Teguise

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Teguise municipality
Teguise as seen from the Guanapay volcano
Teguise as seen from the Guanapay volcano
coat of arms Map of the Canary Islands
Teguise coat of arms
Teguise (Canary Islands)
Finland road sign 311 (1994-2020) .svg
Basic data
Autonomous Community : Canary Islands
Province : Las Palmas
Island: Lanzarote
Coordinates 29 ° 4 ′  N , 13 ° 34 ′  W Coordinates: 29 ° 4 ′  N , 13 ° 34 ′  W
Height : 360  msnm
Area : 263.98 km²
Residents : 22,342 (Jan. 1, 2019)
Population density : 84.64 inhabitants / km²
Postal code : E – 35530 (Teguise)
E – 35508 ( Costa Teguise )
E – 35539 (Teseguite)
E – 35540 ( La Graciosa )
E – 35544 ( Guatiza )
E – 35558 (Tiagua)
E – 35562 (Mozaga)
Municipality number  ( INE ): 35024
administration
Mayor : Oswaldo Betancort García ( CC ) (as of 2011)
Address of the municipal administration: Avda. General Franco, 1
35530 - Teguise
Website : www.teguise.com
Location of the municipality
Lanzarote municipio Teguise.svg

Teguise is one of the seven municipalities of the Canary Island of Lanzarote and the name of its central administrative seat, the former capital of the island with 1,625 inhabitants (2008) (total municipality 22,342 - as of January 1, 2019). In 1852 Teguise was replaced as the island capital by the up-and-coming coastal town of Arrecife . The entire municipality extends over 263.98 square kilometers from the east to the west coast of Lanzarote. The islands of the Chinijo archipelago north of Lanzarote (namely La Graciosa and the uninhabited islands of Alegranza , Montaña Clara , Roque del Este and Roque del Oeste ) also belong to the municipality of Teguise.

history

The city of Teguise was founded as a colonial city ​​around 1406 by Maciot de Béthencourt , a relative of the Normandy in France conqueror Jean de Béthencourt . Maciot had a partner named Teguise, after whom the place that was previously called Gran Aldea de Acatife was renamed. Teguise was the daughter of Guardarfia , the last indigenous ruler of the island.

In 1586, the North African pirate Morato Arraez plundered the city, murdered numerous residents or made them slaves after he had previously burned Arrecife. The Callejon de Sangre (Blood Street) behind the parish church still commemorates this terrible tragedy with a plaque. These attacks continued until 1618, when North African pirates once again reduced the city to rubble. The Castillo de Santa Bárbara , built on the 435 meter high Guanapay volcano , was built to protect against these raids, but it turned out to be useless. Around twenty raids were counted up to the 18th century.

View of Teguise from the Castillo de Santa Barbara

Culture and sights

Churches

The Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe church is located in the Plaza de la Constitución , the central square with palm trees, Indian laurel trees and araucarias . It has three naves in neo-Gothic style. The landmark is the bell tower made of red volcanic rock. It was originally built in 1428, but was destroyed several times by pirate attacks. A fire in 1909 also caused great damage. At that time the archives of the parish of Teguises also burned.

The showpiece of the church del Santísimo Cristo de la Vera Cruz , built in the 17th century, is the Christ the Redeemer from Portugal above the altar.

The Convento de Santo Domingo of the Dominican Order was founded in 1698 by Capitán Rodriguez Carrasco. Above the right door are the symbols of the order in red stone. Inside there are two naves. Today it is a contemporary art gallery where important national artists have already exhibited their works.

The two-aisled church of San Francisco from 1590 is dedicated to the Madre de Dios de Miraflores . In 1618 the former Franciscan monastery Convento de San Francisco , to which the church belonged, fell victim to a pirate attack. The opening ceremony of the monastery probably took place on April 26, 1590. The two-nave church could be rebuilt with donations. Today it is a cultural center for concerts and exhibitions with a particularly beautiful portal and wooden ceiling.

Teguise is located at the foot of the Guanapay volcano. This picture shows the volcanic crater with the Castillo de Santa Bárbara on the crater rim.

  • Iglesia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe

  • Ermita del Santísimo Cristo de la Vera Cruz

  • Convent of Santo Domingo

  • Iglesia San Francisco

Other structures

Behind the church of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe is a square with a fountain, called Mareta . It is the largest cistern in Lanzarote, renovated in 1992, with a diameter of 40 meters and a depth of nine meters. The rainwater flowing down from the Guanapay volcano was collected in the corridors under the square . The catacombs made of lava rock with a huge canal system are not accessible.

In the former tithe house La Cilla , the population had to give ten percent of their income to the church.

Opposite the parish church of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe is the Museo Palacio Spinola . José Feo Peraza had the manor house built between 1730 and 1780. Two stone lions stand in front of the palace. It was inhabited by noble families until 1974, when it was restored by César Manrique . The political and military power of this era is reflected in its entire facade, its stone porch, its interior chapel, large halls, courtyards and cisterns. Today the island government uses the building for representative purposes and it is also the official residence of the President of the Canary Islands.

The Museo Sacro is located next to the San Francisco Church . This building has served as a museum since 1998 with a collection of around 70 exhibits from Teguises churches and monasteries.

There are several mansions in Teguise . Externally closed, with typical folding shutters, there are high living rooms inside around a patio .

  • Teguise Town Hall

  • former tithe house La Cilla

  • Museo Palacio Spinola

  • Local house architecture

Craft

Timple

Teguise is considered to be the origin of the timple , a small stringed instrument that is traditionally played in the Canary Islands. There are still several timple makers in Teguise today. A workshop is located in the Escuela de Artesana craft school , near the Vera Cruz church . The Casa-Museo del Timple, established in 2011 in the Palacio Spinola on the Plaza de la Constitución, is dedicated to this instrument.

Others

Market day in Teguise

A few years ago, the then mayor Martin had the 300-year-old, large-scale pavement in the alleys of Teguise poured over with concrete. This “modernization” is now very much regretted. The old town has been a listed building since 1980.

Teguise has remained a wealthy little town to this day. Market day is traditionally always on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Due to this market, which is especially popular with tourists, Teguise is still one of the most visited cities on the island.

Places of the community

The population figures in brackets are from 2008.

Web links

Commons : Teguise  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Cifras oficiales de población resultantes de la revisión del Padrón municipal a 1 de enero . Population statistics from the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (population update).
  2. ↑ Teguise at www.turismoteguise.com, accessed February 10, 2020.
  3. ↑ Antonio Rumeu de Armas: Piraterías y Ataques Navales contra las Islas Canarias . tape 2 , no. 1 . Instituto Jerónimo Zurita, Madrid 1947, p. 75 ff . (Spanish, ulpgc.es [accessed August 14, 2016]).
  4. ↑ Memorial plaque on the object
  5. ^ Instituto Canario de Estadística