Urbanities,
Vol. 3
·
No 2
·
November 2013
© 2013
Urbanities
19
‘We don’t need to copy anyone’:
César Manrique and the Creation of a Development Model for Lanzarote
Maria Giulia Pezzi
(Karl-Franzens-Universität, Graz, Austria)
The article looks at the influence that the work of Lanzarote-born artist César Manrique has had on the
development of tourism in Lanzarote from the 1960s on, and how his aesthetic ideals have influenced the
appearance of the island today. Moreover, I have posed the question whether the peculiar tourist development
which occurred in Lanzarote as a consequence of the artist’s engagement can be considered as a pioneering
attempt at ‘place-branding’ and the relative marketing strategies. I have used applications of marketing and
advertising theories to the anthropological discourse on tourism. Considering the factors induced by Manrique’s
works and by his environmental and ecological activism, it is evident how the marketing of Lanzarote as an
Island with no equals has set within certain frames the general appearance of the Island, in accordance with the
image that needed to be portrayed. Tourism marketing, or place-branding, has differentiated Lanzarote from
other destinations in the tourist market, but by doing so a conflict between identity, authenticity and
thematization has been created.
Keywords:
place branding, tourism, authenticity, staged authenticity, anthropology of tourism
Introduction
Lanzarote is one of the seven islands that form the Canary Islands Archipelago, which is one
of Spain’s autonomous regions and is situated in the Atlantic Ocean. Lanzarote is the
northernmost island and its east coast faces Morocco, which is only approximately 150 km
away.
The most important historical event that has affected the Island seems to be the series
of volcanic eruptions that took place in the 18
th
and 19
th
centuries and completely changed the
apperance of the Island. These eruptions left the surface of Lanzarote covered with lava and
ashes, leaving little room or possibilities for farming the land. This situation led the
inhabitants to experiment in new ways of farming and producing goods, such as onions,
potatoes, wine and
barrilla
plants. The symbiosis between Man and Nature led to the creation
of humanized landscapes with unique formations and interesting features, as for example the
Vineyards of La Geria.
A series of unfavourable economic events and climatic changes caused drought and
famine at the beginning of the 20
th
century, with the result that most of the population left the
Island, emigrating mainly to South America. It was then clear that a renewal of the economy
was necessary, and from the 1950s onward Lanzarote started its transformation into a tourist
destination, as had been happening on other Canary Islands – that is, Tenerife and Gran
Canaria – since the 1930s.
In this article, I focus on how the work of the Lanzarote-born artist César Manrique
(1919-1992) influenced the development of tourism on the Island since the 1960s, and in
particular on the nature of the relationship between his artistic work and aesthetic ideals and
the appearance of Lanzarote today. Moreover, I also pose the question whether the peculiar
tourist development which occurred in Lanzarote can be considered as more or less authentic
than what happened elsewhere.
