Spain · Tile making; Cement craft; Catalan heritage
Rajola Catalana Hidràulica
The making of hydraulic cement tiles (rajola hidràulica) — the colorful geometric floor tiles that define the interiors of Barcelona Modernista buildings, Eixample apartments, and traditional Catalan homes. Unlike ceramic tiles (fired in a kiln), hydraulic tiles are made by a cold compression process: pigmented cement is poured into metal division plates within a steel mold, then compressed under a hydraulic press without firing. The tile's color and pattern are entirely in the surface layer (4–5mm of pigmented cement) over a plain cement body. The pattern is determined by the division plates — thin metal strips that separate the color areas during pouring.
Risk level: Stable · Not listed; hydraulic tile patterns are included in Barcelona architectural heritage inventory
The making of Idiazábal — the smoked or unsmoked pressed sheep's milk cheese of the Basque Country and Navarre, made exclusively from the milk of Latxa and Carranzana ewes (Basque sheep breeds).
The making of red wine from Garnacha Tinta in Navarre — the Iberian grape variety that originated in Aragon-Navarre and now produces the most planted red wine grape in the world.
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The building of traditional wooden boats in the Basque Country — from the trainera (the traditional Basque rowing regatta boat, built from American oak using a specific longitudinal planking sequence) to the goleta (the Basque schooner…
The quarrying and carving of Galician granite (granito galego) — the gray-pink granite that defines the architecture of Santiago de Compostela; the hórreos (granary structures raised on stone pillars); the cruceiros (wayside crosses); and…
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The construction of the monumental traditional dwelling of the Kanak people of New Caledonia — the case (pronounced caz) — a circular timber-framed thatched structure whose central post (poteau central) is a cosmologically charged…
The production of lime from burned oyster shells — a building material tradition unique to the Atlantic coast of France, where the abundance of oyster shells from centuries of oyster farming provided an alternative to limestone for lime…
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A masonry technique unique to the Salar de Uyuni, the world's largest salt flat, in which compacted salt is cut directly from the salar's surface into brick-like blocks and built into complete structures — walls, domed ceilings, furniture…
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The nón lá is Vietnam's most iconic cultural symbol — the conical palm leaf hat worn by farmers, women, and children as sun and rain protection across the country.