Tegueste

Muncipality: Tegueste

History

Before the conquest of Tenerife, which finished in 1496, Tegueste was one of the novels menceyatos of Tenerife. It is necessary to emphasize, just as an anecdote, that this one is one of the municipalities of the island withouth a coast.

In the ravines Núñez, Agua de Dios and Milán there are several archaelogical places, especially it was found some caves of room. During the conquest the inhabitants were part of the war side, so as a consequence the survivors were enslaved.

Some Houses

After the conquest, El Adelantado and figures as Mateo Viña and Pedro Lopez obtained good bylines of land in the zone. In 1530 Lopez`s widows, yields lands and taxes for the construction of a hermitage in the center of the town, which was founded by Melián de Bethencourt in 1540 under the dedication of San Marcos.

In this zone there settled slaves, mediators, laborers and lessees, since most of the land was given to landowners contractors. The first nucleus that was constituted was between two water currents, however the zone was famous by the existence of great quantities of springs and fountains.

Map

Until 1606 the hermitage was depending on  La Laguna, but this same year it was requested to have its own pastor.  In the year 1700 the chapel had already been very small, and half of the same one was in the ravine, for that reason it was moved up to the place in the one that is nowadays.

The population grew slowly until the middle of the XVIIIth century in the Old and New Tegueste, thanks to the wines. Nevertheless, this growth did not stop the emigration. The wine was the principal culture, followed by the potatoes and the maize.

The municipality was divided during several years, for that reason it is necessary to speak about the New and Old Tequeste, being the new one part of Tejina. 

Art

Later the presence of the Prebendado Pacheco, the parson who helped to the first literacy of the teguesteros, and in addition stimulated the construction of the town hall, cemetery and home of the deceased. His labor will mark a milestone in the forties of the 19th century.

Drago Tree

It is in 1813, when it begins the history of Tegueste's Town hall.

The municipality was up to good entered the 20th century, surviving of the agriculture and the ranching. The property was centered in a few hands, due to the Mendizabal's disentailment and  strong emigration. As a consequence the development of the agriculture and of the same inhabitants stoped. The farmers who stay were smallholders, lessees and mediators of the landowners who were residing in other places.

Representative Buildings 

Casco de Tegueste: Bic 1986. The population would not define of the former capital lagunera up to enter the 19th century.

In the center there stands out the parish of San Marcos, which current location was effected in 1701.

Some Houses in Tegueste

Antiguo ayuntamiento: The construction began in 1843 thanks to the contribution of the neighbors and the impulse of the parson Antonio Pereira Pacheco and Ruiz. Though Tegueste had been constituted as a municipality in 1813, it was not having a headquarters for the municipal dependences. This building served also as public granary, home of the deceased's family and school. Nowadays it is the headquarters of the Court of Peace.

Old Town Hall 

Casa de la Audiencia: According to the oral tradition, when an epidemic of pest flogged the island in 1583 the Chapter, which at the time had the headquarters in La Laguna, met in that place. 

Audiencia House

Casa del prebando pacheco: This building received, besides the house of the priest, the Tegueste's first public school in 1849. The Prebendado Antonio Pereira Pacheco and Ruiz were the parson of Tegueste between 1842 and 1856, and helped to improve diverse socioeconomic aspects of the people. At present this building  is used as a room of exhibitions.

Prebando Pacheco´s House 

Iglesia San Marcos:  Evangelist was raised at the beginning of the 16th century as devotion to San Marcos. The first stone is placed from the year 1700 financed by the sale of wood and the contributions of the neighbors. 

With romantic Mudejar style, the construction got longer during years in which the reforms and extensions were constant. Nowadays it has three ships with tower, belfry, roof to two waters and front pages of hewn stone. In the interior it is  emphasized the images of San Marcos, Virgin of the Remedies, etc.

San Marcos Church

Casa de los Tacoronte: This former lordly palace of two floors possesses a beautiful garden in which there can be admired exotic and tropical species. It was the summer residence of the French consul Baron of Chasserieu, though the house owes his name to D. Eduardo Tacoronte, which married the daughter of the above mentioned diplomat. It is located  close to the way of The Laurels, part of the former road link the neighboring municipality of La Laguna. 

Casa de los Tacoronte

Finca y casa de los Zamorano: The estate has a surface of 6 hectares and is dedicated to the sowing of grapevines, fruit trees and ecological gardens, though also it has a press (for the wine), an age, a zone for the dragging of cattle and a circuit authorized for the competitions of cross-country running. 

There is found the House of the Zamorano, a former traditional housing that constitutes an excellent example of the houses of party wall of the zone and that nowadays is a Center of Interpretation, where the visitor can discover how the agrarian, formative and sports utility can coexist in the same place. 

Finca de Los Zamorano

La Placeta:  It receives also the name of the Plaza of Pedro Melián or of Eduardo Tacoronte. Located at a crossroads of ways, always it was a place of meeting between  the neighbors. This function remained confirmed with the construction of a Calvary at the end of the 19th century and a water jet at the beginning of the 20th century.

La Placeta

Plaza de la Arañita:  Acquaintance as El Llano, is the place where Tegueste was founded, since it has a few orographich favorable conditions for the accession of the population, especially as for the facility of access already the water availability. The first hermitage dedicated to San Marcos was raised near this square. 

Plaza de la Añarita

Camino de los Laureles: This path forms a part of the former royal way for the one was acceding to the village from before the conquest of the island, and reports with the way de las  Peñuelas. Part of the attraction resides in the remains of laurisilva, that embellish this emblematic place.

Camino Los Laureles

Barranco de Agua de Dios: Bic 2006. The Archaeological Zone spreads over the riverbed of Agua de Dios, which from Tejina receives the name of Milan.

From the archaeological point of view, the ravine constitutes a unit of permanent accession of great importance of the island of Tenerife, since it is demonstrated by the extraordinary number of hollows that have received documents in both margins, especially in the left side. The caves have formed by means of processes of differential erosion. 

Crossing the Ravine

According to the Archaeological Charter of the municipalities of Tegueste and San Cristóbal de La Laguna, thirty natural caves have been inventoried, both with a housing function and as a funerary one.