Los Cancajos Salt Factory

Besides bananas, wine, and sugar cane, salt is one of the primary products made on the island of La Palma. All the salt is extracted from the sea, though the methods of doing so differ. 

On the south of the island lie the salars, large fields filled with seawater left to evaporate, leaving behind salt and other minerals. While this method is pretty and well suited for tourists to admire, it is not the most efficient way of harvesting salt, as most of the work is done manually. The salt factory in Los Cancajos has a much better modus operandi, as most of the work is automated. 

When you visit the factory, you’ll find a couple of old stone buildings. At the seaside, there’s a small tower-like structure. This building once had its own windmill that pumped water from the sea and sent it down a channel. But now, the windmill is gone, having been replaced by a pipe. Near the road, a second tower pumps the water even farther up into basins much like those of the southern salars, where the salt is left to evaporate.

Update as of June 2021: The area is currently being renovated to resemble its original look and is set to become a museum soon.