Logbook · 4 places

What to see and do in La Matanza de Acentejo

What to see and do in La Matanza de Acentejo (Tenerife - Acentejo, Santa Cruz de Tenerife): 4 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 1 Monuments · 1 Activities · 1 Historical milestones

When to go to La Matanza de Acentejo: festival calendar

January: Octava Ganadera de San Antonio Abad (January 17)

Towns near La Matanza de Acentejo

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What to see in La Orotava 11 km · 15 places
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Spain › Canary Islands › Santa Cruz de Tenerife › Tenerife - Acentejo › La Matanza de Acentejo

What to see and do in La Matanza de Acentejo

La Matanza de Acentejo
Village
Its name commemorates the defeat suffered here by the troops of Alonso Fernández de Lugo at the hands of the Guanches under mencey Bencomo in 1494. It was called simply "La Matanza" until "de Acentejo" was added in 1916; this second term, of Guanche origin, has been interpreted as meaning "continuous echo".
Primera Batalla de Acentejo (1494)
Historical milestone
In the Barranco de Acentejo, mencey Bencomo of Taoro, together with his brother Tinguaro, ambushed and completely defeated the Castilian troops of Alonso Fernández de Lugo, who was wounded. The defeat forced a temporary halt to the conquest of Tenerife. The sources disagree on the exact date: some place it on 29 May 1494 and others on 31 May 1494.
Santuario de San Antonio Abad
Monument
According to tradition, the soldier Antón Vallejo, a survivor of the first battle of Acentejo in 1494, promised San Antonio Abad he would build a hermitage in his honour on the same site if he came out alive; this is the origin of one of the oldest cults in the Canary Islands. The church, remodelled and extended in 1881 and 1982, was raised to the rank of sanctuary by the Diocese of Tenerife in 2020.
Octava Ganadera de San Antonio Abad
Activity
A livestock festival considered the oldest on Tenerife, held around the Santuario de San Antonio Abad on 17 January, the feast day of the patron saint of animals; decorated carts from all over the island converge on the second Sunday of the festivities so that livestock can receive the saint's blessing.