Logbook · 13 places

What to see and do in Agüimes

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

1 Villages · 4 Monuments · 3 Nature · 2 Activities · 1 Curiosities · 2 Historical milestones

When to go to Agüimes: festival calendar

October: Fiestas del Rosario (around October 7)

How far each place is from the centre of Agüimes

Towns near Agüimes

Spain › Canary Islands › Las Palmas › Gran Canaria - Sureste › Agüimes

What to see and do in Agüimes

Agüimes, la villa episcopal
Village
Historic quarter declared a Bien de Interés Cultural (Spain's top heritage-protection category), with cobbled streets, squares and white-façaded houses typical of traditional Canarian architecture. It arose in 1491 as a villa under the episcopal lordship that the Catholic Monarchs granted to the Church after the conquest of Gran Canaria.
Iglesia de San Sebastián
Monument
Parish church of Agüimes declared a Bien de Interés Cultural (Spain's top heritage-protection category), dedicated to the municipality's patron saint, whose feast is celebrated on 20 January. It presides over the villa's protected historic quarter.
Barrio histórico de Temisas e iglesia de San Miguel
Monument
Settlement of pre-Hispanic origin turned into a farming village, declared a Bien de Interés Cultural (Spain's top heritage-protection category), which preserves almond-tree terraces and the church of San Miguel de Temisas. It is also home to an astronomical observatory that takes advantage of the low light pollution in the island's interior.
Barranco de Guayadeque
Nature
Gorge about 11 km long separating the municipalities of Agüimes and Ingenio, containing the highest density of aboriginal archaeological sites in Gran Canaria, with hundreds of dwelling and burial caves. It was declared a Bien de Interés Cultural (archaeological zone) on 21 June 1991 and a natural monument on 8 May 2000 (Decree 1/2000); at its settlements of Cueva Bermeja and Montaña de las Tierras one can visit a cave house and eat at restaurants carved into the rock.
Reserva Natural Especial de Los Marteles
Nature
Protected area of the Canarian Network occupying an old volcanic crater in the highlands of southeastern Gran Canaria, shared with the neighboring municipalities of Ingenio and Santa Lucía de Tirajana. It also forms part of the Natura 2000 Network as a Special Area of Conservation.
Monumento natural de Arinaga
Nature
Protected area around the Punta and Montaña de Arinaga, on the municipality's eastern coast, integrated into the Canarian Network of Protected Natural Areas and into the Natura 2000 Network, together with the coastal strip reaching to Playa de Vargas.
Faro y salinas de Punta de Arinaga
Monument
Complex formed by the Punta de Arinaga lighthouse and the old salt pans of the same name, on Agüimes's industrial and fishing coast, next to the lime kilns that document the area's traditional activity.
Grabados rupestres del barranco de Balos
Monument
Site with aboriginal rock carvings declared a Bien de Interés Cultural (Spain's top heritage-protection category), located in the gorge that marks much of the boundary between Agüimes and Santa Lucía de Tirajana.
El levantamiento de 1718 y el reparto de tierras
Historical milestone
On 3 November 1718 a popular uprising against episcopal lordship broke out in Agüimes, reaching the ears of Philip V; the king granted new lands whose distribution eventually gave rise to the municipalities of Santa Lucía de Tirajana, Ingenio, San Bartolomé de Tirajana and Mogán.
Fundación del señorío episcopal de Agüimes
Historical milestone
On 10 April 1491 the episcopal lordship of Agüimes was created, which the Catholic Monarchs granted to the Church after the conquest of Gran Canaria and which gave rise to the villa.
Fiestas del Rosario
Activity
Patronal festivities in honor of the Virgen del Rosario, declared of National Tourist Interest, held in September-October around 7 October and including the Traída del Agua y del Gofio ceremony, which reenacts the transport of grain to the water mill in the Guayadeque gorge.
La Vará del Pescao
Activity
Festival of the beach of Arinaga held in August-September in honor of the Virgen del Pino, which reenacts the fishermen's arrival at the harbor and closes with sardines grilled to the sound of music.
Origen guanche del topónimo Agüimes
Curiosity
The name Agüimes is of aboriginal origin and its meaning is debated: the philologist Juan Álvarez Delgado linked it to words such as "Güime" (Lanzarote) and "Güímar" (Tenerife), related to a Berber verb meaning "to jump" or "to stand out," while Ignacio Reyes proposed the meaning of "delight" or "place of special virtue." Documented old forms include "Agüimez" and "Aguymes."