Masca

Buenavista del Norte municipality: Masca
	Masca (2015)
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Canary Islands
Province :	Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Island:	Tenerife
Coordinates	28 ° 18 ′ N , 16 ° 50 ′ W Coordinates: 28 ° 18 ′ N , 16 ° 50 ′ W
Residents :	105 (2011) INE
Postal code :	38489
Area code:	38010000400

Shell of Hemicycla mascaensis , an endemic land snail from Tenerife, named after the town of Masca

Masca is a mountain village in the northwest of the Canary Island of Tenerife . In 2011 it had 105 inhabitants in around 80 houses. In the Teno Mountains 650-800 m above sea level. d. Up until the beginning of the 1960s, the place located at the top was only accessible from Santiago del Teide via a sandy track. Meanwhile, a narrow, winding mountain road connects Masca with Buenavista and Santiago del Teide , which was built by the then mayor José Pérez González (1896–1984). The center of the place is the small plaza by the church.

Masca, located in a volcanic crater, consists of several districts that are spread over various mountain slopes. Terraced fields have been created wherever possible. Until the end of the 20th century, the best onions, potatoes and garlic on the island of Tenerife came from Masca. The yame fruit, palm juice, citrus fruits and goat cheese were also specialties. Reason for productive agriculture are water tunnel ( Galerias ), driven down through generations in the "Monte del Aqua" (Tarucho). The village still has a "Comunidad de Aqua" today. Every finca has the right to irrigate directly and free of charge (from the full gallery) or to fill up its own storage tanks on certain days and hours. The rural exodus of young people has led to the decline of agriculture and the aging of the population for 20 years. The municipality of Buenavista del Norte has been trying for 20 years to expropriate the water and set water clocks for the residents.

The type of construction of the houses in Masca, which were built on two floors on the mountain slopes, is particularly striking. If there are several rooms in a house, they are not connected to each other on the inside, but always have a separate entrance door from the outside.

A forest fire from July 31 to August 3, 2007 destroyed four houses in Masca (including the restaurant in the old school mentioned below) and affected a large part of the vegetation area. The fire moved from the direction of the mountain to the village and had to be extinguished by helicopter.

tourism

Masca is the starting point for a hike through the Masca Gorge, which leads through a narrow barranco to the sea (about 6 hours there and back). This brings numerous tourists to the place. Although it is mostly day visitors, for whom the place is only a starting point, Masca has changed as a result: For example, in 1986 there was only one bar for locals and one restaurant for tourists in the old school (one of the oldest buildings in Masca), but in the following years a large number of gastronomic establishments were added.