The monument dedicated to the laundry women of Santa Cruz, located in the square of the Los Lavaderos district –behind the Mencey hotel–, created by Raquel Plans, consists of two bronze sculptures: a mother wringing clothes and next to a stone wash basin.
In the early centuries of the Villa of Santa Cruz, local women who did not have wells or cisterns in their homes – the vast majority – had to wash their clothes in ravines, where they previously formed ponds by retaining water with a dam made of stones, earth, grass, and reeds. There, they would place inclined stones on which they scrubbed their laundry with Lagarto soap, rinsing it afterwards with indigo.
Public Laundry Facilities Established
The practice of washing clothes in the ravines remained common until 1842, when health issues regarding the ponds prompted the Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council to construct public laundries outside the city centre.
The chosen site was a plot located in the Almeyda ravine, at the end of Canales Bajas street (now Doctor Guigou), through which water from the springs of Monte Aguirre flowed to supply the population.
The rectangular building featured four sections and possessed 60 wash stones, made from schist with bevelled edges and transverse grooves.
The regulations for its use and the pricing structure – each laundry woman had to pay four quarters for using the sink and water – were approved in 1853.
A Hub of Gossip and News
This location was the true hub of gossip in the city, where laundresses, while smoking, singing, or sharing jokes, would relay news, rumours, and scandals of the time.
The laundries would eventually close in the early 20th century due to complaints regarding water shortages, lack of maintenance and hygiene, along with the poor condition of the facilities.
Commemoration of the Water Carriers
The sculpture honouring the water carriers of Santa Cruz, situated in the Santo Domingo square near the Guimerá Theatre, was crafted in bronze by the artist from La Palma, Medín Martín Barrios, in 2000. It represents a barefoot woman carrying a pitcher on her head, alongside the Chorro de Santo Domingo, a decorative stone fountain erected in 1894.
The water carriers collected water from the first public fountain established in 1706 in La Pila square (now La Candelaria square), which was brought from Monte Aguirre through 12 kilometres of wooden channels.
Regulations and Responsibilities
In 1835, the City Council approved regulations to organise the schedules and days when the water carriers could fill their containers at the various fountains. Years later, they were required to wear uniforms, with the City Council covering two-thirds of the costs and the women paying the remaining third through a monthly fee.
During the events of 25 July 1797, the water carriers were notable for their dedication in transporting water and food to troops at the Height of Paso Alto, defending the island from the attack by Horatio Nelson’s fleet.
