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56 | Gazette Life | August 2025The original lions were sculpted in 1922 by the artist Francisco Sp%u00ednola G%u00f3mez, cast in concrete and painted white. The Teguisebased writer Leandro Perdomo claimed that his grandfather Francisco created the lions after being cast as Othello in a production of the Shakespeare play that took place in the square, which he thought looked %u201ca little bare%u201d.Perdomo claimed that his grandfather came up with the idea after seeing lions on an Indian carpet that was lying on the floor of the %u201cold, ruined mansion%u201d in the town. Four lions were originally created %u2013 two standing, two lying down - with the other two intended to watch over the church at the other side of the square.However, the other pair never made it to their posts, and their fate is unknown. The two remaining lions are a male and a female %u2013 the male is the one on the left showing his teeth.In 2005, the concrete lions were replaced by the bronze statues which currently stand in place with local sculptor Paco Curbelo, well-known for various works including the camels at Uga, taking charge of the job. The bronzes were cast in Tenerife.The original brown-painted plaster lions can still be seen in the patio of the Palacio Sp%u00ednola, finally saved from indignities such as having their tails stolen, which occasionally happened when lads from Arrecife came to Teguise for fiestas.Perdomo claimed to be puzzled as to why GAZETTE INTERIORTeguise%u2019s lions may not be as famous as those in Trafalgar Square, Peking or Madrid, but they remain among the most popular sculptures on the island, silently guarding the Palacio Sp%u00ednola for over a century.The lions of Teguiseso many tourists photographed the lions, which he described as %u201curban ornaments%u201d rather than works of art, but a quick glimpse at the archive of photos at Memoria de Lanzarote shows that generations of islanders have been attracted to the lions, posing next to them or even climbing onto them.