Centro de Interpretación Poblado de La Atalayita

La Atalayita covers some 45,000 square metres of lava flow in the Pozo Negro valley, inside the protected landscape of the Malpaís Grande, on ground laid down by the La Laguna and Liria calderas. The Majos, the aboriginal people of Fuerteventura, settled here because the badlands suited herding, and they left behind more than a hundred dry-stone structures, among them small casas hondas a metre and a half to two metres across with low, narrow doorways, unroofed circular enclosures used as pens, and larger complexes of several rooms. A rise once used as a lookout gave the place its name. A traditional dwelling with a tarajal wood frame and an earth roof has been rebuilt at the entrance, and the interpretation centre explains how the settlement worked.

The visit is made on foot across the lava field itself, following a signed route that can also be walked with a guide. The ground is loose, sharp-edged lava with no shade and a great deal of reflected heat, so closed shoes with a stiff sole, water and sun protection are essential, and midday in summer is punishing. Access is off the Pozo Negro road, turning onto a track towards the site, with room to leave the car near the centre. It rewards anyone curious about pre-Hispanic life on the island, and lovers of archaeology and volcanic landscape.