Artenara

One of the symbols of the population of Artenara is Virgen de La Cuevita. Just 400 meters from the town center is one of the most emblematic places for the inhabitants of this town of Gran Canaria the hermitage of the Virgen de la Cuevita, which She is the patron saint of the folklore groups and patron saint of the island's cyclists. Despite the dimensions of the Virgen de la Cuevita, 80 centimeters, there is a great devotion for this image whose veneration goes back to the end of the 14th century when friars of Mallorca and Cataluña arrived on the island with the intention of evangelizing the island's inhabitants. The first thing that catches the attention of the sanctuary is that it is excavated in the rock, the carving of the XVI century is inside, it attracts a lot of attention as the altar, the choir, the pulpit and the confessional are also excavated in the rock itself. The party in honor of the Virgen de la Cuevita is celebrated in August, the Virgin is transferred to the Church of San Matías and then returns to move to the hermitage accompanied by torches and fireworks.

Located in the main square of Artenara is the most important religious building in the municipality, the church of San Matías. Of this temple it has a plant with three naves separated by arcs and it emphasizes in the first place the two towers of square base with pilasters for bell and clock. In the beginning the church of San Matías was a hermitage that was built in the decade of 1630, after a long period of abandonment in 1870 construction begins, giving rise to the building that can be visited today although it was not finished until the 20th century. The decoration of the interior of the church was carried out in the second half of the 20th century, it is worth mentioning the mural paintings of the presbytery and the lateral chapels by the painter José Arencibia Gil . One of the jewels that encloses the church of San Matías is a fresco in oil that represents the Angel of the Guardian, work of Ana María Viezca painted in Cádiz in 1872. Other elements are the beautiful coffered ceiling or the bas-relief of the main altar carved in stone Tamadaba. Special mention also to the stained glass windows, these more current that were made in Zamora and where you can see biblical scenes.

In Artenara it is possible to find a large number of caves that were inhabited by the first inhabitants of the island. So much is the importance of this type of construction in the area that they even have a hermitage that has been excavated in stone. To make this type of constructions much better known, there is the Ethnographic Museum or Museum of the Caves located in what used to be a house occupied in pre-Hispanic times by the pre-Hispanic population. The place where the Museum of the Cave Houses was acquired in 1962 by don Santiago Aranda and was restored maintaining the characteristics of the typical home traditional Artenara. There are several rooms that have been excavated in the rock, you can see a kind of warehouse, caves with ceramics, rooms or a kitchen with all the elements with which food was elaborated in the past. The interiors of the museum are equipped with characteristic furniture, you can see iron beds, with bedspreads and blankets made according to municipal tradition, boxes of cedar, tea, chairs. All these elements show the extensive local craftsmanship that takes place. The House Museum of the Caves also has a patio with views from where you can see the Barranco Grande.

In Artenara you can find one of the highest points of the Island, it is the so-called Alto de los Moriscos, an ideal natural spot for nature lovers where you can disconnect and admire the richness of this part of the Island. At the tip of Morisco it is a cold place in winter, it is possible to see snow, and summers are usually torrid . With regard to flora, the landscape is dominated by Canarian pine, although these are repopulated and many of them do not have easy survival due to snow, heat and winds. Other species of flora if they endure better the hardness of the climate, the bushes silver masonry, white sage of the summit, wallflower or rosalito are some of these bushes that can be seen in Alto de los Moriscos The fauna that can be found in the Morisco are a great variety of invertebrates and birds like the road and canaries that are the ones that best endure the inclemency of the weather. Los Moriscos is an ideal place to get to know beautiful spots and enjoy hiking trails, all in full contact with nature.

Artenara has many archaeological sites where it shows the importance of this point of the island in the development of the population one of the must-see places are the Caves of the Knight strong>. This site is a set of 12 artificial caves that nature has been transforming and that is distributed by a platform facing south with stunning views over the Bentayga and the Tejeda basin strong>. These caves are in the Risco Chapín, which is part of both the Tejeda and Artenara. The caves have lost many archaeological elements due to the fact that over the decades they have been used by shepherds to keep their livestock, others have also been used as dwellings. In spite of them, if you can see in three of the caves rock representations, such is the importance of Cuevas del Caballero which is associated with the magic-religious rituals of the ancient inhabitants, there is even the legend that some women practiced witchcraft in them. It is believed that this was indeed the case due to the presence of holes or bowls excavated in the floor of the cave and that were interconnected by channels.

