Before becoming the capital of Lanzarote, Arrecife was a small fishing settlement that grew under the shelter of its waters. The old anchorage, the houses of La Puntilla, and the Muelle de Las Cebollas explain a transformation driven by fishing, Atlantic trade, and the arrival of new settlers.
At dawn, when the light reflects on the water and the small boats remain moored next to the white houses, the Charco de San Ginés preserves an image that allows us to imagine the Arrecife of other times. The facades face the shore, and the vessels rest on a body of water that for centuries was a scene of work, refuge, and survival.
Behind this scene lies a fundamental story for understanding Lanzarote. Arrecife was not born as an administrative center, but next to a coast protected by reefs, islets, and coves that offered shelter to boats. Before docks were built and homes multiplied, the natural conditions of the coastline favored the establishment of a community linked to the sea.
The natural refuge that attracted the first settlers
The relationship of this coastline with human activity dates back to aboriginal times. Archaeological findings collected in heritage documentation, including materials related to fishing, allow us to recognize the use of the coast long before Arrecife was formed as an urban center.
The configuration of the Charco favored the entry and exit of seawater through its natural passages, while other enclaves on the eastern coast, especially Puerto Naos, played a relevant role in maritime traffic. Chronicles and historical cartography allow us to follow the strategic importance of this coastline and distinguish between the early use of anchorages and the later consolidation of a stable settlement.
The toponym also reflects this evolution. In ancient documents, denominations such as "poceta," "laguna," "albufera," and "caldera" appear. The reference to San Ginés eventually prevailed due to the proximity of the hermitage dedicated to the saint, which became a point of reference for the community.
La Puntilla and the first fishing dwellings
La Puntilla constitutes one of the essential spaces for reconstructing the origin of the neighborhood. The houses were built next to the shore, adapted to the terrain and a way of life in which home and work were closely related. Fishing, preparing tackle, and maintaining boats were part of daily activity.
The settlement grew progressively, initially without responding to an ordered urbanistic project. The narrow streets and the arrangement of the houses reflected the needs of a population that depended directly on the sea.
The hermitage of San Ginés played a decisive role in this process. Historical documentation records its existence from the first centuries of the nucleus's formation, as well as the problems arising from floods and successive modifications of its location. The trajectory of the temple was marked by transfers and reconstructions.
Demographic data allow us to measure the growth of the settlement. In the pastoral visit of 1735, Bishop Dávila y Cárdenas counted 28 residents grouped around the hermitage. The Compendio breve y famoso, written in 1776, recorded 72 residents and houses next to the temple. The figures show how that small fishing village was acquiring an ever-greater economic and social dimension.
The barilla and commercial takeoff
During the 18th century, trade began to transform the economy of Arrecife. Maritime connections with other territories and the growing presence of merchants favored the development of the population and expanded exchange possibilities.
The barilla acquired special importance. Soda, used in different industrial processes, was obtained from this plant, so its export became a source of wealth for Lanzarote. The movement of goods boosted port activity and generated new opportunities related to transport and navigation.
The study by Agustín Millares Cantero, Arrecife, el puerto de la barrilla, helps to understand this transformation. The growth depended not only on the natural conditions of the coast but also on commercial opportunities and the inhabitants' ability to take advantage of Lanzarote's position on the Atlantic routes.
The increase in maritime traffic made evident the need to improve loading and unloading operations through adequate infrastructure.
The Onion Pier and the Port Expansion
One of the milestones of this evolution was the inauguration of the Onion Pier, also known as the small pier, on June 29, 1792. The date is recorded in the historical study by Millares Cantero, who links the event to the arrival of Bishop Tavira y Almazán.
Located in the vicinity of the current Ramírez Cerdá park, the pier improved the port's operating conditions. Its popular name is related to the export of onions, one of the agricultural products that formed part of the island's commercial activity.
El Charco continued to be linked to the shelter of small boats and the life of fishermen, while Puerto Naos and other facilities served different navigation needs. These enclaves performed complementary functions within a broader port system.
