Signposting path

Already some paths have been published and still there remain great more. But in this occasion one will speak on the signposting of the same ones (rather a small summary).

Signs that indicate a path

In some publications it has been named like to continue the path that is described, many of which are put up signs and to certain distances it is found the signs that indicate the direction to continue. In other occasions, on the contrary, there is not put up signs and it is the own already made path the one that guides us (in the own soil); or a former plate of path where one sees the image of a dolly (a hiker with rucksack); or finally the stones put by previous hikers.

Signs of a path with numbers

In the beginning of the approved paths (that are those paths that are identified by the signs and authorized by the autonomous and / or territorial federation). Normally there is an informative panel, in which we can see the tour, distance, difference, information of interest ... and also there appear the signs and the meaning of the same ones.

Explanatory poster at the beginning of a path

This sign indicates the type of tour that we are going to realize; it is this "GR" Great Tour (red color), "PR" Small Tour (yellow color) ó "SL" Local Path (green color).These come identified by different colors (already above mentioned), and on occasions there are superposed two types of different paths (because a section of  Great Tour passes for a Small Tour or for Local Path; a section of Small Tour passes for a Local Path; etc). They indicate us the way that we must take, if we continue well, if we have been wrong, where we take the curve to, etc (these can be painted on rocks or in sticks).

The first image we have the informative panel, indicating in red
the zone where the signs are. The second image
 the signs extracted of the first image.

All this information remains reflected in the presentation (*) of FEDME (Spanish Federation of Sports of Mountain and Climbing, web page: http: // www.fedme.es/). In case of Canaries we have FECAMON (Canary Federation of Mountaineering, web page: http: // fecamon.es/).

(*) http://www.fedme.es/salaprensa/upfiles/294_F_es.pdf (link where the signs are explained, in Spanish)

Signs of a path, where this one it is a part of one Small Tour
and of Great Tour. 

Señalización de Senderos

Ya se han publicado algunos senderos y todavía quedan muchos más. Pero en esta ocasión se hablará sobre la señalizacion de los mismos (más bien un pequeño resumen). 

Señales indican sendero

En algunas publicaciones se ha nombrado como continuar el sendero que se está describiendo, muchos de los cuales están señalizados y a ciertas distancias se encuentran las señales que indican la dirección a seguir. En otras ocasiones, por el contrario, se han cogido caminos no señalizados y es el propio sendero ya hecho el que nos guía (en el propio suelo); o bien una antigua placa de sendero donde se ve la imagen de un muñequita (senderista con mochila); o por ultimo las piedras puestas por anteriores senderistas. 

Indicación de sendero con número

Al comienzo de los senderos homologados (que son aquellos senderos que están identificados por las señaleticas y homologados por la federación autonómica y/o territorial) normalmente hay un panel informativo, en que podemos ver el recorrido, distancia, desnivel, datos de interés... y también aparecen las señales y el significado de las mismas.

Cartel informativo a principio de sendero

Esta señales identifican el tipo de recorrido que vamos a realizar; sea este Gran Recorrido (color rojo), Pequeño Recorrido (color amarillo) ó Sendero local (color verde). Estos vienen identificados por diferentes colores (ya dicho), y en ocasiones se superponen dos tipos de senderos diferentes (porque un tramo de Gran Recorrido pasa por un Pequeño Recorrido o por Sendero Local; un tramo de Pequeño Recorrido pasa por Sendero Local; etc). Nos indican el camino que debemos tomar, si seguimos bien, si nos hemos equivocado, para donde cogemos la curva, etc (estos pueden estar pintados sobre rocas o bien en palos).

Primera imagen tenemos el panel informativo, señalando en rojo
la zona donde se encuentra la señalitca. Segunda imagen la
señaletica sacada de la primera imagen. 

Toda esta información queda reflejada en la presentación (*) de FEDME (Federación Española de Deportes de Montaña y Escalada, página web: http://www.fedme.es/). En el caso de Canarias tenemos FECAMON (Federación Canaria de Montañismo, página web: http://fecamon.es/) 

(*) http://www.fedme.es/salaprensa/upfiles/294_F_es.pdf  (enlace donde se explica la señaletica) 

Señales de sendero, donde este tramo es parte de un
Pequeño Recorrido y de un Gran Recorrido:

La Guancha (En)

Municipality: La Guancha 

History

Before the conquest, it is thought that the aboriginal core should have placed in the environment of " The Fountains of the Guancha ", due to the abundance of springs. Near these births of water, along the municipality, they have found numerous findings, especially pieces of ceramics.

After the ending of the conquest in 1496, the lands of this zone were not covered completely, for the malpaíses (It is an accident of the relief characterized by the presence of rocks little eroded of volcanic origin in an arid environment). The only local settlers were some aborigines grancanarios (from Gran Canaria, to those who gave each other the first portions of lands for having helped in the conquest of Tenerife). With this accession there would be born the coastal neighborhood of Santa Catalina.

View from La Guancha

Between the cultures that were produced in the zone, the maize was, principally, followed by the wheat, potatoes and the grapevine. As for the handcrafted production, the market was for a local supply, as the greatest percentage of the cultures.

The population of the municipality was principally established in Santa Catalina and distributed in the field (but in minor number). The property of the land was divided between foreign, or small estates that were loaded with taxes (obligatory presentation). Nevertheless, the municipality saw a decrease of the population for facts as; the great alluvium of 1826; the intense deforestation (that was doing that the rains were turning into floods); and the crisis after the Napoleonic wars, originating a massive emigration, to places as Venezuela and the Greater Antilles.

Santa Catalina

With the arrival of new cultures, the return of the emigrants and other economic improvements that the island would suffer; it does that the municipality returns to increase in population (a fact that repeats itself along the whole island geography). 

Representative buildings 

Casco Antiguo de Santa Catalina (Old town of Santa Catalina): It was the first population nucleus of the zone, and in where we can find the hermitage constructed in 1510 by the first settlers, grancanarios, and reconstructed in 1867 due to the alluvium of 1826, which destroyed it largely.

In the surrounding areas, there are still some houses of Canary typology, exactly in the "calle real" royal way (today it is divided  into "camino real cañada baja" and "calle real"). It is emphasized between the casona (big house) of the Falcon family and the one built by Felipe Perez Rodríguez at the end of the XIXth, on two floors and of neoclassic style and adorned with hewn stone in the corners. 

One of the streets

Iglesia corazón de Jesús (Church Jesus' Heart): Of Mudejar style (It is an artistic style that develops in the Christian kingdoms of the Iberian peninsula, but that Hispanic - Muslim incorporates influences, elements or materials of style).  It is a building of 1579 as hermitage and before the increasing population wide in 1609 it was reformed as a parish. It is a church of two ships, separated by round arches and possesses a Mudejar roof.

In the interior we find altarpieces of the 18th century and pieces and images of great artistic and historical value.

Door

Taller de Artesanía (Workshop of Crafts):It was born from the good acceptance that it had the Fair of Crafts of the municipality in all the editions. The birth was the result of the union of the neighboring craftsmen who up to this moment were dispersed for the municipality and for what could get lost some of the handcrafted modalities.

It possesses a varied range of rooms where it is elaborated and the samples of pottery are exposed, raffia, basket-making, fret, loom, etc.

Workshop

Bodegas (cellar): one of the places that to visit and where to prove wine one of the zone. Many of them are found by us in former Canary houses.

Vineyard

Since always, we mention some of the heritages of each municipality, in this case we have centred on the old town of Santa Catalina (as core) and some more representative real estate. But we never forget that along the whole geography of the municipality we find samples of real estate of Canary typology preserved well and that they must be visiting.

Old Hauses