Risco Caído is one of the archaeological sites of Artenara, one of those sacred places located in the mountains in an impressive natural environment. The Fallen Risco was discovered in 1996 in the ceremonial center of the same name, also known as almogarén, this center is a unique complex of religious and astronomical nature occupied by the first inhabitants of the island. The importance of the Fallen Risco is vital, this site shows the symbolic importance for the aborigines of Gran Canaria. The site is in full Caldera de Tejeda and in addition to this space you can also see some mountain sanctuaries also excavated in stone. In the group of caves that are part of the Risco Caído site, there is one of them, the number 6 that has a special shape, a circular cave with a dome over 4 meters long. height. At its highest point opens a skylight through which light enters and where it is possible to see the engravings carved by the ancient inhabitants. Such is the importance of this site that Unesco has considered it "Exceptional Archaeological Monument on a World Scale" which may be a preliminary step to be declared World Heritage.

The natural spaces dominated by mountains are a constant in Artenara, one of them is the massif of Altavista, also known as Azaenegue strong>. This massif represents the stony frontier that slows the trade winds which makes one part of the mountain wet and the other dry and more influenced by a hot climate and the highest point exceeding 1300 meters above sea level. This curiosity also influences the types of flora and fauna that exist both on one side and on the other side of the massif. You can see canary pines, junipers, heather stands among others. From Altavista or Azaenegue is a watchtower from where it is possible to look out and contemplate the region of Tamadaba, Tirma or La Caldera composed of an environment of breathtaking beauty. In the area of Altavista it is also possible to discover a curious fauna, birds such as woodpeckers, hawks, kestrels or crows inhabit the poinales, also on rare occasions you can see hawks. In the south you can see lizards, perencans or even mountaineering bats. The life that runs through the corners of Altavista is very rich, a superb natural environment.

Artenara offers one of the archaeological sites on the island of Gran Canaria is the Acusa Seca Deposit. At this point of the town it is possible to see caves with cave paintings, sepulchral enclaves, caves that were barns, caves that were inhabited or were even rooms. In addition to the archaeological value that Acusa Seca offers, it is also worth highlighting the ethnographic value of polyculture agriculture or craft tradition, such as pottery. Acusa was a population center until 1920, the most important in the town of Artenara, in which agricultural and livestock wealth had to be highlighted. There was an important aboriginal population that used the miscegenation of both the European colonizers and the first settlers, in this area the first hermitage was established, in the Cueva de San Juan. At the beginning of the 20th century the most inaccessible caves on the part of Acusa Seca were deserted while the part of Acusa Verde was inhabited. For this reason Acusa conserves some caves that were homes of the inhabitants and that were excavated in the wall. You can visit the Cueva Pintada or the Granero del Álamo that served as a warehouse for the grain that the inhabitants collected.

Risco Caído es uno de los espacios arqueológicos de Artenara, uno de esos lugares sagrados situados en plena montaña en un entorno natural impresionantes. El Risco Caído fue descubierto en 1996 en el centro ceremonial del mismo nombre, también conocido como almogarén, este centro es un singular complejo de carácter religioso y astronómico que ocupaban los primeros pobladores de la isla.La importancia del Risco Caído es vital, este yacimiento muestra la importancia simbólica para los aborígenes de Gran Canaria. El paraje se halla en plena Caldera de Tejeda y además de este espacio también se pueden ver algunos santuarios de montaña excavadas también en piedra.En el conjunto de cuevas que forman parte el yacimiento de Risco Caído se encuentra una de ellas, la número 6 que tiene una forma especial, una cueva de planta circular que tiene una cúpula de más de 4 metros de altura. En su punto más alto se abre una claraboya por la que entra la luz y donde es posible ver los grabados que tallaron los antiguos moradores.Tal es la importancia de este yacimiento que la Unesco la ha considerado “Monumento Arqueológico Excepcional a Escala Mundial” lo que puede ser un paso previo a ser declarado Patrimonio de la Humanidad.

Esta casa cueva, hoy día museo, es una antigua vivienda que fue habitada en tiempos prehispánicos y que ha sido rehabilitada en 1962 por Santiago Aranda, dejándola tal cual presuntamente la usaron sus pobladores originales.