Casco de la Orotava (Town of La Orotava)

Municipality: La Orotava

History

We are in El Valle de la Orotava (the Valley of the Orotava), which is composed of the municipalities of La Orotava, Los Realejos and Puerto de la Cruz. This time we are going to know El Casco de la Orotava (The town) that is one of the old tows better preserved of the island.

Before the conquest the municipality was concerned to the Menceyato de Taoro (ancient kingdoms formed by the ancient inhabitants of the island). The name of the municipality  is unknown wherefrom it comes. Some historians think that the name comes from Arautava or Arautápala, which is since The Original inhabitants of the island were named to this zone. Nevertheless others hold that it comes from Taoro, which was since original inhabitant of the island was called to this kingdom, for what we are before Taoro's Valley. But this theory holds that there would be a change of letters and putting the suffix - va goes (Taoro+va = Orotava).

After the conquest, the land was distributed between friends and family of Alonso Fernandez of Lugo, this fact originated several conflicts. This zone was one of the most demanded since they were fertile lands and it was possessing rich springs especially in Aguamansa (high zone of the municipality). The neighbors continued complaining, before the disproportionate distribution of lands, as a consequence a documentation is realized.

One of the street

 In 1503 the official accession of the core is realized, where some lots were destined for cultivation. This accession was concerning the streets and to the housings, mills, sawmills and existing ingenuities, though the new constructions had to have the same measures (houses) and it had to leave a considerable width of the roads. This accession and its streets were realized concerning La Iglesia de la Concepción (the hermitage of the Concepcion) , this way growing up to the 17th century, century of maximum brilliance of the Villa. The image of the people remains framed between the ravines and the marked difference of the area.

This core was growing towards the south, known as the Villa de Arriva (Above), less suitable lands for the culture, for what in them there established peasants, craftsmen, etc. In the zone we were meeting a marked inequality, being in the center the most powerful families and in the surroundings the poorest. This fact is reflected in the houses, in its hermitages (the Villa de Abajo (below) had La Iglesia de la Concepción, (the Church of the Concepcion), The Villa de Arriba (Above) La Iglesia de San Juan Bautista (Church of San Juan Baptizer), etc.

The first cultivation is the sugar cane, which needed the Sun and water, for what the owners of the best lands were favored. Already in the year 1503 (year of establishment of the town) they were possessing regulatory ordinances of the water. For the irrigation there were constructed drainpipes that take the water up to the coast and they were happening in the town to supply the neighbors. This one was led thanks to the hydraulic power of the mills.

Canary houses, Drago and Palm

 Substituting the plantation of the sugar cane (it fell down when it was begun to cultivate in South America, it was possible to cultivate big extensions of land, for what its plantation was more profitable instead of the produced one in the islands) the wine appears, putting in the head of export of Malvasias (a Sweet wine elaborated, strong white, sweet, fragrant wine and of high graduation.

Thanks to this plantation, La Orotava grows so much socially as economically. This fact remains reflected when the municipality was named as an Extensive Villa in the 17th century, which it propitiated the judicial independence possessing a mayor or judge of the first stay. Though administratively and politically it continued concerning to La Laguna up to the 19th century. This fact turns La Orotava into the first municipality freed of La Laguna.

The malvasía wine entered in decadence, and also it was done by the social and economic development of the zone. From this moment several cultivations were implanted, but especially for the subsistence. Between epochs of growth, epochs of decline come, since everything depends on the new plantations. At the ends of the XIXth and the beginning of the XXth the banana was entered, for what there was an economic growth that remains paralyzed by the different conflicts in the continent.

Street near of the Town Hall

 With the arrival of the tourism to the island, this municipality had benefited by the nearness to  El Puerto de la Cruz, devoting itself the population to the construction and services sector. But this fact, the image of the town was not modified as if it happened in other municipalities, being able to enjoy at present these constructions.

The town of La Orotava was declared as an  Historical place since 2004, and we can find some building declared as Bien Interés Cultural.(a protection of some building that are important for the history and the population).

Representative Buildings

Molino de Agua (Water mills):  nowadays there are just 9 of 13 that exited. It is possible to realize a route that visits 9 mills. They were used to lead the water, but also with this movement propitiated by the water, the cereals are ground to do the Gofio(a cereal). In 3 of these mills there can be bought this typical and basic food of the Canary supply.

