To discover the lifestyle of Majoreri farmers, as it was until a few decades ago …
Closing day:
At the Ecomuseo de La Alcogida, located in the city of Tefía (Puerto del Rosario) the visitor is welcomed by some stone houses, built with typical materials of that period (lime and water). The roofs are “cake” (a mixture of water, earth and straw) and for this reason in winter with the rain the walls are stained and look old.
In the summer, the walls are painted again to show their pristine white.
You can visit seven houses of different types of architecture, from more complex constructions typical of the wealthiest families with modest buildings that recall the humble past of Majorero farmer..
Visiting La Alcogida you discover the lifestyle of Majoreri farmers, as it was up to a few decades ago.
The houses were inhabited until the seventies of the last century, and later restored by Cabildo in the 90s.
Currently they host a museum where it is possible to know the ethnographic values of the Majorera culture. Each of the houses retains the name of its former owners. Indeed we find the house of Mr. Jacinto, the house of Herminia, Mr. Teodosio Ramos, Los Herrera and Los Cabrera, families who lived there until the 70s.
The dryness of the soil and low rainfall of Fuerteventura forced Majoreri people to design a complex water collection system: topsail, cisterns, drains, pipes and wells, elements that are integrated into the landscape of the “Alcogida“.
The Ecomuseum maintains the name that the inhabitants of Tefía gave to this area since all the land was channeled to collect rainwater.
The Tuno plants, Tabaiba, resist the dryness of the soil.
In the Alcogida´s museum you can see videos on how the craftsmen work with the typical tools: palm, clay, stones and canvas.
Whoever wishes can take a piece of Majorero crafts as a souvenir in the shop crafts located in the house of Mr. Jacinto.
In addition, a mill can be seen from the village.
The mills were once used to grind the gofio and today they are shown to the visitor in the midst of arid terrain remembering Don Chisciotte´s landscapes.
Nearby is the Astronomical Observatory of Fuerteventura, a public accessible space for the observation of the night sky and the stars.
A few meters from La Alcogida there´s a large building, where time´s ago was located the first island airport, a barracks and a place of imprisonment for opponents of the Franco´s regime.
The first planes landed here in Tefia from 1940 until 1953, year in which the track moved to the Los Estancos area closest to Puerto del Rosario.
Little remains of that past.
Today the building serves as a refuge and a center for multiple cultural activities and its own use is managed by the Cabildo of Fuerteventura.
Information: phone number: +34 928 858 998,
emuseos@gmail.com
by : Angela Pasquali
translation in English : Matteo Ferrini
photos: Maurizio Bertuccelli
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