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From the Mirador we can descry the congeries of islands and isles called the „Archipelago of Chinijo“ ( Archipiélago de Chinijo ), being a nature protection area. The Mirador was designed in 1973 by Cesar Manrique with the help of Jesus Soto and Eduardo Caceres. It was a quite complex construction: the peak of the Famara Cliff had to be gouged in order to disguise the visual impact in the rock face of the cliff.
Especially striking in this work is the front side being a semicircular construction of stone. The visitor is guided by a wavelike corridor suddenly being connected with a hall of extensive windows allowing the visitor to take a fantastic panorama over the archipelago. It`s a place that counts with all the necessary conveniences to enjoy a great view. The only decoration elements to the viewpoint are some iron sculptures soldered by Manrique´s own hand in order to lessen the reverberation produced inside the gouged rock.
The first island to get a look at from the Mirador is the island of La Graciosa . Behind La Graciosa we can see the Montaña Clara and the Roque del Oeste and finally the isle of Alegranza. Last but not least we need a far view to the Eastern sight in order to catch sight of the Roque del Este . From the Mirador can also be seen the base of the Famara Cliff where we can find the oldest salt refinery of Lanzarote called Salina del Rio and exploted since the Roman age. It should not be forgotten to mention the reason of giving the viewpoint the name Mirador del Rio . The reason is that the 2km of ocean separating La Graciosa from Lanzarote is called the Rio (River) by the islanders |
