Museo de la Seda y Taller Las Hilanderas
Museum and craft silk workshop in El Paso, showing the manual process of La Palma silk, from the silkworm to the loom.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
For centuries silk was an important craft in La Palma. Textile techniques arrived on the island in the 16th century, after its incorporation into the Crown of Castile, and La Palma silk and embroidery were exported to the Peninsula and to Flanders until, in the 18th century, fashion turned towards cotton. The craft survived mainly in El Paso, a municipality that is a silk-making centre par excellence, where today it is practised almost exclusively by women.
The Las Hilanderas silk museum and workshop was founded in El Paso in 2002 to preserve and promote this textile art. According to the workshop itself, it is the only silk workshop in the Canary Islands, and it keeps the entire process fully manual. The visit allows you to see a working workshop and learn about each stage: rearing the silkworm (Bombyx mori), fed on mulberry leaves; unwinding the thread from the cocoons in a copper cauldron and on the reel; preparing and twisting the yarn; dyeing with natural dyes such as walnut shell, weld or cochineal; and weaving on an old-model treadle loom.
The craftswomen make items such as traditional costumes, headdresses, sashes, bodices, handkerchiefs, ties, foulards and shawls, which are usually finished with hand embroidery.
Highlights
- Working craft silk workshop
- Full manual process: silkworm rearing, spinning, dyeing and weaving
- Treadle loom of traditional model
- Natural dyes such as cochineal and walnut shell
- Traditional costumes, foulards and La Palma silk embroidery
Permanent exhibition
- Museo y taller de seda artesana – Display of La Palma's traditional silk process, with a working workshop, looms and handmade pieces.
- Founded
- 2002
- Operated by
- Taller de Seda Artesana Las Hilanderas
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €3 |
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Visit price: €3.
Accessibility
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Kids & families
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Getting there & parking
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Amenities & dining
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Events & venue rental
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Plan your visit
| Good to know | Visit to a working workshop. |
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