In rural Lanzarote, calendar dates were not understood solely by the calendar of saints or religious celebrations. They also marked tasks, forecasts, and decisions linked to agriculture, domestic livestock, and food preservation. The rhythm of households depended on harvests, rains, and the need to make the most of every available resource.
November 11, the feast of San Martín, is associated with two references from that peasant world: the pig slaughter and the wine calendar. The publication by ADERLAN "La fiesta y el folklore de Lanzarote" (The festival and folklore of Lanzarote) states that by San Martín, cellars had to be empty to prevent the wine from spoiling and also points out that it was an appropriate time for pig slaughter. A few weeks later, by San Andrés, on November 30, the grape harvest and treading took place, accompanied by gatherings and celebrations in the cellars.
These references allow us to reconstruct a popular calendar in which domestic and agricultural work followed the seasons. San Martín was, therefore, not an isolated date, but a signal within a work cycle that linked the family pantry, animal husbandry, and wine production.
An island difficult to cultivate and a society accustomed to making the most of everything
Lanzarote's traditional economy was conditioned by water scarcity, volcanic soils, wind, and irregular rainfall. A large part of the population depended on self-consumption, while the possibilities of obtaining surpluses varied from year to year. In that context, cultivating and raising animals required adapting work to a territory with demanding conditions.
Traditional agricultural systems were an ingenious response to these limitations. "Gavias" allowed for the capture and retention of runoff water; "nateros" took advantage of ravines to accumulate sediment and moisture; "arenados" and "jable" helped conserve water in the soil, and in La Geria, pits protected by stone "zocos" made it possible to cultivate in a landscape transformed by volcanic sands.
Agricultural work was related to domestic breeding. The remains of the house and crops could feed the animals, while the animals provided meat, fat, and other products for family consumption. In an economy of limited resources, the different elements of the domestic farm were part of the same system of utilization.
The pig, a family pantry raised at home
In many homes, the pig constituted a food reserve that was raised for months to be turned, when the time came, into meat and preservable products. The ethnographic records collected by Gregorio Barreto Viñoly about the old slaughterings in Haría describe families that kept at least one animal a year; some raised two or three, according to their means.
The pig's feed was organized with what the domestic economy itself offered: leftovers and scraps from the house, bran, ground corn, prickly pear figs, fig tree figs, and whey from cheese making. The animal utilized resources that might otherwise be lost and, at the same time, became a guarantee for the pantry.
Black pigs were common in those farms, before the presence of larger white animals became widespread. The slaughterings were preferably carried out on Sundays and during the months of October, November, and December, when families could organize a workday that required the participation of several people.
The slaughter: blood sausages, curing, and a day of coexistence
The slaughter was a laborious operation that required coordination and knowledge passed down from generation to generation. After the sacrifice and butchering, the intestines were cleaned and the different products were prepared. Blood sausages could be made with blood, ground biscuit, raisins, almonds, sugar, and other ingredients, in a combination that varied according to family customs. Broths and stews were also prepared, including the so-called "caldo ajogao."
The animal was utilized exhaustively. The head, brains, ears, tongue, and trotters were used, in addition to the cuts intended for immediate consumption or preservation. The fat was rendered to obtain lard and cracklings, products that had their own use in domestic cooking.
Conservation was essential. Part of the meat was salted, dried on wooden tables, or kept in brine. Memories of the old slaughterings in the north of the island link this work with the salt obtained from the salt pans of Órzola and Punta Mujeres. Salt made it possible to extend the shelf life of food and have reserves when the slaughtering day was over.
But the day did not end with work. Relatives and neighbors participated in the various tasks and shared food, conversation, and, on occasion, wine. It was a domestic activity and, at the same time, a form of community cooperation. Among the remembered customs is the loan of the pig's tail, known as a "tempero," which was lent for two or three days to flavor the stew and then returned to its owner.
Wine cellars and wine within the traditional calendar
Wine was part of the rural economy and social life. In La Geria, the vine adapted to the conditions created by the Timanfaya eruptions from 1730 to 1736. The holes dug in the volcanic sand layer and the stone fences that protected the plants from the wind resulted in a unique agricultural landscape, the fruit of peasant adaptation.
The grape harvest and the transport of the grapes required considerable effort. In the memory of traditional work, camels appear as transport animals to the wineries. The material history of this activity is preserved, among other places, in Bodegas El Grifo, whose founding winery is dated 1775 and is a testament to the island's long winemaking tradition.
Wine cellars were also meeting places. The ADERLAN study records the custom of going to them on All Saints' Day, November 1st, to celebrate parties. In Tinajo, moreover, alms and products—grapes, raisins, and wine—were collected for needy people, before sharing a celebration. The wine calendar thus combined production, solidarity, and coexistence.
Economic transformation and the disappearance of old slaughterings
During the second half of the 20th century, the economic transformation of Lanzarote profoundly modified the life of its towns. The growth of tourism, construction, and services opened new job opportunities and changed incomes, consumption habits, and family organization. Dependence on self-consumption decreased, and the purchase of food displaced many domestic practices.
These changes were joined by new ways of preserving and distributing products, as well as less time available for keeping animals in homes. Traditional slaughterings lost prominence and, according to memories collected in the Haría area, had practically disappeared during the 1980s.
With them, a way of life based on mutual aid, exchange, and knowledge transmission also weakened. It was not just a way of obtaining food that disappeared: a set of knowledge about raising, processing, preserving, and utilizing that had sustained the economy of many families for generations was lost.
From peasant memory to world agricultural heritage
The memory of those practices allows for a better understanding of the value of Lanzarote's traditional agricultural systems. In May 2025, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recognized the island's agricultural systems based on jable and volcanic sands as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS). The recognition highlights adaptation to the environment, knowledge transmitted between generations, biodiversity, and the capacity of these systems to sustain livelihoods.
The recognition refers specifically to these agricultural systems and their relationship with the territory; it does not make all old livestock or domestic practices part of the designation. However, it helps to place slaughterings, food preservation, and the winery calendar within a broader peasant culture, built on the need to utilize resources and adapt to a difficult environment.
November 11, the feast of San Martín, offers an opportunity to recover that memory. Behind the saying "Every pig gets its San Martín" lies the memory of a society that organized the year around the field, the pantry, and shared work. A daily story that is also part of Lanzarote's cultural heritage.
Documentary and bibliographic sources
• ADERLAN, The festival and folklore of Lanzarote, Project Identities, especially pp. 416 and 427.
• Barreto Viñoly, Gregorio, ethnographic memories about the old slaughterings in Haría, disseminated within the scope of the Haría History Archive.
• Martel Santos, Álvaro, Ecology of traditional agricultural systems in Lanzarote. Crisis and current state, University of La Laguna, 2024.
• FAO, documentation on agricultural systems in jable and volcanic sands of Lanzarote and their recognition as SIPAM, 2025.
• Bodegas El Grifo, historical documentation on the founding wine press dated 1775.
• Díez Barrio, Germán, The slaughtering season in proverbs, Miguel de Cervantes Virtual Library.
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