Tribute to the Washerwomen

Santa Cruz de Tenerife · Category: Art · Subcategory: Sculpture · Year: 2015 · Authors: Raquel Plans

This work dedicated to the washerwomen is located in the Plaza de los Lavaderos, in the neighbourhood of the same name. It is a sculpture by Raquel Plans made in 2015, in which the artist explores concepts related to both individual and collective identity, memory, and communication through bronze and stone, viewing the work as an exhibition ensemble that is configured and acquires meaning in an organic way. 

The washerwomen were popular figures in Santa Cruz who washed the clothes of people from affluent classes, first in the ravines and public fountains and later, from 1842 onwards, in the public washhouses opened by the Town Hall next to where the statue stands in tribute to the work of these  women. They not only washed clothes for the local bourgeoisie but also for the ships that stopped at the dock and requested this service. The introduction of the running water network largely ended the washerwomen’s work. This sculpture remains as a tribute to their figure.

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