Mancha Blanca

Mancha Blanca, with just over 700 inhabitants, is an agricultural and wine village in Tinajo in Lanzarote, Canary Islands  The town is mostly visited for being the starting point for hikes in the Natural Park of Los Volcanes. The village of Mancha Blanca is on the LZ-67 road from Yaiza to Tinajo and 2km southwest of the Visitor Center of the National Park Timanfaya.

Mancha Blanca is most famous for the church of Virgen de Los Dolores (Virgin of Sorrows), the patron saint of the island of Lanzarote, and the annual festivity which takes place in there. This church was constructed because of a promise made by the villagers to the Virgin during the volcanic eruptions of the 18th Century. Her protective veil, according to the legend, managed to hold back the great rivers of lava which were descending upon the inhabitants and houses of Mancha Blanca.

Her miracle is celebrated and commemorated every year at the Island’s most important fiesta, La Romeria de Los Dolores, on 15th of September, which culminates with her icon being paraded through the streets of the town and a large all night party as well. As many as 50,000 locals have been known to attend this important date in the calendar in homage to Dolores.

The church of Virgen de Los Dolores also contains a statue to the black Madonna – a popular religious icon in parts of the Caribbean and Latin America.