Lanzarote’s traditional instrument

The timple is the most famous of Canarian traditional instruments – a tiny five-stringed guitar whose piercing, high-pitched melodies give an unmistakeably Canarian touch to folk groups.

If you want to discover more about the timple, simply find the two bronze lions in Teguise’s central square, both of whom are facing the Palacio de Spínola, a singlestorey white building with six large brown shuttered windows and three steps leading to a doorway.

The Timple Museum guides you through the history of the instrument, from its earliest ancestors in baroque Italy to global members of the stringed instrument family such as the Russian balalaika or the west African kora.

One room recreates the workshop of a luther, showing how the timple is carefully constructed from pine, rosewood and orange wood, and another room displays several varieties of timples, including modern ones made from carbon fibre or 3D printed plastic.

But every bit as interesting as the museum is the building itself. The Palacio de Spínola is the best example of a stately home in Teguise and was renovated in the 70s with décor by César Manrique. As you enter, you’ll see the private chapel that was used by the owners and as you pass through the museum you can’t help but be impressed by the austere, simple Spanish colonial style of the mansion, with plain white walls and uncarved wooden fittings.

Beyond the museum you’ll see an interior patio with a well in the centre, and the original kitchen and dining room of the home. Upper storeys, usually closed to the public, can be seen at the rear of the building and were where bedchambers were located.

An open air passageway is lined with destiladeras, the stone water filters festooned with maidenhair ferns, that were widely used on the Canaries. It leads to an outdoor patio with an aljibe (water tank), a fig tree, two shaggy palm trees and an ornamental staircase. You’ll also find two more lions here – these are the original concrete ones that stood in the square from 1922 until 2005.

The Timple Museum is open from 10 am – 4 pm Mon to Sat, 10 am to 3 pm on Sundays. Entry is €3 (€1.80 Lanzarote residents, free for Teguise residents.)