In the depths of these forests you can still hear, accompanied by drums,
ballads from the medieval era.
Testimonies of battles, feats, and tragic loves,
the ballads remain alive in this remote corner of the Atlantic.
- To your poor wife, her time is aproaching.
- And there she was leaving already...
Here, the Romancero persists to be sung,
being considered a living genre.
These people are the custodians of an ancestral legacy
which they preserved through the oral tradition of their folklore.
- From noble Salamanca, which is my homeland and my land.
- So very noble is Father, my proper name is Teresa.
Menéndez Pelayo announced it at the end of the 19th century.
"I have already indicated the suspicion that in the Canary Islands
there may exist ballads brought there in the 15th century
by Castilian and Andalusian conquerors.
If they were found, it would be a good discovery,
because in similar cases it is observed that the insular versions
are more archaic and pure than those of the Continent."
- I have already read that in Turkey, in another time past,
- Admiral Pasha, Lord of all his kingdom...
Their voices break the silence of the forest and transport us through history.
The aborigines sang laments, which were songs of sorrow.
And today, when we listen to a balladeer singing,
it's somewhat similar, it's a melancholic song.
So perhaps, in their day, those laments sung by those aborigines,
over time and with the arrival of the Castilians,
transformed into what today are the traditional ballads from the peninsula
that have been inherited and have reached our days.
it's already been over 500 years passing down the oral tradition.
- Set, Sun, for I am already delighted by the lovely course you take.
- Good.
- Yes sir.
Amid the dense fog of ocean winds
the round silhouette of a volcanic island is revealed,
the second smallest of the Canary archipelago,
with an area of barely 369 square kilometers,
forged by millions of years of erosion.
Rugged coasts, majestic cliffs, and imposing mountain formations
that stand out amid the vastness of the ocean.
The geological and biological diversity of this island is countless,
offering an environment where nature reveals itself in its most primal form.
A central plateau that reaches almost a thousand meters high
and hosts one of the last vestiges of a forest
that once covered a large part of Europe in the Tertiary period.
Gorges of astonishing depths,
as well as rock formations of almost impossible appearance
and monumental rocks that add a majestic touch to the landscape.
In this environment, conditioned by the terrain and natural phenomena,
survives a population that has adapted like few others
to the difficulties created by nature.
Geographical isolation led its inhabitants to develop new ways of adapting to the environment,
exploiting resources sustainably,
preserving traditions already disappeared from Europe,
and even creating a language that still today echoes on the slopes of their ravines.
- Mary, come to Cepo to get the clay!
- We finally found clay.
- Yes, and very good clay, not many stones.
- Now to dry it.
The process of making pottery here in La Gomera, in El Cercado.
First, you have to go get the clay,
you have to find it, bring it, put it in the sun because it's very damp,
you have to crush it, clean it because it has stones, roots.
Once it's clean, we go to another village to get sand
to mix with the clay.
It's what we call kneading the clay.
We're kneading the clay, because we're mixing the clay
with the sand we've already crushed and milled,
so that the clay has consistency and just the right amount of sand.
Because if it lacks sand, or if it has too much,
when the piece goes into the oven, it would break.
We add a little water.
Once we have the clay kneaded, we start making the piece.
The process is day by day.
Pottery or the art of making ceramics on the island of La Gomera
is a primitive technique already practiced by the aborigines
before the arrival of the Castilian conquerors
and presents certain similarities with North African ceramics.
Then, as it dries,
one day you pass the stone, then we scrape it,
which is to remove the thickness,
the piece gets harder, so we can pick it up and work on it.
The next day we smooth it.
The following day, with another stone, we water-polish it,
what we call water polishing to cover all the little sand holes.
We let it rest for a day or two
and then we apply the "almagre."
What is almagre?
Almagre is a reddish dirt,
which also needs to be found, cleaned, ground into a powder,
we mix it with water and make a kind of dye.
A traditional craft carried out exclusively by women and passed from mothers to daughters.
A hard profession that never had social prestige
despite being fundamental for creating all kinds of everyday utensils.
Everything, absolutely everything is ancient.
It’s still done exactly the same way.
