Fasnia

Fasnia is a municipality belonging to the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, on the island of Tenerife —Canary Islands, Spain—. The municipal capital is located in the urban area of Fasnia, located at 450 m s. no. m..

Toponymy

The name of the municipality comes from that of its administrative capital, being a term of Guanche origin that also appears in historical documentation with the variant Fasnea.

Regarding its possible meaning, historian Dominik Josef Wölfel associates it with the Berber word tafessena / tifesseniwin, 'step, rung of a ladder&# 39;, an opinion that is also accepted by the philologist and historian Ignacio Reyes.

Physical geography

Location

It extends across the southeast sector of the island, bordering the municipalities of Güímar, La Orotava and Arico.

It occupies an area of 45.11 km², ranking 16th on the island and 27th in the province.

The municipal capital is located 450 m s. no. m., the municipality reached its maximum altitude at the elevation called Montaña Abreu, at the central summit of the island, at 2 402.8 m s. no. m.

Orography

The area located at a higher altitude, above 2,000 meters, presents a flatter topography, with recent materials such as those of the Fasnia volcano. The Abreu Mountain is also found in this area. The rest of the surface is characterized by an irregular relief and a significant slope that has forced the construction of terraces when cultivating crops, as well as extensive pumice coverage. In the lowest area, between the Morrito and San Joaquín ravines, is the Fasnia Mountain, which reaches an altitude of 403 meters above sea level.

Acantilado de La Hondura, site of scientific interest

The coastline is occupied by a small cliff, interrupted at the mouth of the ravines. The La Hondura Cliff, declared a site of scientific interest, and the Roque de Fuera stand out on this coastline. On this coast there are different points that from the south to the north are the following: Punta de la Marfea or Restinga, Punta de Honduras and Punta del Abrigo. In the area closest to Güímar, is Laja Amarilla.

Hydrography

Fasnia is crossed from the summit to the sea by numerous ravines, the largest being the Linde or Las Ceras ravine —on the border with Arico—, the Volcán ravine or Achacay ravine, the Tenaso or San Joaquín ravine, and the Herques ravine —border with Güímar—. Other important ravines are the Quebrada ravine, the Canal ravine, the Guincho ravine, the Chapín ravine and the Salina ravine.

Climate

The warmest month is August, with an average temperature of 22.1 °C, the coldest being January, with 14.4 °C. The average annual temperature is 17.9 °C.

Regarding rainfall, the municipality registers an average of 403 mm per year, with December being the rainiest month with 81 mm.

Average Fasnia climate parameters (1982-2012)
Month	Ene.	Feb.	Mar.	Open up.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Ago.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Average temperature (°C)	17.5	17.8	19.1	19.7	20.8	22.8	25.4	26.5	25.2	23.5	20.5	18.4	21.4
Average temperature (°C)	14.4	14.7	15.6	16.1	17.1	19.1	21.4	22.1	21.5	19.9	17.4	15.3	17.9
Temp. medium (°C)	11.4	11.6	12.1	12.5	13.5	15.4	17.4	17.8	17.9	16.4	14.4	12.3	14.4
Total precipitation (mm)	62	49	45	23	11	4	1	2	9	41	75	81	403
Source: Climate-data.org

Nature

Protected spaces

Los Roques de Fasnia

The municipality has the protected natural spaces of the Barranco de Fasnia and Güímar natural monument and the site of scientific interest of the Acantilados de La Hondura. It also has part of the Teide National Park and the Corona Forestal Natural Park.

History

Guanche period: before the fifteenth century

The territory where the municipality is located has been inhabited since Guanche times, having belonged to the kingdom or menceyato of Abona. The area close to the urban area was one of the places of the menceyato that concentrated the most population.

European Conquest and Colonization: 15th and 16th Centuries

Since the beginning of the 16th century, the territories of Fasnia, Güímar, Arafo and Candelaria formed a region with a royal mayor. The capital of said region was originally in Candelaria, later moving to Güímar in 1630.

Old Regime: 17th and 18th centuries

Church of San Joaquín

In 1723, Fasnia was annexed in religious and civil matters to Arico. Finally, in 1795 it was segregated from this last town, leaving the term of Fasnia reduced to its modern limits.

In 1796, the hermitage of San Joaquín acquired the category of parish.

