In the northeastern reaches of Lanzarote, beneath a rugged crust of basaltic rock, lies one of the most singular architectural experiments of the 20th century. Jameos del Agua, designed by the multidisciplinary Spanish artist César Manrique, redefines the boundary between architecture and geology. Carved into the remnants of a volcanic eruption, this subterranean complex is not a building in the conventional sense but rather a spatial strategy—a choreography of light, silence, and stone. Through restrained intervention, Manrique proposed a radical gesture: to do less, and in doing so, to reveal more.
Jameos del Agua Technical Information
- Architects1-5: César Manrique
- Location: Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain
- Area: 5,000 m2 | 53,820 Sq. Ft.
- Construction Phases: 1966 – 1977
- Photographs: © Julian Weyer, Flickr User
For me, the most important aspect of art is nature. In Jameos del Agua, I did nothing more than underline the beauty that was already there.
– César Manrique 6
Jameos del Agua Photographs
Lanzarote’s Geology and Manrique’s Vision
The genesis of Jameos del Agua lies in geology. The site forms part of the extensive volcanic tube system generated by the eruption of La Corona Volcano nearly 4,000 years ago. These tubes, punctuated by collapsed sections known as jameos, offered a pre-existing, raw spatiality. The architecture emerges not by constructing anew but by accentuating what is already present—an inversion of typical architectural processes.
César Manrique, born in Arrecife in 1919, returned to Lanzarote in the 1960s after years of artistic engagement in Madrid and New York. Confronted with the threat of unchecked tourism development, Manrique envisioned an alternative: a model in which art and ecology could co-exist. Jameos del Agua, inaugurated in phases beginning in 1966, became the prototype for his environmental ideology—a philosophy rooted in restraint, respect, and resonance with the land. As both artist and architect, Manrique eschewed authorial dominance, opting instead for a spatial modesty that foregrounds the natural environment.
Jameos del Agua Spatial Strategy
The experience of Jameos del Agua unfolds as a sequence of calibrated transitions. From the surface, visitors descend into darkness, enveloped by the volcanic tube’s porous walls and irregular surfaces. The first chamber, partially lit by a collapsed roof, contains an underground lake inhabited by the endemic blind albino crab (Munidopsis polymorpha). These species render the space both biologically unique and symbolically fragile.
From there, the route continues through a tropical garden between volcanic walls, culminating in a visually surreal pool of turquoise water. The experience is not linear but episodic—each spatial fragment offers a distinct atmospheric condition. Light, temperature, and sound shift subtly between chambers, guiding the visitor without the need for signage or explicit direction.
Materially, Manrique intervenes with an ethos of minimalism. Architectural elements—stairs, benches, railings—are embedded within the lava or whitewashed with lime. Structural additions are few and discreet. Instead of dominating the cave’s geometry, they echo it. The result is a hybrid landscape that reads as natural, intentional, raw, and curated.
The architectural program resists categorization. Jameos del Agua is a cultural venue, ecological reserve, and experiential landscape. It houses a subterranean auditorium with exceptional acoustics, a restaurant built into the rock face, and an open-air space for reflection and repose. Yet, the architectural language remains consistent: no gesture is excessive, no surface ornamental. The architecture performs by withdrawing.
Atmosphere, Light, and Phenomenology
If Jameos del Agua has a primary material, it is not concrete or stone, but light. The project operates phenomenally, manipulating illumination to define space, accentuate textures, and heighten perception. The journey from the cave’s darkness to the garden’s brightness and finally to the searing white of the pool is not just optical but symbolic. It narrates a movement from the underworld to the surface—an architectural ascension from shadow to clarity.
Manrique’s orchestration of light is neither theatrical nor didactic. It is atmospheric. Subtle lighting within the cave avoids spectacle, instead emphasizing depth and intimacy. Reflections on water multiply space and distort form. Conversely, the outdoor pool—surrounded by white walls and lush vegetation—amplifies brightness to a point of abstraction, where the volcanic context temporarily dissolves.
These sensory strategies situate Jameos del Agua within a broader tradition of phenomenological architecture. Much like Zumthor’s Therme Vals or Ando’s Church of the Light, Manrique’s work is less concerned with form than with staging perception. His interventions are not compositions but conditions—atmospheres that unfold over time.
Jameos del Agua Plans
Jameos del Agua Image Gallery
About César Manrique
César Manrique (1919–1992) was a Spanish artist, architect, and environmental visionary from Lanzarote, known for pioneering site-specific design that seamlessly blended art, architecture, and the natural landscape. With a multidisciplinary background in painting and sculpture, Manrique championed a philosophy of ecological sensitivity long before sustainability became a mainstream concern. He used his work—especially on his native island—to oppose unsympathetic development and promote harmony between the built environment and volcanic terrain.
Credits and Additional Notes
Collaborators: Jesús Soto (lighting design), Luis Iñiguez (technical coordination)
Key Features: Volcanic cave system, underground lake, open-air pool, concert hall, endemic fauna
Client: Cabildo de Lanzarote
- Geological Feature: Part of the Cueva de los Verdes volcanic tube, created by the eruption of the La Corona Volcano (~3,000–4,000 years ago)
- Current Operator: Centers of Art, Culture, and Tourism of Lanzarote (CACT)
- Fundación César Manrique, Lanzarote by César Manrique
- César Manrique and Lanzarote: Essential Guide by Alejandro Scarpa
