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Basketry is one of the most important traditional crafts on the island of Fuerteventura, especially in the inland areas where palm trees are abundant—the main source of raw material for this activity. The products made through basketry had great utility in traditional daily life, being used both in economic activities and in the home for domestic and personal purposes.
Over time, the objects crafted by basket makers, like many other traditional items, have lost their original functionality, leading to a deep decline in this craft. Nowadays, basketry production serves an almost exclusively ornamental purpose.
Scissors, needles, knives, callaos (rounded pebbles), wooden mallets, axes or machetes.
The creation of a basketry piece begins when the palm to be used is ready—that is, it has been dried outdoors and its leaves have been opened. With these leaves, the artisan weaves a strip known as an empleita by interlacing several palm strands diagonally. The width and length of the empleita depend on the piece being made. Once the empleita is finished, it is flattened using a rounded pebble or a wooden mallet. The piece is then formed by sewing the empleita with either the same material or thread, shaping it into the desired object: hat, basket, petaca or gena, esportón, serón, mat, etc.
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