The white towns of Andalusia are world-famous for their beauty. Always nestled on the slope of a mountain range and with their steep streets, they have unique characteristics that have made them known all over the world. But have you ever wondered why these towns are so white? Well, this question does have an answer—and it’s not the one usually given.
Grazalema, one of the most famous white villages
Lime in warm climates
Lime has historically been used in warm climates because it has a great capacity to reflect sunlight and helps keep buildings cool inside. Archaeologists have found evidence of the use of lime throughout the Mediterranean, dating the oldest remains found to 10,000 years ago in the West Bank. However, the reality is that in Andalusia (and all of Spain) the use of lime on façades did not become widespread until the 18th and 19th centuries, since previously it was only used in certain important buildings, such as churches, due to its high cost.
Since when have towns been white?
Although it is often thought that towns in Andalusia are white because of the warm climate, the reality is actually sanitary. During the late 18th and 19th centuries, Spain was ravaged by yellow fever pandemics (1800–1821) and cholera (there were several waves between 1833 and 1885), with yellow fever killing a third of Cádiz’s population. At that time, it was believed that both diseases were transmitted through dirt and foul air, so cleanliness and order became an obsession.
Lime is a natural antiseptic; thanks to its high pH, it destroys microorganisms and disinfects, so the government began to require the population to treat both the exterior and interior walls of their homes with lime. In addition, since lime is white, it also helped detect dirt quickly and made disinfection easier.
Proof of this obligation to apply lime under threat of a fine is this municipal order from June 7, 1851, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife:
“Within a period of 8 days after the publication of this notice, all residents shall have their houses whitewashed both externally and internally, whether inhabited or not. Anyone who fails to do so after said period shall incur a fine of 40 reales de vellón.”
Why did lime continue to be used after the epidemics?
It should be understood that the use of lime as an antiseptic measure lasted for more than a century, so when, with modernization and improved conditions, epidemics decreased, fully whitewashing houses had already become a tradition, even if it was initially enforced by the State.
During the 1950s and 1960s, Franco’s dictatorial regime began to use the image of white towns to homogenize and project an image of cleanliness and neatness abroad, in an attempt to improve Spain’s international image and promote tourism. In addition, during this period, beautification contests were created that rewarded the whiteness of façades.
And although the real history of the white towns may not be as romantic as the popular version, it is a fascinating testimony to how survival and hygiene can transform the landscape of an entire region. What we admire today as an idyllic aesthetic choice was, in reality, born as a chemical armor against disease and ended up being consolidated as a norm under a dictatorship.