Parroquia Nuestra Señora de la Concepción (Church Our Lady of the Concepcion): the hermitage was raised in 1498, but diverse works and extensions were attacked, especially in the year 1632. In 1704, a new reform was realized due to the fact that the earthquakes of Güimar's volcano originated serious hurts in the same one. It is a temple of baroque style, possesses two towers with a series of arches. The front page possesses pilasters with capitals on it. The church has three ships separated by Ionic columns and Corinthian capitals.

The Church of Nuestra Señora de la Concepción

Casa Lercaro  (Lercaro´s house): the real name of the house is of  Ponte-Fonte, though it is known more for the following owners, Los Lercaro, a family that was moving from La Laguna to La Orotava. It was constructed in 1654. In the main face one sees the trimmings esgrafiadas, and the carpentry in balconies and window. There are inside a bar and a furniture shop.

Lercaro´s house

Hijuela del Botánico (it is a kind of Botanist garden, with was originally an orchard of a convent): it is a space of 3.390m ², located in the behind part of the Town hall. The enclosure is surrounded by a wall of the 19th century, of masonry, with grating and front page. This one was the former garden of the clariso of San Jose convent. Among the species that it is found, fit to stand out the members of the Canary flora, among them the Drago, el Cedro, the Canary Pine, el madroño, etc.

Hijuela del Botánico

 El Ayuntamiento (The Town Hal)l: the building was constructed at the end of the 16th century, being in previous epochs the Convent of San Jose. It is of neoclassic style with linear and symmetrical front. The door is inside of a portico and the building is finished with a triangular fronton with the shield of the Villa.

Town Hall

 La Casa de los Balcones (The House of the Balconies): the municipality is known by its balconies, between them one of the houses exploited as a tourist place is The House of the Balconies. The Building dates back of the XVIIth and XVIth century, it is underlined its balconies and the central the yard. The front has three floors possessing a traversed balcony on the top. It is possible to visit the interior, being in the second plant a museum that counts the life in the house. Apart from souvenirs, also it is possible to find a great sample of soaking and other typical products.

La Casa de los Balcones

Liceo Taoro (it is a society called Liceo Taoro, but we are going to describe the house): it is a building that begins its construction in the first part of the 20th century. It has an eclectic style and the building is at the high of a few stairs. Constructed by a couple of just married, in 1975 the company Liceo Taoro acquired it. The same one can be visited, since it is found a restaurant and a bar on the first floor. Occasionally exhibitions of art are displayed, for what it is possible to visit the instances of the second floor.

Liceo Taoro

 Iglesia de San Juan Bautista (San Juan Baptizer Church): since already it has been mentioned before, in the first moment La Orotava was divided between La Villa de Arriba and La Villa de Abajo, the center of the town. In La Villa de Arriba the poorest population was living, and one of the examples is its Church, which was constructed with poorer materials, opposite case of La Parroquia de la Concepción. The church began to be built in the 17th century, being constructed on the former hermitage, of which only part of the front page remained. The front is Renaissance, an only a tower. It possesses an only ship of the Latin cross and two lateral chapels. The current building dates back to 1728, when it carries out its reconstruction. In one of its wings it possesses a balcony of  tea (a kind of wood).

The Church of San Juan

Apart from all the real estate named, there remain great for visiting. The center of the town can be crossed walking and to estimate the different architectural forms, as well as it is a street of cobbles. Many of the real estate can be visited, since nowadays they are museums, houses of souvenir, hotels, restaurants, etc. Between them we can name, El Jardín Victoria ( The Victory Garden), La Iglesia de Santo Domingo de Guzmán (the Church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán) and San Benito's Ex-convent, San Agustín's Church and Ex- convento de Nuestra Señora de Gracia (Ex-convent of Our Lady of Grace), etc. The best form of visiting is going in person.

We have mentioned only the center, the municipality possesses a wide variety of buildings distributed between its population cores, as well as theme parks, paths, restaurants, guachinches (place where it is possible to eat and to drink wine from the island), etc.

Some Canary houses in La Orotava