Ceramic “Braille” map, El Burgo

by Rafael Guerrero

Coincidently this town map of El Burgo has been designed in three dimensions in ceramic, which not only makes this map so different from all others we are used to seeing but it allows for people with reduced vision to “feel their way around the map”. The roads are exactly the width of an index finger, so its inviting for people to follow the roads using this method. The artist, Rafaé Guerrero´s intention, perhaps, and most likely was not this one, yet it has served many purposes; Informative, aesthetic and Accessible. This idea should be applied to all maps in towns, it is also educational and could be used to teach the younger ones to find where they are using it. Look at the detail of the `Ayuntamiento´ (Town Hall) building, only the most important buildings are done in three dimensions, the rest are painted in. The river, is also “finger-width” so easy to follow its path, under the bridges on either side. `Puente Nuevo´ (new bridge) on the left and the Roman bridge on the right which takes us towards Casarabonela.