Portugal's Azulejo Tiles

When someone mentions Portugal, a few things come to mind: Port wine, Lisbon, seafood, surfing, and … azulejos! Even visitors who aren’t familiar with the term may see images of these glazed, ceramic tiles in their mind’s eye. Deeply embedded in Portugal’s history and culture, there are countless wonderful examples of these beautiful tiles. Azulejos date as far back as the 13th century, when the Moors invaded the land that now belongs to Spain and Portugal, but they secured their foothold in Portuguese culture between the 16th and 17th centuries. The word azulejo stems from Arabic roots, meaning ‘small polished stone’. Originally they were fairly simple structures cut into geometric shapes in neutral tones. It wasn’t until Portugal’s King Manuel I visited Seville and brought the idea back, that Portugal truly adopted this artwork into its culture. The tiles were used to cover up the large areas of blank wall that were common inside buildings during the Gothic period. Antique azulejos were decorated in a simple color palate, dominated by blues and whites. It is believed that these colors were influenced by the Age of Discoveries (15th – 18th centuries) and considered fashionable at the time. The other colors that appeared were yellow (sometimes looking gold) and green.