Lanzarote works on the declaration of the Palo Game as Intangible Cultural Heritage

The Cabildo of Lanzarote has initiated the process for the declaration of the Juego del Palo of Lanzarote, Maestro Don Cristín Feo style, as an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC) Intangible, within the category of autochthonous games and sports, after its passage through the Insular Commission of Cultural Heritage.

The proposal, promoted from Lanzarote and exclusively linked to the island's scope, represents one of the most relevant agreements addressed in the last session of the Heritage Commission, by recognizing the historical, cultural, and ethnographic value of a traditional practice deeply linked to the rural world of Lanzarote.

The president and counselor of Historical Heritage of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Oswaldo Betancort, pointed out that this procedure "means officially recognizing an essential part of the cultural and popular memory of Lanzarote". 

“We are talking about a practice deeply linked to the island's rural world, to shepherding and to traditions passed down from generation to generation. The file also includes the enormous value of the style preserved by Don Cristín Feo, considered one of the most unique in the Canary Islands,” indicated the president.

The proposal comes exclusively from Lanzarote and has an island scope, incorporating favorable technical and legal reports within the procedure processed by the Historical Heritage Area of the Cabildo.

For his part, the counselor of Culture, Jesús Machín, highlighted that the file "also recognizes the work of recovery and teaching carried out for decades by practitioners and collectives on the island". "Many of these traditions have survived to this day thanks to the effort of people who understood that preserving them was also preserving part of our identity. The Juego del Palo is part of Lanzarote's cultural heritage and deserves this protection," he added.

Likewise, the counselor of Youth, Aroa Revelo, emphasized the generational transmission of these types of cultural manifestations. "It is important that new generations know these traditional practices and understand the cultural and historical value they have for the Canary Islands, for Lanzarote, and especially for the municipality of Haría," stated Revelo.

The file will now continue its administrative processing with the official publication in the Official Gazette of the Canary Islands, the public information period, and the request for the consultative opinions provided for in heritage legislation. 

Lanzarote adheres to the regional declaration of the Canarian timple

The Insular Commission of Cultural Heritage also addressed the adherence of the Cabildo of Lanzarote to the strategy promoted at the autonomous level for the declaration of the Canarian timple as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Interest of the Canary Islands.

Unlike the file of the Lanzarote Stick Game, whose initiative comes directly from Lanzarote and has an insular scope, the proposal linked to the timple is processed by the Commission of Cultural Heritage of the Canary Islands with a regional character, with the Cabildo joining this joint initiative for protection and heritage recognition.

The timple is considered one of the most representative instruments of Canarian musical identity and is part of the cultural and popular heritage of the Archipelago, both in the folkloric sphere and in contemporary musical creation.