Chilean nitrate advertising sign

This famous Art Deco advert for Chilean nitrate has been standing at the beginning of the Calle Real since 1929. It was designed by López-Durán Lozano, who was a student of architecture at the time, although he went on to become a professor at the School of Architecture of Madrid. The tiles were made by the Valencian firm Ramon Castello.
Chilean nitrate was a fertilizer made of sodium nitrate (NaNO3), mined in the Atacama dessert of Chile. These days most fertilizer is made by extracting nitrogen from the atmosphere.

Posted by sheila

Sheila came to La Palma with a six month contract and has stayed 24 years so far. She used to work as a software engineer at the observatory, but now she's a writer and Starlight guide.