If there is a constructive element that defines Menorca, it is the marés stone. Omnipresent in prehistoric monuments, fortresses and churches, even in mills, it is used today for modern buildings even though the passing of time and new materials have ended up replacing it.
Due to its origin, marés is sandstone, of a variable colour between golden ochre and white. Its massive use in the construction sector on the island is due to its easy extraction and handling. It is so ductile that even in some adornments of constructions it has replaced wood. In Menorca there have been many quarries, above all in the areas around Ciutadella, Ferreries, Alaior and Maóa nd some of them still exist today. Depending on where the marés comes from, both its quality and type varies. Its major inconvenience is its grand absorption to humidity and high rate of erosion, which means it must be maintained. For this reason there is a diversity of opinions between architects about its use in housing although nobody doubts its historic, ornamental and aesthetic value.
However, maybe we can find its most artistic expression in S´Hostal, an area of marés quarries one kilometre from the centre of Ciutadella, which for more than twenty years has been transformed due to the action of Líthica, a non-profit organisation founded by the sculptress and architect Laetitia Lara to preserve, rehabilitate and appreciate the value of the marés quarries of the island as artistic and scenic heritage. In 1994 the entity decided to rent this space to save it from a future of neglect and abandon beneath the rubble, managing to awaken an interest among the public. Since then it has become an almost obligatory visit for anyone who wants to enjoy a landscape where geometry and art merge in a single space. The cultural interest in the quarries of s’Hostalis so great that in 2000 it received the Tecnoturística Baleares prize for the Best Tourism Initiative. Every year thousands of tourists, school children and locals decide to enjoy this small natural wonder.
