I would like to buy some Albero Soil for use in Seattle.  This is a
special soil that comes from Mexico and is used in bull fighting rings
in Spain and Mexico.  It is a beautiful yellow soil.

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Clarification of Question by shuksan-ga on 25 Aug 2005 15:42 PDT

"The surface is covered by hard soil of a yellowy ochre colour called
albero, obtained from quarries in the neighbourhood of Alcalá de
Guadaira, about 16 kms. eastwards from Seville."

Dear shuksan-ga;

Thank you for allowing me to answer your interesting question.

Albero is not really soil; it?s more sand than anything. It is
typically used for its absorbent properties. In vineyard cultivation
and wine making albero soil is sometimes used because the chalky
absorbency is said to aid in the production of very ripe and
substantially finer, aromatic (?Oloroso?) fruit.

VINES.ORG
http://vines.org/Docs/Text/Wine_encyclopedia_Malaga.htm

The sand is used on the floor of a bullfighting arena for the same
reason; to help soak up blood and urine.

CASA DE CARMONA
?FIND ME THE HEART OF SPAIN?
http://www.casadecarmona.com/html_comunes/condenasttraveler01041992_gb.htm

The primary reason for using the yellow sand locally it seems is
simply because it is both plentiful and decorative with a unique,
iridescent quality:

?Not far from Seville on the road to Granada lies a small village
called Alcala de Guadaira where there is a unique sand called albero.
It is golden and reflects the sunlight. The Sevillanos like to mix the
sand with paint. This is why when walking, the walls of Seville appear
to change colour depending on the time of day. At dawn the sand is
pale yellow, but turns copper at noon.?
SARAPHINA MOSEY
http://www.saraphina.com/moseyseville/040199/040199showing_up.htm


I hope you find that my answer exceeds your expectations. If you have
any questions about my research please post a clarification request
prior to rating the answer. Otherwise I welcome your rating and your
final comments and I look forward to working with you again in the
near future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.

Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga ? Google Answers Researcher



INFORMATION SOURCES

Defined above


SEARCH STRATEGY


SEARCH ENGINE USED:

Google ://www.google.com


SEARCH TERMS USED:

Albero

Soil

Yellow

Seville 

Alcala de Guadaira

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Request for Answer Clarification by shuksan-ga on 26 Aug 2005 13:50 PDT

thanks
the information is great, but my real question is where can I buy
some.  Can you help me find the supplier and their contact info?

I'm glad you find the topic interesting.

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Clarification of Answer by tutuzdad-ga on 26 Aug 2005 14:04 PDT

My follow up research has indicated that Albero sand is not imported
by the US from either Spain or Mexico (or any other natural source). I
am sorry.

tutuzdad-ga

thanks for trying.  too bad there is not a source.

Here is a page that pictures this particular type of soil.  It might be
of some help to researchers.

http://www.vinagresdeyema.es/bodeng.html

thanks for the comment.  I am interested to learn why you use Albero
in this space?  It's beautiful, but is there also a functional
benefit?