Garafía

In the municipality of Garafia is the Observatory Roque de los Muchachos, with the acronym ORM. The observatory is located right on the edge of the Caldera de Taburiente National Park, at an altitude of 2396 meters. It should be noted that the ORM is one of the most complete telescope batteries in the world. The ORM is ideal for night observations and the Solar Physics is also a reference point for the astro-physics of High Energy It should be noted that the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands also carries out outreach activities to bring this science to all audiences. The observatory can be visited by schools and groups so that even the youngest can have information about the operation of the ORM. The observatory of Roque de los Muchachos is one of the best equipped, thanks to the altitude, above the clouds as it is far from urban centers there is no light pollution so it is a perfect place to observe the universe. Close to the observatory is the Roque de los Muchachos, which is the highest point of La Palma at about 2426 meters above sea level. A simply awesome place.

The Roque de los Muchachos is the highest point on the island of La Palma, at 2,426 meters above sea level. The natural environment is located in the municipal area of the Villa de Garafía at the top of Hoya Grande. The Roque de los Muchachos is one of the points of reference of the island of La Palma, it owes this name to the forms that the natural environment has , with a series of roque protruding about 3 meters high that seems to be the figure of some boys. According to the experts the Roque de los Muchachos was formed due to a strong push that the deepest magma made on the castings so it raised them and fractured them, giving rise to what You can see it now. The rest of the massif that has been raised has disappeared and instead the Caldera de Taburiente, which holds the summits geologically. In the vicinity of the Roque de Los Muchachos you will find the Astrophysical Observatory of Roque of the Boys, a perfect place to to be able to observe the immensity of the universe. From this altitude it is also possible to see the neighboring islands of Tenerife, La Gomera and El Hierro.

In the city of Garfía we can find the Parish Church of Our Lady of La Luz. According to legend in the 16th century, a ship was heading from Santa Cruz de la Palma to Tazacorte. The route followed by the ship surrounded the north coast of the island of La Palma and had an image of a Virgin on board when it reached the height of the ravine that delimits the settlement of Santo Domingo of the El Palmar the rough sea prevented the passage. The crew decided to lower the virgin to prevent it from being shipwrecked. In Beginning the temple of Our Lady of Light was of a single nave and the main chapel was separated by an arch. In the actuality the temple is different since between 1651 and 64 it was restored by the hand of the architect Antonio de Orbarán. The T Parish of Our Lady of Light presents a plan of two ships a unique example throughout the island, its header shows Main Chapel, divided from the main nave by a triumphal arch and two collaterals with an open arch to the major. The one of the Gospel, is dedicated to Good Jesus and is the head of the second ship. You can also see three baroque altarpieces.

The well-known one with the name of Cultural Park of La Zarza and La Zarcita is one of the best known archaeological sites of Palma and the archipelago. The site is located in the municipality of Garafía between the neighborhoods of La Mata and Llano Negro, consisting of two rock formations La Zarza and La Zarcita . The sites were known thanks to A. Mata and E. Serra in 1941, the engravings that can be seen in it are the most spectacular element of La Zarza, both for the breadth of the surface recorded with 29 panels and for the complexity of the same and the broad chronology they show. Ceramic remains of phase IV were discovered, lithic tools, two fragments correspond to containers made of wood and human remains of a maxilla and fragments of the frontal and right parietal of a young individual. The deposit of La Zarcita is smaller than that of La Zarza, with 18 panels and an interesting variety of motifs, about 500 meters from La Zarza, has two seasons La Zarcita I, with two panels formed by a spiral and spiral with meanders to the sunsets of the summer and winter solstices. And La Zarcita II with 20 panels, of which 15 are oriented to the dawn of the summer solstice and 5 to the dawn of the winter solstice.