History of the image of San Joaquín

Various stories are told about the appearance of the patron saint of the parish, San Joaquín, who was exchanged for an animal, perhaps a baby goat or baifo. His image was placed in a cave, later being moved to the old church. ^{[citation needed ]}

Modern period: 19th and 20th centuries

Pascual Madoz, in his Dictionary, says of Fasnia in the middle of the xix century:

FASNIA or FASNEA: place with city council (...) on the island and diocese of Tenerife, judicial party and income management of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (8 leagues), SITUADO in montuoso land with free ventilation and good CLIMA. It consists of about 300 CASAS being a third part caves open to peak, and a church of a ship dependent on the cure of Güímar. Confine your TÉRMINO to the N. with the bark of Herque, jurisdiction of Güímar; the E. with the sea; the S. with the ravine of Cano, dividing point of this term and that of Arico, and O. with the high summits that divide this term with that of Orotava; in it are the payments of the Zarza, of Sombrera and Sabinalta. The TERRENO, for the most part, is montuous, of which the CAMINOS are involved that lead to the peoples and circum-British payments. INDUSTRIA: canvas fabrics are made for different uses, and in less portion others of wool, PRODUCTS: wheat, barley, potatoes, wine, figs, chochinilla, honey and wax; there are cattle and sheep wool, POPULATION: 350 neighbors, 1,600 souls...

Pascual Madoz, 1849.

The inhabitants of the municipality have been characterized by their fight against the aridity of the land, until in 1934 Juan González Cruz managed to find water, thus beginning the drilling of galleries that allow water to be diverted to other municipalities.^{[citation required]}

Demographics

Fasnia demographic evolution figure between 1900 and 2021

Official regular residents according to ISTAC population censuses.

As of January 1, 2020, Fasnia had a total of 2,818 inhabitants, occupying the penultimate position in number of inhabitants on the island of Tenerife and 43rd in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, as well as 74th in the autonomous community of the Canary Islands.

The relative population was 62.47 inhabitants/km².

By gender, there were 1,475 men and 1,343 women.

From the analysis of the population pyramid it can be deduced that:

• The population between 0 and 14 years was 10% (295 people) of the total;
• the population aged 15 to 64 was 66 % (1 855 pers).
• and the population over 65 was 24 % (668 pers.) remaining.

Regarding the place of birth, 83% of the inhabitants of the municipality (2,341 people) were born in the Canary Islands, of which 53% (1,233 people) were born in another municipality on the island, the 44% (1,020 people) in the municipality itself and 4% (88 people) came from another island in the archipelago. The rest of the population was made up of 4% (106 pers.) of those born in the rest of Spain and 13% (371 pers.) of those born abroad, mainly in Venezuela.

Communications

Roads

The main communication routes through which the municipality is accessed are the TF-1 South highway and the TF-28 General del Sur highway, there are also some secondary roads that connect the different population entities:

• TF-532 from Fasnia to La Sombrera by La Zarza
• TF-620 de Los Roques a Fasnia

Public transport

The municipality has an on-demand transportation service, through microbuses, called Tuwawa —offered by TITSA— that performs public transportation functions within the municipality. In addition, the municipality is connected to other points on the island by bus —guagua— through the following TITSA lines:

Roads

In the municipality there are sections of several roads:

• SL-TF 263 Camino Real El Escobonal - Fasnia.
• Camino Las Eras - Los Roques.
• Trillo Road.
• Old Way of High Sabine to La Zarza.
• Fasnia Volcano Path.
• Camino de El Cuchillo

None of the trails is approved by the Red de Senderos de Tenerife.

Economy

In the past, agriculture had a great weight in the economy of the municipality, with crops of vines, flowers, potatoes and tomatoes. Currently, this practice is largely abandoned and is testimonial. It has a small number of professional farms.

Other economic activities that take place in the municipality are commerce, hospitality and livestock. These activities also have a relatively small weight in the development of the municipality.

Most of the inhabitants of Fasnia who are working do so in workplaces located in other municipalities on the island, mainly in the Tenerife South metropolitan area or in the Santa Cruz de Tenerife metropolitan area, for Therefore, Fasnia could be considered a dormitory town.

Symbols

Shield

The municipal coat of arms was approved by Decree of the Council of Ministers of October 25, 1968. It has the following heraldic description:

"Shield cut off. First, silver, two rocks in their color on waves of azure and silver. Second, of azure, three well-ordered bundles of gold. The bell, open royal crown."

The rocks represent those that exist on the coast of the municipality, known as Los Roques de Fasnia. The three beams symbolize the three population centers and their traditional cultivation of cereals.

Flag

The flag was approved by the Government of the Canary Islands on June 17, 1998.

Rectangular cloth, silk, tafetan, raso, lanilla or synthetic fibre, according to the cases, whose length instead and a half greater than its width; composed of two horizontal strips of equal size; of red the superior - as memory of the eruptions initiated on 5 January 1705, whose lávica current originated the volcanoes of the Black Mountain-, and of blue sky communities the inferior - If the flag bears a shield, it must be placed in the center of the cloth, preferably with both sides.

Administration and politics

City Hall

The municipality is governed by its council, made up of eleven councilors.

