The Market Town of Teguise
The small market town of Teguise is located in the central northeast of the island of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. It is very quaint with some lovely old buildings, and the centre of the town has been made pedestrian only. This was obviously done to allow for the influx of visitors to the popular weekly market that is held on a Sunday.
We headed into Teguise the day after we arrived in Lanzarote, having enjoyed the spectacular views at Famara Beach on the north coast of the island.
Teguise has a claim to fame in that it is the oldest Spanish settlement in the Canary Islands, and its history goes back as far as 1402. It was in fact the capital of Lanzarote until 1847, when the port of Arrecife replaced it.
The town was named after the last princess of the indigenous inhabitants of the island, the “Guanches”. These were virtually decimated during the Spanish conquest of the island in the 15th century. The Guanches have a fascinating origin dating back thousands of years BC. Wikipedia has some very interesting information about them if you are interested in learning more.
The early settlement of the area is made evident by the prominent ruins of Santa Bárbara Castle on the hilltop outside of town. The fortress is now a Pirate Museum, open daily from 10:00 to 16:00.
The town has a lot of interesting buildings, as well as a pretty square in the centre (Plaza Mayor), which is easy to find, you just have to head for the church of Nuestra Señora de Guadelupe, it’s tower being visible from anywhere in the town. The church is free to enter and look around, and is a good place to cool down out of the sun on a hot day, or to escape the cold wind on a blustery one.
On market day (Sunday), the square usually has some form of street entertainment, and being one of the few parts of Teguise which are without market stalls, it’s a good place to relax and enjoy this pretty little town.
Below are some more images of interesting buildings that we saw on our walk around the town, as well as some of the statues of local interest that are located around the town.
Teguise is definitely well worth a visit, and a pleasant break away from the resort areas which are all many visitors to this lovely island get to see.
The unusually cold weather for the middle of February meant that as soon as the sun began to sink low in the sky, the wind became uncomfortably cold, and so having left Teguise, we headed back to our apartment in Tiagua for dinner.
Please join us for the next part of our visit to Lanzarote, when we explore Timanfaya National Park. This is set in the middle of a group of volcanoes and is surrounded by a massive area of solidified lava. The scenery is something that you won’t get to see in many parts of the world and it’s definitely spectacular. No trip to Lanzarote would be complete without a visit to Timanfaya.
If you missed my other articles about our trip to Lanzarote, why not start at the beginning of our tour Lanzarote in February.
