Lanzarote seems to have been spared some of the horrors of the tourist industry thanks in many ways to the "benevolent" guidance of Lanzarote's leading international artist, Cesar Manirique. He is now no longer alive but he has certainly left a lasting impression on the Island of Lanzarote particularly in the building codes and his architecture which is either the focus or central to places like Timanfaya, his old house which is now a foundation and Mirador del Rio, a spectacular vantage point perched on the cliffs overlooking the Island of Graciosa. Certainly his fame seems to have spread far and wide, for when I first arrived in the Canaries his name was one that popped up immediately. Interestingly enough I did not really get his influence till I visited some of the more traditional towns second time round. I visited Yaiza in the south, Caleta de Famara, on the northwest side of the Island, a place it seemed to me kindred in spirit to Caleta de Sebo in Graciosa, Teguisa, the old capital of Lanzarote and Haria whose outskirts are depicted here.
Of note are the traditional white buildings with a simple colourful accent. Brightly painted window frames and doors in 4 basic colours, green, blue, brown or natural wood. All the towns I mentioned above had an old world charm to them and conformed to this style of decoration and architecture but it was the town of Haria that seemed the most beautiful to me. Click on the image above for a not so comprehensive tour of the place.