List of mayors since the 1979 democratic elections

Mayor.	Start of mandate	End of mandate	Party
Manuel Oliva Pérez	1979	1979			Independent Fasnia Group (IFA)
Joaquín Ramón González Díaz	1979	1983			Independent Fasnia Group (IFA)
Manuel Oliva Pérez	1983	1985			Popular Coalition (CP)
Agustin V. Díaz González	1985	1987			Popular Coalition (CP)
Pedro Hernández Tejera	1987	1991			Independent Fasnia Group (IFA)
Juan Pedro Pérez Pérez	1991	1991			Democratic and Social Centre (CDS)
Pedro Hernández Tejera	1991	1995			Independent Fasnia Group (IFA)
Pedro Hernández Tejera	1995	1999			Innerfeña Group of Independents (ATI)
Pedro Hernández Tejera	1999	2011			Coalition Canaria (CC)
Damián Pérez Viera	2011	2022			Canary Socialist Party (PSC-PSOE)
Luis Javier González Delgado	2022	-			Canary Socialist Party (PSC-PSOE)

In October 1991, a motion of no confidence against the mayor of the CDS Juan Pedro Pérez Pérez was approved.

Territorial organization

The municipal territory is included, for the most part, in the Comarca del Sureste, while its area included in the Corona Forestal natural park is part of the Comarca del Macizo Central.

The municipality is divided into seven population entities:

Social welfare

Education

The municipality has two educational centers: the Guajara Compulsory Education Center in the town, where both primary and secondary education are offered, and the La Zarza Early Childhood and Primary Education Center, which is a unitary center.

Health

Fasnia has local medical offices in the municipal area and in the center of La Zarza.

Security

The municipality has the following police forces:

• A local police station, located in the town hall building.
• A Civil Guard post, located outside the hull.

Heritage

The ruins of the Old Church of Fasnia

Guatimac Guanche Idolillo found in the municipality of Fasnia

The Herques ravine is a place of archaeological interest, as Guanche mummies and other objects have been found in its caves, such as the well-known Guatimac idol, which is found in the Archaeological Museum of Puerto de la Cruz.

Of its architectural-religious heritage, the Calvario hermitage and the Fasnia Mountain hermitage stand out; the church of Ntra. Sra. del Carmen, in La Zarza, and the ruins of the Old Church of Fasnia, both from the 17th century. Likewise, Fasnia has a rich architectural heritage of natural caves and houses built with volcanic tuff. Among its most emblematic engineering works, the Camino Real stands out, the main route of communication with other municipalities on the island for centuries.

Culture

Cultural facilities

The development of cultural facilities is a pending aspect in the municipality. There is a project to rehabilitate and improve the old cinema in the municipal area.

Parties

Diverse festivals are celebrated in Fasnia, with local holidays being Shrove Tuesday and August 18 —the festival of San Joaquín—

The patron saint festivities in honor of San Joaquín are held in August, and those of the Virgen del Rosario in October. The rest of the year other festivities are celebrated in the different nuclei.

Religion

The majority of the believing population of the municipality professes the Catholic religion, the parishioners being divided into two parishes: the main parish of San Joaquín in the town of Fasnia and the parish of the Virgen del Carmen in La Zarza, both belonging to the archpriesthood of Güímar of the diocese of Tenerife.

Fasnia also has other places of Catholic worship:

• Church of the Virgin of Carmen in Las Eras
• Hermitage of the Virgin of the Dolores in the Mountain of Fasnia
• Hermitage of the Virgin of Carmen in La Zarza
• Hermitage of St Isidro Labrador in Sabina Alta
• Chapel of San Roque in Los Roques
• Chapel of St. Silvestre in La Sombrera

Sports

In the municipality of Fasnia, a multitude of sports are practiced, including: soccer, Canarian wrestling, futsal, basketball, climbing, rappelling, hiking, cycling, etc.

Football

Soccer is the most practiced sport in the municipality.

The Fasnia Brisas del Teide Municipal Soccer School is a club that competes in the lower categories in which children and adolescents are trained in the practice of this sport, it has several teams of different categories distributed according to age.

The Fasnia Brisas del Teide Sports Union is a club that represents the municipality in the regional category. He has a great rivalry with UD Arico. He currently plays in the second regional category.

In the municipality, the practice of Canarian wrestling is deeply rooted. The Brisas del Teide Wrestling Club is the representative of the municipality in this sport, it has teams in various categories.

Football

La Zarza Futsal is the only club in the municipality that currently participates in official competitions. He is originally from La Zarza although, in recent years, he has moved the usual place where he plays his matches from the La Zarza sports center to the town sports center, since the latter is the only one in the municipality that has the conditions required by the federation.

Traditionally this sport has been widely practiced in the municipality, with the organization of tournaments on the occasion of the patron saint festivities and the existence of different clubs in other nuclei such as Las Eras or Fasnia.

Twinnings

• Arafo, Santa Cruz de Tenerife