Stepping out from any Metro train station in Barcelona, you are quickly overcome with the sights and sounds of a city that is rich in diversity and culture.
The eclectic mix of European and Mediterranean subcultures in Spain come from long lasting influences from its neighboring countries — a result of thousands of years of trade and immigration. French and Portuguese influences remain in the Catalan language, and Mediterranean-style food is a part of Spanish cuisine.
Other influences can be seen all over the streets and walls of the city.
Ceramic squares add color to the city’s walls, and uniform concrete shapes make the city’s sidewalks aesthetically pleasing. Tiles are everywhere in Spain.
Spanish tile and its history
Spanish tiles date back to the Medieval era, where they were produced in Southern and Coastal Eastern Spain.
They originated from Egypt and Islamic countries in the Mediterranean. The Moriscos, Spain’s Muslim population, were the main artisans behind the tiles before the king’s Expulsion of the Moriscos in 1609.
Tiles were made for art and manufacture, and they could be found on every surface (from rooftops to sidewalks) and every building (from churches and palaces to people’s homes). They were exported throughout the Mediterranean and Europe for centuries before they eventually made their way to other parts of the world.
Now, you can find different variations and uses for Spanish tiles all over the country. From painted, ceramic tiles to molded, concrete tiles, the tiles represent a small token of Spanish culture.
Panot
The Catalan word “panot” symbolizes infamous icons of the region. There are five panot tiles that can be found on the streets of Barcelona: one with a flower, one with a skull, one with three circles within each other, one with four panels and four circles and one with four panels. These tiles are uniform, concrete 20-by-20 centimeter squares that cover about five million square meters of Barcelona’s sidewalks.
The panots were designed by Catalan architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch and standardized by the city in 1906.
The most recognizable panot is the panot de flor or the flor de Barcelona — a simple four-petal flower that graces the streets of the Eixample and along the Ruta del Modernismo.
Gaudi’s tiles
Antoni Gaudi was a 19th century Catalan architect, infamously known for his work around Barcelona. His most famous designs, including La Sagrada Familia, Casa Batllo, Casa Mila and the Parc Guell, have become must-see tourist destinations that millions of people visit each year.
Josep Maria Jujol, another Catalan architect and contemporary of Gaudi, helped design the Parc Guell and some of Gaudi’s other well-known pieces. Although Jujol helped create some of Spain’s most famous tourist attractions, he is not as well-known as Gaudi.
Modern Catalan residents are extremely proud of their heritage and their ancestors. They celebrate and preserve Gaudi and Jujol’s art.
Mariona Quirante, a Parc Guell employee, was born and raised in Barcelona.
"We are fascinated with tiles," she said. "We think that we have a lot of creative minds here in
Barcelona."
She said that the artwork at Parc Guell is unique, and she is proud to see how many people come to the park each day.
"Gaudi represents our city, and he is one of our most famous creative minds," Quirante said.
Parc Guell infamously uses the trencadis technique around the park. Gaudi radically altered the usage of tile by deliberately placing small fragments of tile to cover a surface or create a shape.
Using broken pieces of ceramic and glass, often recycled from local factories, Gaudi covers almost every surface of the Parc Guell with these colorful materials.
One example of this technique is a hand-painted ceramic tile broken up into smaller pieces and fitted back together. The design on the tile is traditional, but the fragmented pieces add dimension and a modern twist.
While many of the tiles are colorful, Gaudi incorporates white and off-white tiles to make the colorful tiles pop.
The ceiling of the Hypostyle Room was carved by Jujol. The neutral surfaces around the colorful cluster of tiles in the middle make the tiles more appealing to the eye.
The Gaudi bench is arguably one of the most famous attractions at the site. Visitors gather around the bench, waiting to get a good view of the city below and pictures with the trencadis tile on the seats.
Brooklyn Neal, a 20-year-old Liverpool student, had already visited Parc Guell three times before she took her university friends Mia Addison, Davina Harkness and Georgia Cowell to see it on Sunday, May 8.
The University of John Moores students took pictures together around the park before deciding to rest on the Gaudi bench and take in the breathtaking city view.
"When you come to Barcelona, you just have to see it," Neal said. "The architecture is iconic."
Neal and her friends said that Parc Guell and the other Gaudi landmarks were on the top of their to-do lists for their weekend trip.
Another unique feature at the park is the Gaudi salamander, or sometimes referred to as “el drac”.
"El drac" is one of the few structures that Gaudi made that uses the tiles to create a shape. He also added protruding rocks onto the salamander to add further texture. Featured right at the main entrance of the park, the mosaic salamander sits in the middle of a grand staircase with water coming out of its mouth.
Gaudi’s dedication to the trencadis technique throughout the park is an inspiration to Spanish residents and travelers alike. A world renowned artist, Gaudi and his work have also been featured in pop culture. The Gaudi bench and “el drac” can be seen during scenes of the song “Strut‘ in the 2006 Disney movie The Cheetah Girls 2.
From the Medieval times to a heartwarming Disney movie, tiles stay persistent in Spanish culture. Only now, billions of people from all over the world can experience the color and beauty that these tiles provide. If you are visiting Spain, take the time to notice these careful designs that are sure to be all around you.
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