Los Jameos del Agua is the first Art, Culture and Tourism Center created by César Manrique, in a natural space originated inside a volcanic tunnel. The artist, painter and sculptor transformed this space creating a unique work in the world that represents the maximum expression of his ideology: artistic creation in harmony with the environment and nature.
Inaugurated in 1968, Los Jameos is Manrique’s first major intervention in the Lanzarote landscape. The word «jameo» is of Guanche origin, and refers to the hole that occurs as a result of the collapse of the roof of a volcanic tube, in this case, the volcanic tube of the Corona, which erupted about 25,000 years ago César Manrique knew how to transform this environment and further enhance its beauty, creating an idyllic symbiosis between the potential of the cave and its creative resources. His vivid hands, together with his privileged mind, shaped the basalt to shape this space, declared Site of Scientific Interest and Asset of Cultural Interest in the category of Historic Garden.
In addition to the three jameos or openings in which the space is ordered, its natural auditorium stands out, with capacity for 550 people, formed by basalt stone that offers a magnificent and extraordinary acoustics. The stage is located inside a section of the volcanic tube, giving it an unprecedented beauty and sonority, and the seats are distributed following the natural slope of the ground. It is accessed from the Jameo Grande and its iconic pool.
The Jameos are the habitat of endemic species of great scientific value, among which the Munidopsis Polymorpha stands out: the famous Blind Crab, symbol of the center, which inhabits its interior lagoon, produced by seawater filtrations.