There are no machines, only stones and hands.
And when it's dry,
only then we put it in the oven.
All the ovens have a cross at the entrance of each door.
The function of ceramic firing is to eliminate all the chemical water in the clay.
That dehydration produced by high temperature,
is what turns that clay back into rock.
And that's the function of ceramic firing, whether for a tile or a pot.
In the quiet neighborhood of El Cercado, in the historic town of Chipude,
we can find numerous ovens that in past times
were fundamental for the manufacturing of the tiles that covered the houses,
called "Tejas Musleras" because they were molded with the shape of a man's thigh.
A process that involved both men and women.
Unfortunately, this tradition was lost in the 1960s.
Thanks to the hard work of a passionate ceramics teacher like Diego Higueras,
an ancient oven over 500 years old has been rescued.
The very orientation of the oven is fundamental to understand this technology,
the mouth of the hearth receiving the airflow that feeds the fire
and helps combustion to be much faster.
It's the technological basis of ceramic production,
in this case industrial ceramics because they are tiles,
for architectural use in houses,
but basically the historical ceramic firings are reproduced.
It's perfectly associated with the first colonial house,
where tiles were produced industrially with the technology of the time, late 14th century,
early 15th, a Moorish oven, an Arab oven.
What's the function?
To produce the tiles for the first colonial houses.
Here you can see in this texture,
and in the black color, that the clay has already begun to liquefy,
so it's well understood.
Becoming liquid, melting and making a small flow
because it melts at temperatures over a thousand degrees,
and it seems we have in our hand a piece of volcanic lava or scoria.
Here’s a fragment where it's even more evident.
All this we're seeing here are pieces of tiles
that were together and fused, melted, and turned into scoria, volcanic lava.
- Climb up to the highest rock
- and whistle with all your might
- to see if the wind remembers...
Garajonay
represents for the island of La Gomera the green part.
It is the green hat that covers an island that is generally arid.
This brings a unique biodiversity, on one hand,
the contribution of the laurel forest.
And on the other, it primarily represents water, the island's spring of life.
On an arid island, this is fundamental for people's lives.
Water means life, it means supplying populations, water for irrigation,
and all that is provided by La Gomera's forest.
On the other hand, on a global scale,
Garajonay represents the last well-preserved vestiges
of a forest that existed in the Tertiary period,
in much of Europe and North Africa,
which disappeared from there and was relegated to the islands.
And this manifestation of Garajonay
is the best-preserved manifestation of this ecosystem.
- Ahh…
- Diego...
- Wake up!
- We're going to Puntallana...
In the 16th century, a ship en route to America
is drawn by some lights shining in a cave in La Gomera.
The sailors discover a small statue of the Virgin Mary with baby Jesus in her arms.
- Long live...
- ...the Virgin of Guadalupe!
The image is taken to the ship,
but strong winds and seagull attacks that seemed to protect the Virgin
make them return her to the cave, and a hermitage is built in Puntallana in her honor.
In 1872, a crisis of faith occurs amongst the Gomeran people
and the Virgin of Puntallana is moved to the capital, San Sebastián.
In 1968, it was decided that the Virgin would tour the island every five years,
- The Virgin of Guadalupe is about to board!
creating a great pilgrimage of the faithful, - The Virgin of Guadalupe is about to board!
who come from different parts of the Canary Islands - The Virgin of Guadalupe is about to board!
who come from different parts of the Canary Islands
to show devotion to their patroness. - The Virgin of Guadalupe is already arriving!
Yes, yes, yes! The Virgin’s already here.
- The Virgin of Guadalupe is already here!
Yes, yes, yes! The Virgin’s already here.
- Long live the Virgin of Guadalupe!
Although the festivals of the Virgin of Guadalupe are those that arouse the most devotion,
there are numerous pilgrimage fesivals in honor of saints and virgins venerated in La Gomera.
These religious celebrations also integrate numerous popular traditions:
pilgrimages, ceremonies, traditional dances accompanied by drums and chácaras, popular songs and ballads;
that generate exciting moments of fervor and devotion,
where Gomerans share moments of joy and fun.
Hurray!
- Alcibiades is going to make...
