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Stone Pavement streets in Cordoba and Granada:
In many construction projects and jobs including constructing ‘Granadino’ stone pavements (empedrado granadino).These workshops started appearing in Granada as early as the XIX century. His current workshop is in Loja, although in reality most work is done on site, so its more like a storehouse than a workshop.
The Origins of the stone pavement
The first culture to use stone pavements was the Aegean culture (Neolithic Period 1600 -1000 BC). First the Greeks, then the Romans decorated their buildings with beautiful mosaics composed of small pieces of coloured stone called tesserae.
The type of pavement found in Granada is derived from the Roman tessellations but it was conceived in Arab culture, with the Umayyad dynasty being the first to create it and use it in the independent Caliphate of Córdoba (Century IX - XII). The materials used to form these pavements were naturally rounded little rocks (with a diameter of 5 cm) mainly obtained from riverbeds.
The first creations during the Umayyad’s dynasty were geometric compositions using darker rocks to fill in the decorations. The Umayyads were copied by the Nazarites, descendants of Nasridas who were early settlers of what later became the Kingdom of Granada. In Granada, however, white and black stones (those found in the ravines and rivers of Granada) were used to create the stone pavements. This is what makes its ‘empedrado’ special and unique.
The Materials and Workmanship
The main materials that he works with are mortars - a homogeneous mixture of cement and sand, stone pebbles or limestone for the infill and slate for pattern formation or decorative motifs. The selection of materials is both important and very basic at the same time. On one hand, you need to find a material that is long-lasting and able to stand the wear and tear of both people and vehicles. On the other hand, the material should be physically and chemically stable, so that can´t be damaged by rain, and can cope with chemical elements that can be present on the streets of any city.
The stones used to construct these typical Andalusian stone pavements are white and black stones, and they are gathered from ravines and rivers in Granada. These stones are used because of their uniform consistency and because their form makes them suitable for setting into the mortar in the street. They are also very rich in quartz, which doesn´t allow salt and humidity to enter, and their edges are rounded by the passage of time, which makes them ideal for street construction.
There may be other materials used to create these pavements in Andalusia, such as marble, but stones taken from ravines and rivers are the main materials used.
Finally, both locals and tourists seem to appreciate and like these stone pavements. They think of them as a symbol of Granada and Andalusia and they find them very characteristic of Andalusian culture and traditions.