Villa de Mazo
Located southeast of La Palma, this municipality boasts the largest number of registered artisans in the entire island. Its historic center, its agricultural tradition and its original festivities make it a recommended stop for any visitor.
Get Closer to the Palmerian Tradition
The strong point of this municipality is the artisan tradition, which translates into art, ceramics and traditional palm embroidery of high quality. Such is the fervor for this, that the Center for the Exhibition and Sale of Crafts is located in the Villa de Mazo. Craftsmanship finds its maximum expression in this municipality with the Molino de Cerámica (Ceramic Mill).
Another of the annual events highlighted in the Villa de Mazo is its Corpus Christi, which dates back to 1605 and was declared a Festival of National Tourist Interest in 1985 by the General Secretariat of Tourism. Each spring the municipality fills with color, through its arches and carpets months in advance by residents out of natural ingredients, such as flowers, moss, and so on.
In this sense, for those who want to investigate more in the areas of Corpus and embroidery, the “Casa Roja” Museum of Embroidery and Corpus Christi is located in Mazo. In the lower area of the museum, you can find a wide variety of documents and photographs relating to Corpus Christi. Also, in the upper part, there is a great variety of embroideries and openwork that constitute an important part of Palemerian craftsmanship. It is a great opportunity to soak up part of the local and moreover, insular essence and identity.
But the Mazo festivities do not end with the Corpus. Another of the most popular and popular festive events is Borrachito Fogatero. This is a festival declared an Asset of Tourist Interest that revolves around a doll sitting on top of a wine barrel and which launches fireworks. A parade comprising the Giants and Cabezudos is added to this, a whole show and an event in the municipality.
The Villa de Mazo is also a great example of the conservation of the Canarian identity, both in its traditions that are still alive, and very interesting areas at the historical level such as the Cueva de Belmaco Archaeological Park, a real key point for any visitor who wants to discover part of the past of La Palma and the municipality. The environment has ten natural caves and a rock engraving station, where you can admire a large number of petroglyphs.
Taste Their Products
For those who want to taste products and see local crafts, its farmers' market stands out in the municipality. Este cuenta con gran diversidad de productos locales de la Isla y de la propia Villa de Mazo. There is a great diversity of local products from the Island and from the Villa de Mazo itself. Local farmers, ranchers and artisans gather every Saturday and Sunday to display their products and sell them to the public. After acquiring Palmerian products, it is well worth a walk through the streets of the town, especially along the steep cobbled street that leads to its main church.
Some of these products are cheeses, more specifically the fresh palm cheese that has its own Denomination of Origin and numerous international recognitions.
On the other hand, those who want to enjoy the sea, the coast of Villa de Mazo conceals the Salemera area, a fantastic place to swim and dive, especially in the large pool at its end. It’s a delight to walk through the vicinity of the Salemera exploring nearby bathing areas such as El Burro, La Cangrejea, El Pozo, or any of the typical and traditional neighborhoods that populate it. Its beach is a small cove of volcanic origin and black sand, where bathers and small boats that arrive in the area with fish tend to abound. In this sense, there is a restaurant in its surroundings where you can enjoy good fresh fish.
Routes can be carried out by bike or on foot. One of the most recommended is the one that runs along the GR 130 trail between this municipality and its neighbor Fuencaliente, or the PR LP 16 to the Roque Niquiomo. Even through a combination of trails (PR LP 17 and SL VM 125) you can reach a part of the mythical Route of the Volcanoes, since Villa de Mazo shares the Natural Park of Cumbre Vieja with other municipalities. For bike lovers there is a cycling route from the Refugio del Pilar to La Salemera, considered to be of a very high physical and technical level and only for experts.
