Las Salinas
This area is located in the north of the island.
Here are some very interesting installations,
dedicated to the extraction of marine salt. The exploitation of the salt industry lasted
for hundreds of years and was a very important part of the local economy. The feudal lords
of the island gave up the rights to the salt industry and handed them over to the local
people in 1267. After the Spanish War of Succession in 1715, Felipe V expropiated these
rights as part of his "rights of conquest."
View of Las Salinas (the saltpans)
Later on, in 1897, the State sold the saltworks to a private
individual for 80,400 pesetas. Today the saltworks are in a semi-abandoned state and their
principal values lie in their scenic landscape and in their important function as a nature
reserve.
In the photograph above we can observe the gridded landscape formed by the ponds. Along the edges can be seen various groves of pines. All along its perimeter there is an important natural habitat of various species of birds and therefore it is very important to preserve it as a nature reserve.
The photograph shows one of the actual piles of salt
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