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