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The Tejal’s house or the Clérigo’s house? This old house is known by two different names: the “Casa el Tejal” and the “Casa el Clérigo”. The former is indicative of the existence of a small artisan weaving industry. Three elements are needed to make roof tiles: water, firewood and suitable soil. The surroundings are rich…

Camels were the driving force of the island’s countryside. The Tejal threshing floor is about 25 metres in diameter and is notable for being carved directly into the volcanic tuff. At some points the hollows were filled in with basalt slabs to complete the necessary smooth surface. It is very likely that camels were used…

The power of the water moved the millstones These are the remains of a mill that was moved by water channelled from the summit. Its abundance offered the possibility of good milling. The rural environments of Tenerife offer good examples of the sustainable management of natural resources and the territory. A good example is this…

In Las Vegas there are many trees with a personality of their own The Guirre pine is an example of the close relationship between rural dwellers and their trees Trees have always accompanied human beings and there are many contributions offered by these living, complex and beautiful beings. In Las Vegas many of these relationships…

El Seco owes its name to an ancient pine tree. This house, the wide hill on which it stands and many other elements of the place, such as various fountains, the path and the threshing floor, take their name from the Pino Seco, an ancient Canary Island pine tree. The area was mainly devoted to…

A way of preserving food in an area rich in fruit trees The need to preserve food all year round meant that different techniques for drying fruit were practised in the south. Ovens were essential for this purpose. Las Vegas, being an eminently agricultural settlement, lived from various crops, mainly cereals, where fruit trees also…

In Las Vegas, an oasis of fertility was found in the arid south of the island The origin of “Las Vegas” is linked to the fertility of its farmland. But what is a vega? It is a low, flat and fertile part of the land that is periodically flooded as a result of rainfall. If…

Threshing floors like this one remind us of the importance of cereal cultivation in the past The midlands of the south of Tenerife are dotted with threshing floors that remind us of the importance of cereal production for feeding the population. In the seventies of the 20th century, the arrival of tourism and massive food…

A volcanic eruption changed the relief of the Las Vegas area After the Castilian conquest, the water and fertile land of Las Vegas boosted the settlement of the population, but is there a secret ingredient behind such fertility? From the subhistoric eruption of La Arena Mountain, located some 8 kilometres above, a huge basaltic lava…

A settlement with basic resources for life Since pre-Hispanic times, the ravines were places where nature provided much of what was necessary for human subsistence: water, shelter and food. If you look closely, on this hillside opposite, you can see a form of dwelling that was very common until recently: the cave-house. The geology of…