- ...the bread today!
We're going to cut the parts of what they call "pencos," "palmones,"
the tenderest part of the palm tree.
To adorn and decorate the fountain.
We're off to the fountain.
This is a tribute,
a thank you to Saint John, that at this time of the year there's still water in the fountain.
If one had to build a house 100 years ago,
the premise was to find a place where there was water nearby, because if not...
I'm sure Grandfather built the house because he had the fountain next door.
On Saint John's Eve, the fountain was decorated.
All of the fountains.
On Saint John's Day, before the sun rose,
we had to go to the fountain to get water because it was holy water,
and with that water they made bread, believing that the water
collected from the fountain, being holy,
would make a better bread.
- Alcibiades is going to make...
- ...the bread today!
We're going to make homemade bread
that was made almost exclusively on Saint John's Day.
Why was it made so few times a year?
Because there was no raw material.
You don't count the bread, in case you're counting it.
I don't know why.
No one has ever explained the reason to me, but...
You don’t count it.
You make the cross sign and say:
“May God increase bread in your oven, just as God's grace spreads throughout the world.”
Let's see how the bread is.
The need to remodel a landscape marked
by the verticality of the ravines led the ancient Gomerans
to create large terraces delimited with dry stone walls.
With the aim of making the most of the land, mainly for subsistence agriculture.
The first stone walls date from the 16th century
and although today most are unused,
these impressive constructions, which have survived the passage of time,
are now part of the island's cultural landscape.
- The land, the stone, we made a piece...
The Master Stonemason observes every detail carefully,
seeking the most efficient and respectful way to exploit natural resources.
The stones are carefully selected
and the technique of stacking them without any binding material
is an art that requires precision and skill,
aiming to achieve wall stability,
creating resistant and durable structures.
Thanks to the Stonemasons,
the island became a more fertile place,
where nature and architecture merged.
These artisans of the environment
continue to be a reference in the construction of arable land.
A popular wisdom that has made this craft be named
Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.
- Ahhh…
- Has passed away...
- Natividad Parra de La Hoz.
- And the funeral mass...
- will be tomorrow...
- at twelve noon...
- in the Cathedral of La Laguna...
The last thing was:
"Let the word spread."
And someone who heard it would say:
"Well, well..."
They would turn to another ravine, to another side, and say:
"Has passed away..."
And that's how the whole region, all the people, found out.
- Ahhh…
- Has passed away...
- ...Natividad Parra de La Hoz.
- And the funeral mass...
- will be tomorrow...
- at twelve noon...
- in the Cathedral of La Laguna...
- Let the word spread!
- Kiko Correa is here with me!
- Ahh Josué...
- put the "guarapo" on the fire...
- I already told you I did.
The chronicles say that the whistled language
was a common practice among the aborigines of La Gomera,
with which they communicated to overcome the difficulties of the island's orography.
- Well, well...
The primitive Gomerans whistled in Guanche language
and the current ones in Spanish, therefore, over the centuries, only the language changed,
but not the whistling system,
which has been transmitted from generation to generation to this day.
- La Gomera is whistle...
- The Whistle is from La Gomera.
This form of communication allowed the transmission of news
that traveled the island from ravine to ravine in less than an hour,
facilitating the connection and exchange of information among its inhabitants.
Although conversations lacked privacy,
the Silbo Gomero became an everyday and essential tool in fieldwork,
also being used in crucial situations of danger or persecution.
- Well, well...
- I'm going to Puntallana!
- Here we speak by whistling...
- A whistle...
- to the world...
- Son...
- Ahhh Isidro...
- are you in Guará?
- Son...
- bring me the hoe...
- Son...
- bring me the hoe...
When Grandpa - Son...
went with the animals over there, on that mountain in front,
- Son...
went with the animals over there, on that mountain in front, - bring me an avocado...
or down there, near the ravine. - bring me an avocado...
Whenever he needed anything,
he might have gone down
with the animals and didn't take his breakfast,
didn't take the axe or something else,
so he whistled to Grandma here.
Imagine the distance, - Son...
at least a kilometer, two kilometers. - Son...
at least a kilometer, two kilometers. - bring me an avocado...
