common are the spike and dog's tooth check. When it comes to colours, blue and pink (always combined with white) are the most popular.

Wood

Musical Instruments: Woodworking acquires its own importance with the production of musical instruments, and the temple and the violin are the most popular along with the guitar and the bandurria. Boats: Boatbuilding is also worthy of mention and in all seafaring communities, launches and boats are built and repaired so that they may be used fishing and sports activities.

Wickerwork

Some plant fibers are pliable which makes them ideal for working different objects. Palm and cane craftsmen work everything from hats to multipurpose baskets, and no new material has the necessary qualities to replace the plant fibers used.

Clay

Of all the rich and varied insular craftwork, clay is perhaps the one which is the most deep-rooted and traditional. Understandably, it is the oldest and originates directly from aboriginal culture. Traditional models are still made such as the tofio (a traditional milking bowl), the azadera, hornillos (cooking plates), and other such models which combine the usefulness and beauty of these elements, as these are still used today and are more than merely decorative items. Clay was for a long time the most exploited natural resource, and the fine pottery was used for household crockery.

Still not much is known about the origin of the first settlers on Fuerteventura, or for that matter on the Canary Islands in general, and there are many very different hypotheses. Nevertheless, the discovery of Libyan-Berber inscriptions has created the need to discover more about the origin of the settlers on the islands northeast of Africa. Recent research indicates that groups of Berbers came from this area and they were the first settlers in Fuerteventura - the former Majos - and some of their cultural vestiges still remain today, such as the words Tofio, Baifo, Tesjuate, and also certain land farming and cattle grazing methods.

The island was conquered and colonized by Juan de Bethencourt and Gadifer de la Salle at the beginning of the 15th century. On arriving at Fuerteventura, the conquerors established their own kingdoms in place of the existing Maxorata and Jandía ones, and the previous monarchs, Guize and Ayose, adopted the names of Luis and Alfonso, respectively. Settling in the present Valle de Betancuria, the conquerors built the Franciscan monastery which was responsible for evangelising the island. From the 15th to the 19th century, Fuerteventura was dependent on the Kingdom of Castilla, until in the 19th century it was incorporated into the Spanish province of the Canary Islands.

The population of Fuerteventura has kept increasing over the years to reach now nearly 70.000 inhabitants, divides over 6 communes. Puerto del Rosario with 24.175 inhabitants, is considered the most dynamic, as Betancuria in turn appears as the least populated with 708 inhabitants.