La Virgen de La Regla

This past Friday in the tiny town of Tinajo residents gathered before sundown in a procession to honor La Señora de la Regla.

Maite, whose grandmother is from Cuchillo, a hamlet of Tinajo, plays saxophone in the band and Xavi and I went to join the festivities. Nuestra Señora de la Regla (which translates both as “rule,” and menstruation) belongs to the ermita, or tiny church, in La Vegueta. The church is situated high above a valley that spills out away from the volcanoes and down to the sea. Fields of volcanic soil are cultivated for grapes and other crops here, in an agricultural system unique to Lanzarote. Walls of stone are fashioned in half circles to protect crops from strong winds, and the volcanic soil traps moisture that falls at night to sustain plant growth in the desert environment.

The virgin Regla is uncharacteristically dark-skinned, and she is said to have been brought back to Tinajo by a Lanzaroteño who immigrated to Cuba in the 17th century. Supposedly he acquired La Regla from some Franciscan monks as a display of thanks for the fortune he amassed while in Cuba. Other sources indicate that the locals in La Vegueta were fishing when the image of the Virgin Regla appeared at the water’s edge.

Summer in Lanzarote means many a saint, patrona, and virgin has a turn around the plaza. On Saturday night I attended another festival in Femes, where Esther and her theater group, Somos, performed for the village.

This is an audio slideshow I made about the event, enjoy!



Recently I've been biking around the island on a bike a friend of the family lent me and learning salsa with Maite and Xavi (dancers and salsa instructors). Tomorrow I hope to go see Jorge and his singing group in Teguise! Also, soaking up world cup fever - Vamos España! Making history – first time to world cup finals!!!