He whistled to Grandma, - bring me an avocado...
so she would immediately send us - bring me an avocado...
so she would immediately send us
running down to take it to him.
I'm going to whistle:
"Look how beautiful is the island of El Hierro."
- Ahhh Manuel...
- Ahhh Venusica...
- Ahhh Sergio...
- Look how beautiful is the island of El Hierro…
- Well, well...
A famous passage from the chroniclers of the conquest read:
"They speak the strangest language of all the other countries on this side,
and they speak with their cheeks, as if they had no tongue."
- You are in Guará.
Nowadays, the whistle is one of the greatest representatives
of La Gomera's culture and has been recognized by UNESCO
as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
- Well, well...
- Silbo Gomero...
- World Heritage.
- Ahhh Josué...
- come down to collect guarapo now...
- Cousin, good morning!
The process of extracting the sap from the Canary palm,
also called “guarapo,”
is a risky dance between man and nature,
where each step must be calculated precisely,
as a fall could have tragic consequences.
This profession requires courage, skill, and knowledge of the environment.
Once we're well positioned to start working,
we raise the "rejada" and start cutting the fronds.
Frond, broom, depends.
The collection of guarapo begins by selecting the appropriate palms.
Once identified, the "guaraperos,"
as those in charge of collecting palm sap are called,
climb to the top using the irregularities of the trunk.
After precise cuts in the bud, the precious guarapo begins to flow.
The guaraperos are the guardians of a centuries-old tradition.
Their work is a living testimony of the importance
of respecting nature and living in connection with it.
We come early because guarapo is a very delicate liquid,
it could never be collected during the day like this, in the heat.
This has been dripping into the bucket all night
and by 6:20 when I started,
is when we're collecting it to take it to the factory.
I've already done ten palm trees and we're going to the next one.
Here I have seven and down below I have 15 to collect...
Come on, up you go. Let's go.
Very good. Very good. Yes.
Honey made with firewood.
Come on, Linda Flor.
Bring it here to the fire.
Let's go.
We're going to cook the guarapo
with firewood.
Heather firewood, beech firewood.
Because it's a mirror.
The mirror of life,
of the guarapero's life, of course.
There was no sugar, so honey was made.
And chopping wood, going up the mountain to get firewood...
I think I'm holding onto something that held us.
So we have to understand that progress is not how many things you have,
but what you value and what wealth is to you.
If you look around, you can see what wealth is to me.
Cooking five liters of guarapo
and we'll get half a liter of honey.
It's the stillness.
It's the sound between silence.
If you manage to be in that wave, of being in...
being in the sounds, but in the silence.
Trying to perceive those sounds within silence.
That's already a level...
It transports you,
I don't know where.
Perhaps it transports you to the root of everything.
Three hours, practically.
Here we go.
The island, declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO,
is also rugged and wild coast,
surrounded by an intense blue sea that caresses black sand beaches,
and small picturesque villages that seem frozen in time.
Every corner holds the stories and cultural heritage that have shaped this people.
Skilled artisans who carefully work the wood
to bring “chácaras” and drums to life.
Traditional dances with synchronized movements and an almost ritual sound
that are a clear reflection of the customs of this land.
We must not forget that behind each cultural manifestation,
are the people who proudly contribute
their grain of sand to keep the essence of this place alive.
- Whistle with all your might.
- Ahhh Estefanía...
- we're going to La Molina...
The "gofio," whose origin dates back to pre-Hispanic times,
is still made in ancient mills
and remains an essential food in the diet of Gomerans.
Varieties of grapes like the "Forastera Gomera," brought in the 15th century,
are still cultivated today and give rise to extraordinary wines
that further increase the island's appeal.
All living things need love.
Because plants are like people.
Traditional ballads, joyful pilgrimages,
laurel forests, aboriginal ceramics,
Master Stonemasons who continue drawing the island's silhouette
and a unique language that lives on in the wind.
- It is my pride to be Gomeran, and with that pride I die...
An island full of cultural and natural treasures,
where past and present unite through traditions
and where nature and its inhabitants live harmoniously.
An immeasurable heritage that must be preserved for future generations.