The construction of the pier represented an advance in Arrecife's commercial capacity and accompanied the transformation of the town into one of Lanzarote's main economic centers.
From Fishing Village to Island Capital
Demographic and commercial growth was accompanied by religious and administrative changes. The parish of San Ginés was established in 1798, the same year in which the municipal organization process took place, allowing Arrecife to separate administratively from Teguise.
Municipal documentation preserves references to the authorization to hold elections and begin the chapter book of the new City Council. Lorenzo Cabrera López is listed as the first mayor in the municipal history of Arrecife, elected in November 1798.
The creation of the municipality culminated a process developed over decades. The port had favored the arrival of population, trade had expanded economic activities, and the community demanded its own institutions.
In 1847, Arrecife became the capital of Lanzarote. The old fishing settlement had thus acquired a new commercial and administrative dimension, the result of a transformation initiated alongside its waters.
Shipwrights and the Culture of the Sea
The history of El Charco is also preserved in the trades that gave life to its shores. Shipwrighting acquired special recognition in Arrecife, where artisans built and repaired boats adapted to the needs of fishing and Atlantic navigation.
The heritage documentation records names such as Frascorro, Alberto Sánchez, Luis Trujillo, Tomás Reyes, and José Tabares. It also recalls Pedro Miranda and Francisco Trujillo, linked to the dissemination of this knowledge outside Lanzarote.
The choice of woods, the construction of the hulls, and the adaptation of the boats to ocean conditions required experience and knowledge passed down through generations. Alongside these tasks, repairs of rigging and other activities related to fishing were carried out.
The boats that remain in the Charco today evoke that culture of work, prior to the transformation of Arrecife into a modern urban center and a tourist destination.
When the future of the Charco was under discussion
Urban expansion also endangered the historical configuration of the space. In 1965, an urbanization project was debated that aimed to considerably reduce the water surface area to gain land. The proposal provoked rejection and opened a discussion about the conservation of one of the landscapes most linked to the identity of Arrecife.
The heritage documentation of the Government of the Canary Islands records that episode and allows us to understand that the debate about the future of the Charco is not recent. Urban planning, heritage conservation, and the city's relationship with its coastline converge in it.
Among the subsequent interventions, the waterfall designed by César Manrique during the riverside urbanization works stands out. Its history reflects the incorporation of art and design into the urban landscape, as well as the difficulties that have accompanied the conservation of certain elements.
In 2008, proceedings were initiated to declare the Charco de San Ginés an Asset of Cultural Interest, with the category of Ethnological Site. However, the procedure was declared lapsed and archived in 2012. Therefore, that initiative did not culminate in a definitive declaration of protection under that category.
A landscape that preserves the origin of Arrecife
Today, the white houses, the boats, and the reflections of the water form one of the most recognizable images of the capital. However, the value of the Charco de San Ginés goes beyond its visual appeal: on its margins remains the memory of fishermen, artisans, seafaring families, and merchants who contributed to transforming Lanzarote.
The history of El Charco and that of the Muelle de Las Cebollas are part of the same story: that of a city that found in the sea the impulse to develop its economy and become an island capital. Fishing and anchorages gave way to trade, port infrastructures accompanied growth, and municipal consolidation culminated a transformation initiated by the water.
To contemplate El Charco today is to recognize the place where a community was formed and where geography, work, and history came together to give rise to Arrecife.
The capital of Lanzarote grew looking at the Atlantic. And in the waters of El Charco de San Ginés, an essential part of its memory continues to beat.
Documentary sources: Government of the Canary Islands, heritage file of El Charco de San Ginés, Official Gazette of the Canary Islands, August 8, 2008; Government of the Canary Islands, resolution on the expiration of the file for the declaration of an Asset of Cultural Interest, June 7, 2012; Arrecife City Council, municipal historical documentation; Agustín Millares Cantero, "Arrecife, the barilla port"; Agustín de la Hoz, El Charco de San Ginés, Arrecife City Council, 2009.
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