History
Candelaria, like almost all the municipalities of Tenerife, has coast and mountain. Its history is linked to the cult of Candelaria Virgin.
During the Guanche era, it was a passing town to Güímar, due to its winds and desert areas.
According to the legend, the Virgin of Candelaria appeared on the Güímar beaches around 1392, although it could be around 1450. It is thought that it was transported by Franciscan friars to the convent of Betancuria in Fuerteventura between 1430-50. So, it is thought that the Virgin could have arrived for a decade or two before the conquest due to the Marian cult among the southern aborigines and what explains that they joined the side of peace during the conquest.
 |
| Candelaria |
When the virgin was found, she was moved into some caves, and then to the cave of Achibinico, now known as San Blas (the cave that is behind the Basilica). In 1497 a hermitage was built by order of El Adelantado. In 1535 the town council transferred to the Dominicans the Image, the house and hermitage. The town council took over the local festivities, the works of extension and the roads renovations . The convent was criticized for its dangerous location on the coast.
The population of Candelaria was scattered among small places. The Cabildo builds a house in the area of temporary residence during the festivities (this house has a balcony and it is located just above the fountain). This example was followed by Los Condes de La Gomera and the Marquis of Adeje, Los Baulen, etc. Houses that were built between the convent and the cave-chapel.
 |
| Candelaria |
The popular layers settled on the cliffs (caves first and then earthen houses around the church).
The soil of the municipality is very arid, so the men dedicated themselves to the fishing and the conduction of boats to supply fruits of the nearby villages. Because of this they excelled in migration as sailors.
 |
| Candelaria |
The women dedicated themselves to the manufacture of earthenware, appreciated in much of the island and selling fish in the to the street. The fame of Candelaria’s pottery is such that each house has proper ovens to cook and shine.
Outside the town there are several villages of interest. In these areas there was subsistence agriculture (tripe, potatoes and wine) and caprine, wool and pig livestock.
 |
| Guanches |
Candelaria’s urban growth has been spectacular since the 1970s; and since the 1980s, it has had frenzied urban speculation.
 |
| Houses |
Representative buildings
Santuario de la Virgen de Candelaria y Convento y bienes muebles vinculados: Declared Monument in 2005.
It has two towers of 35m high in the facade and one lateral of 45m. It has two access doors, the side opens to the square and the main to the Magdalena cliff.
Its interior decoration is of the Doric order with a symbolic polychromy that alludes to the tones of the classical dress of the Virgin
 |
| Basílica de Candelaria |
Las Pinturas de Manuel Martín González, located inside la Basílica de Candelaria: Declared Bien Mueble in 2013. The paintings are exposed at the foot of the temple nave.
Painting nº 1 represents the lands of Chinguaro and nº 2 the beaches of Chimisay, as the aborigines were supposed to see when the Virgin appeared before the conquest of the Archipelago.
 |
| Painting |
Convento Dominico: Next to the Basilica and towards the sea, it has been restored since the 1960s in neocanary style and is articulated around a square cloister. The various convent units are the museum, the conference hall, the bookshop, hall, and the meeting hall.
On the top floor are the rooms of the religious, the oratory, the library, kitchen and dining room. The most outstanding architectural element is the lateral stone door, with a lateral structure, which rests on half Corinthian columns.
 |
| Convento Dominico |
Iglesia de San Blas: with a simple architectural façade, extending into the interior of the coastal cliff through the cave de San Blas.
 |
| Iglesia San Blas |
Five sections of the traditional road are preserved, which is born at the end of the extension of the Camino de San Francisco de Paula (which goes to La Laguna) and ends at the Camino de la Cruz Colorada (near the C-822 road).
 |
| Candelaria way |
Antiguo Ayuntamiento: It was built in the 17th century as a temporary residence of the island’s rulers, so it is also known as Casa Cabildo
 |
| Casa Cabildo |
Centro alfarero: Known as the Casa de las Miquelas, it is the center of the pottery, during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the main industry of the municipality.
This center, located in a traditional house rehabilitated, owes its name to the last two potters of the neighborhood of Santa Ana.
It consists of three rooms, where it is possible to see the production process of traditional pottery, a collection of pottery and traditional clothing and a workshop
It consists of three rooms, where it is possible to see the production process of traditional pottery, a collection of pottery and traditional clothing and a workshop
 |
| Centro alfarero |
Iglesia Santa Ana: Founded by the inhabitants of the town that bears its name in 1575, it possesses a rich artistic heritage in its interior. The image of Santa Ana dates from the eighteenth century and the Crucified Christ, carved in wood and baroque style, from the seventeenth century.
 |
| Santa Ana church |
Pozo de la virgen de Candelaria:. Declared Monument in 1993.
The place is well-known as a religious significance related to the cult of the Virgin, although it was also used as a water catchment. The pilgrims who came to see the Virgin at the sanctuary, which is very close, quenched their thirst in this well.
The monument consists of a cave and an exterior enclosure, rectangular plan and battlement walls.
 |
| Candelaria |
