La Era is much more than a circle of stone. This is where grain was threshed: animals pulled the trillo—the wooden and iron threshing implement you can see resting along the edge—to separate the grain from the straw.

This space also collected rainwater, which was channelled to the cistern and the animals’ drinking troughs. In Lanzarote’s traditional architecture, nothing was wasted.

La Era: A Place with History

La Era was much more than a place of work. It was a gathering place where agricultural tasks were carried out collectively, and every harvest strengthened the bonds between neighbours.

Look around at the surrounding features: the cistern with its wooden cover, the traditional house with its central courtyard and spice trees, and the plough hanging on the wall. Each element served a specific purpose. In Lanzarote’s traditional architecture, nothing was purely decorative; everything had a function and reflected a way of life based on making the most of available resources.

Traditional Architecture and Rural Objects

Observe the elements surrounding La Era: the cistern with its wooden cover, the traditional house with its central courtyard and spice trees, and the plough hanging on the wall. Each one fulfilled a specific purpose. In Lanzarote’s traditional architecture, practicality always came before decoration.

On either side of La Era, you will also find two objects closely linked to agricultural life: a camel saddle, used for riding the animal, and a serón, a large pack basket used to carry sand and other heavy materials on the camel’s back.

Together, these elements show how architecture, tools and means of transport formed part of a single system, carefully adapted to the island’s unique conditions.