The history of Canary Island architecture has always been closely linked to working in stone, the material used in the construction of nearly all the buildings in Gran Canaria.

It was after the Conquest of Arucas, at the beginning of 1500, when the first shrines, mills and dwellings started to be built in the area. Construction was already under way in other places, such as Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, so the need for materials like stone was on the increase. Arucas then started to gain in importance thanks to its large number of quarries of what was later called “blue stone”. The “La Goleta” quarter was particularly important, and was the birthplace of many quarry workers, one of the town’s historically traditional professions. When the Arucas old town centre was classified as a Historic Artistic Complex in 1976, it was a symbolic acknowledgement of the inestimable labours of quarry workers throughout the history of Arucas.

Origins of the"La Goleta" quarry
The "La Goleta" quarry is in the area called El Cerrillo, around 500 metres from the old town centre, and can be reached by following the narrow streets in the La Goleta quarter. It is one of several quarries located in the area, the origins of which go back as far as the 16th century.

The present owners’ family bought the quarry towards the end of the 50’s, continuing a family tradition that can be summarised in the words of the 71-year old proprietor, Domingo Santana Mendoza. If he is asked how long his family has been in this business, he answers “my father told me once that his great-grandfather had told him that his own grandfather was a quarry worker".

Many buildings have been built with stone from this quarry, although the most outstanding of them all is the bell tower of St. John the Baptist’s Church in Arucas, built between 1962 and 1977. This stone was donated by the proprietor, like several restorations, including the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Cathedral, which lasted from 1978 to 1984.

After many years, the quarry was adapted to work with new technologies in 1999. The owners have now re-constructed a stone quarry as it used to be inside their facilities. In a brief 30-40 minute visit, they have recreated the atmosphere in which quarry works spent their long working hours. The way in which stone was handled then contrasts with the new advanced techniques currently employed in the “La Goleta” quarry.

Visitors have the opportunity to discover all the details associated to work in a quarry, such as:
- The types of tools used and how they were made by blacksmiths
- The functions of the different skilled workers such as drill runners, stone splitters, carvers, dressers and engravers.
- The utility and explanation of the characteristic parts of a stone quarry, such as the pond, the stone construction for storing work clothes and tools or the palm leave awning built so that work could be done in the shade.
- The techniques employed by the quarry workers, such as: the pickaxe, bush hammering, hammering, rustic finishing, slab cutting, splitting, etc.
- The answers to frequently asked questions such as, for instance: Why is it called blue stone? What kind of stone is it? or How many hours did quarrymen work every day?, etc.

The visit ends with a small crafts exhibition where visitors can admire and buy products made by hand from blue Arucas stone.

David Cabrera Guillén
Informador Turístico de Arucas