Logbook · 13 places

What to see and do in Artenara

What to see and do in Artenara (Gran Canaria - Oeste, Las Palmas): 13 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 5 Monuments · 2 Nature · 2 Activities · 1 Curiosities · 1 Historical milestones · 1 Food and drink

When to go to Artenara: festival calendar

February: San Matías, patrón de Artenara (February 24)
August: Fiestas de la Virgen de la Cuevita (August)

How far each place is from the centre of Artenara

Towns near Artenara

What to see in Tejeda 4 km · 11 places
What to see in Valleseco 7.7 km · 4 places
What to see in Agaete 11 km · 6 places
What to see in Teror 11 km · 5 places
What to see in Moya 11 km · 3 places
What to see in Vega de San Mateo 11 km · 5 places
What to see in San Bartolomé de Tirajana 13 km · 17 places
What to see in Firgas 13 km · 5 places

Spain › Canary Islands › Las Palmas › Gran Canaria - Oeste › Artenara

What to see and do in Artenara

Artenara, el pueblo de las cuevas
Village
With its church of San Matías at 1,270 meters, Artenara has the highest-altitude municipal capital in Gran Canaria. A good part of its residents still live in cave houses cut into the volcanic rock, which keep an interior temperature of between 18 and 20°C year-round.
Risco Caído
Monument
Complex of 21 artificial caves cut into the Barranco Hondo, among them the so-called cave number six, a lunisolar astronomical marker or temple whose dome produces optical phenomena linked to the aboriginal calendar. It is the element that gives its name to the Cultural Landscape of Risco Caído and the Sacred Mountains of Gran Canaria, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 7 July 2019.
Mesa de Acusa y el poblado troglodita de Acusa Seca
Monument
Natural fortress of strategic visual control and aboriginal archaeological complex included within the 18,000-hectare territory of the Cultural Landscape of Risco Caído and the Sacred Mountains of Gran Canaria, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019. It today preserves a village of cave houses and an ethnographic museum.
Santuario aborigen de Tirma
Monument
Old spiritual center of the Canarian aborigines, described as the best-preserved aboriginal dwelling on the island, integrated into the territory of the Cultural Landscape of Risco Caído and the Sacred Mountains of Gran Canaria, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2019.
Risco Chapín
Monument
Site with more than 300 aboriginal rock carvings, among them the Cueva de los Caballeros and the Cueva de los Candiles, one of the most extensive collections of rock art in the municipality.
Ermita de la Virgen de la Cuevita
Monument
Chapel carved into the rock, considered the patron saint of cyclists and of Canarian folklore, around which the municipality's August festivities are held.
Pinar de Tamadaba
Nature
Protected mass of Canary pine that covers a large part of the Tamadaba massif, shared with neighboring municipalities and included within the territory of the Cultural Landscape of Risco Caído and the Sacred Mountains of Gran Canaria, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2019.
Montaña de los Moriscos
Nature
At 1,770.6 meters, it is the highest point in Artenara and marks the greatest elevation range in Gran Canaria, from sea level to the summit, within a single municipality.
El éxodo rural del siglo XX
Historical milestone
After a 19th century marked by droughts and famines, Artenara experienced an intense rural exodus in the 1960s stemming from the agricultural crisis, which reduced its population until it became the least populated municipality in Gran Canaria.
Unamuno y la "tempestad petrificada"
Curiosity
Miguel de Unamuno visited Artenara and described Gran Canaria's central massif as a "petrified storm" in his 1911 book "Por tierras de Portugal y de España"; a lookout point and a monument erected in 1999 commemorate the visit.
Quesos de Las Lajas y Las Lajitas
Food and drink
Two artisan cheesemakers of Artenara, Las Lajas and Las Lajitas, produce award-winning goat and sheep cheeses, alongside other traditional dishes such as rancho canario, watercress potajes and potato bread.
San Matías, patrón de Artenara
Activity
Patronal feast in honor of San Matías, patron saint of Artenara and of the Pinares, held on 24 February.
Fiestas de la Virgen de la Cuevita
Activity
Festivities in honor of the Virgen de la Cuevita, held throughout the month of August, with a folkloric offering on the last Sunday of the month.