History

Historia

Atocha

ATOCHA Welcome to the Atocha Hotel Madrid Tapestry by Hilton, located in the well-known Madrid area of ​​Atocha. What many people from Madrid do not know is that the name is synonymous with ESPARTO, and that is why our hotel has been decorated with artistic pieces of this material.

Esparto

The esparto used to arrive at the Atocha Station and was distributed by all the shops in the city. This precious material replaced plastic, making it possible to create wonders like the ones you will discover in this house. Your house for a few days. Esparto grass becomes the protagonist of Atocha Hotel Madrid Tapestry by Hilton.

Tradition

We exhibit artistic pieces made of this natural fiber to make you part of the history of the city. These works merge traditional fragments of our culture to bring them to the contemporariness. We celebrate our roots to turn them into art and redefine their inherited meaning so that the past travels with us.

The workshop

In our workshop, a special mention is made to the craftsman, who with his know-how has been part of our cultural wealth. The Tapestry room is his artisan universe where the tools with which he worked and a series of different braiding points with which most of the everyday objects have been produced are exhibited.

Gold Fiber

Esparto is “the golden fiber” of fibers, which has been used for at least 30,000 years. Ropes have been tightened, paper created, objects braided, sacks woven, among others. The transmission of this knowledge was carried out through the esparto circles that today are part of the collective memory. At the time of producing the objects, the craftsmen sat in intergenerational groups, shared the work, and thus learned new techniques.

New Stage

At the beginning of the 1960s, the mechanization of agricultural work and the arrival in the market of plastic materials led to the abandonment of its use. The 21st century opens a new stage for the craftsman. New technologies appear and new tastes arouse the society desires. Having successfully navigated for millennia, the craftsman will have to renew himself to adapt and look beyond functionality to find a new place in the progress. We enter into this process of exalting our culture and history, rescuing and adding value to this precious and uniquely beautiful material.