Valleseco rehabilitates its 19th century laundry rooms to maintain tradition

PATRICIA VIDANES SÁNCHEZ and VALLESECO

The Department of Roads and Works of the Valleseco City Council, directed by Genita Rodríguez, has completed the rehabilitation and improvement works of the old Tierras Blancas laundries and the Zamora viewpoint.

The councilor explained that this action is part of a municipal project for the recovery of ethnographic elements and enhancement of Valleseco's heritage, a plan that began a few years ago with the recovery and beautification of the pillars, as well as of various roads and trails throughout the municipality.

In the past, in Valleseco the laundries were obligatory gathering places for women, meetings where all the news of the town circulated. At present they are still used by the neighbors, but they are also a mandatory stop for the thousands of tourists who pass through Valleseco. At present there are 49 cataloged laundries.

The Valleseco City Council, in a first phase, wanted to carry out the rehabilitation and improvement of the two most emblematic washing places, which date from the end of the 19th century, Tierras Blancas, in the area of ​​Lanzarote, and the Mirador de Zamora. According to the councilor for Roads and Works, the council "has limited itself to fixing the damage caused by time, but leaving the facilities as they were throughout history." The action has been carried out with personnel from the municipal company Somdevalle, and has involved an investment of 4,000 euros.

The Valleseco City Council points out that this northern municipality, with 49 historical registered laundries, is only surpassed by Arucas, with 53. However, it is in Valleseco where the tradition of washing clothes in old-fashioned laundries is most maintained , by hand and with running water. The estates with the highest density of laundries are Valsendero, with 15 units, Lanzarote, with 16, and the same town, which has 6 more.

Education. On the other hand, Genita Rodríguez also directs the Department of Education, which has completed the adaptation plan for the Rey Juan Carlos I school, for the new school year.

In this line, the mayor explained that numerous actions have been carried out in the educational center thanks to an investment of close to 7,000 euros.

The actions focused on the installation of parquet in all the Infant classrooms; in turn, works of painting the interior and exterior of the building. On the other hand, all the gardens of the school complex were conditioned, and finally, the walls were cleaned up and the entire exterior of the school complex was painted.

Rodríguez stressed that "the local government continues to work hard to guarantee the good maintenance of the school and thus meet all the demands that arise not only at the beginning of the course but also throughout the year."