1981. King Hussein of Jordan, a regular visitor to Lanzarote, bought the La Mareta estate, located in Costa Teguise, from Unión de Explosivos Río Tinto. At the same time, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, a 21-year-old, was studying Law at the University of León.
1991. Hussein of Jordan gifted La Mareta to King Juan Carlos I, who shortly after ceded it to National Heritage. In those days, Zapatero was re-elected as the head of the socialists of León in the VI congress of the PSOE in León.
2005. José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero stays in La Mareta during his family vacations, a year after having been elected President of the Spanish Government.
These are two parallel stories. The first, that of a residence built in the seventies, later renovated by a genius like Manrique, where protagonists of history such as Mijail Gorvachov, the former president of the Czech Republic, Vlacav Havel, or the former German chancellor, Helmut Koll, have stayed. And the second, that of a young socialist, grandson of a republican captain shot in the Civil War, who would find it difficult to imagine that destiny would take him to this royal residence.
Zapatero says that Lanzarote brought him luck. Without knowing if it was the sea, the fire or the sirocco, the fact is that a few months after his first vacation on the Island, he became president of the Government. Perhaps that's why he repeated. In total, four stays in Lanzarote, which have given publicity to the Island. Last summer, the president, accompanied by his wife, Sonsoles Espinosa, and his two daughters, spent more than twenty days in La Mareta. They didn't have a bad time, not only because they decided to repeat a year later, but because judging by the activities they carried out, it was a very complete vacation. Sources close to La Voz have assured that Sonsoles is passionate about boat trips through the jameos of Alegranza, in addition to her well-known fondness for diving. The president's mishap is also well known, who broke his ankle while shooting some baskets.
What anecdotes will the Rodríguez Zapatero bring us this year? For the moment, it is known that they will land in Guacimeta on August 1st, after the president has finished the political activity with the last Council of Ministers. And they have made the obligatory visit to the Royal Family in Mallorca. For days, La Mareta has been a continuous coming and going of personnel, cleaning, vans with material, and a hundred security personnel from the Civil Guard, National Police, information teams, personal security and bodyguards have already arrived on the Island. "Above all, it is about ensuring that the security forces on the island do not suffer any loss due to the arrival of the president," indicated Marcial Martín, Government Delegate in Lanzarote.
In addition to security, catering is one of the most carefully considered aspects upon Zapatero's arrival. And although in previous visits it was the Meliá Salinas Hotel in Costa Teguise that was in charge of supplying the entire presidential entourage, this time Zapatero will travel with his own team of cooks, which has not been without controversy.
Socialist meeting in the Canary Islands
This year, in addition, Zapatero's visit has a special incentive for socialists. During his stay, the Secretary General of the PSOE is expected to hold a meeting with the Canary socialist leaders to agree on the candidate for the Presidency of the Autonomous Government. Precisely one of the candidates for that designation, Minister Juan Fernando López Aguilar, will spend part of his vacation in Lanzarote. Although no one ventures to publicize that meeting, the party takes it for granted that both will meet with the secretary general of the Canary socialists, Juan Carlos Alemán, and the name of the candidate will be determined in the next elections, which they will not make public until September.
Other rumors point to the visit of French President Jack Chirac. The objective would be to finalize the details of the XIX Spanish-French Summit, which could be held next November on one of the Islands.
La Mareta, royal residence
From a cistern where water was collected for livestock to a royal residence. It is the history of La Mareta, where for the second consecutive summer, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero will stay with his family. This estate of more than 15,000 square meters, which preserves the unmistakable mark of César Manrique, has ten bungalows, two swimming pools, sports courts, a lake and a helipad. The works prior to the president's first stay, which amounted to more than 270,000 euros, were highly criticized. The royal family has also made use of this residence, where María de las Mercedes de Borbón, mother of King Juan Carlos I, died in January 2000.