You are in a unique place in Gran Canaria, where the beauty of the landscape is combined with a history that dates back more than 500 years.
The Término Redondo de Guayedra was the last free territory of the ancient Canarians. After five years of fierce resistance to the Castilian conquest, the indigenous king Tenesor Semidán – baptised as Fernando Guanarteme – reached a pact with the Catholic Monarchs in 1483. As part of that agreement, he received this extensive territory, where he and his clan could continue to live under their own laws, practising their rituals and maintaining their language and customs, while the rest of the island was already under Castilian rule.
The Término Redondo de Guayedra was a vast undivided area covering 5,000 hectares, from the coast to the peaks of the Tamadaba pine forest. All the resources that guaranteed the livelihood of its inhabitants were concentrated here: spring water, abundant wood, fertile soil for grazing and cultivation, fish and shellfish on the coast, as well as orchilla, which was highly valued in trade with Europeans. For all these reasons, Guayedra was the last refuge of the free Canarians and still retains great symbolic value today.
Over the centuries, the territory was fragmented into different properties. The valley was home to a small farming and livestock community, but in the mid-20th century, with emigration and the abandonment of the land, Guayedra entered a long period of decline. The buildings fell into ruin, invasive species colonised the land and rubbish accumulated in the landscape.
In 1994, a new chapter in this story began: a utopian project that sought to reunify the Término Redondo de Guayedra and bring it back to life. Thirty years later, thanks to reforestation with endemic species, the restoration of ponds and paths, and the rehabilitation of traditional buildings, the valley has regained much of its splendour.
Today, Redondo de Guayedra not only honours the memory of the ancient Canarians, but also pays tribute to all the generations who inhabited these lands, keeping alive a unique territory, steeped in history, culture and nature.
Those who visit us not only discover a landscape, but also walk through the living history of Gran Canaria.
MAP OF REDONDO DE GUAYEDRA
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