BARRANCO DE GUAYADEQUE AND MUSEO

The walk will reveal all about the pre-Hispanic way of life.

The verdant Barranco de Guayadeque is one of the island's most magnificent valleys. Cacti, agaves, poppies, palms, Canary pines and almond trees, as well as over 80 endemic varieties, grow in abundance on these slopes. The nearby towns of Ingenio and Agüimes draw their water from a river that runs through this ravine.

This valley, which in prehistoric times was the most densely populated on the island, is the site of one of the most important prehistoric cemeteries, where the dead were buried in inaccessible caves. The Guanches - the first inhabitants of the Canaries - later used these caves for meditation, food storage and as sites for fertility rituals. In the ^19th century, after locals began looting the caves and selling their archaeological finds to the Museo Canario de Las Palmas, the area was designated a nature reserve to protect it.

On the slopes of the barranco clings Cueva Bermeja, a troglodyte village of pre-Hispanic origin and a curious chapel carved into the mountain, whose confessional is also carved into the stone. Numerous testimonies to pre-Hispanic civilization have been found, including mummies and cave paintings. Just 100 m from the chapel is the troglodyte restaurant El Centro, where you can enjoy local cuisine (baked meats or meats in sauce) or tapas in a picturesque cave setting.

Continuing along the Barranco towards the center of the island, you'll come to another typical restaurant, Le Tagoror (open every day except Monday, from 10am to midnight). It offers authentic evenings with typical cuisine and island folklore for dancing three times a week, in a highly original setting where stone is king. Reservations are recommended ✆ + 34 928 17 20 13.