Puntallana

Puntallana is a Spanish municipality belonging to the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, in the autonomous community of the Canary Islands. It is located in the northeast of the island of La Palma.

It has an area of 35.09 km² and a population of 2,547 inhabitants (INE 2022). Its altitude is 420 meters above sea level and it has a coastline of 12.95 km, where the easternmost point of the island is. It is located 10 km from the capital of the island, Santa Cruz de La Palma.

Geography

Puntallana borders with Santa Cruz de La Palma through the Barranco Seco to the south, and with San Andrés y Sauces through the Barranco de La Galga to the north. On its border with the municipality of El Paso is the highest peak, Piedrallana, 2,200 meters high. The coast is steep in general terms, but between the areas known as Martín Luis and El Ancón it is relatively low, hence the name of the municipality. The most characteristic of its relief are two sets of aligned mountains. Among the most outstanding are Tenagua, Estalero or Abiseros, Zamagallo, Loral, Siete Cejos or Juego de La Bola and La Galga. For this reason, Puntallana is known as the town of the nine mountains.

	North: San Andrés y Sauces
West: The Pass		This: Atlantic Ocean
	South: Santa Cruz de La Palma

History

In aboriginal times, the current territory of Puntallana corresponded to the Benahoarita canton of Tenagua, whose last chief was Atabara. After the Castilian conquest, a large number of settlers settled who, thanks to the favorable climatic conditions in the area, began to develop agriculture based on wheat, which made the municipality known as the granary of the island. The first churches also appeared from a very early period, such as that of San Juan Bautista, the Hermitage of Santa Lucía or that of San Bartolomé in La Galga, but also the first manor houses such as the Hacienda de Don Juan Fernández de Lugo in Santa Lucía or Lujan House. Like many palmeros, the inhabitants of Puntallana have had the need to emigrate to other places, especially to America. From the second half of the XX century, living conditions have improved remarkably (Construction of the Northern Highway, arrival of electricity, improvements in the water supply, etc.), while wheat cultivation was gradually replaced by vines, vegetables, fruit trees and, above all, bananas.

Neighborhoods

Barrios de Puntallana

• The Galga
• The Granel
• San Juan de Puntallana
• Saint Lucia
• Tenagua

Demographics

Graph of demographic evolution of Puntallana between 1842 and 2021

Population of law according to population censuses of the INE.Population in fact according to population censuses of the INE.Population according to the INE Municipal Register.

Heritage

Cardonal de Martín Luis.

Nogales beach.

La Galga Cube.

Cardonal de Martín Luis: Next to the road that leads from Tenagua to Martín Luis, this natural space is home to the largest reserve of cardones (Euphorbia canariensis) on the island. It is an interesting nucleus of this endemism of the Canary Islands, which is included among the spaces protected by the Government of the Canary Islands known as the Barranco del Agua site of scientific interest.

Nogales Beach: This is the longest black sand beach on the island. Located next to a large cliff, it is accessed through a path of stairs. It is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the Canary Islands, although it is somewhat dangerous due to the currents in the area.

Casa Luján: Colonial mansion from the XVII century of Canarian architecture, used as a town hall and school until the 1980s and which today houses an Ethnographic Museum and a Center for the promotion and sale of artisan products.

Cube of La Galga: It is one of the best preserved laurel forests on the island, due to the existence of a spring in it. It houses a large amount of flora such as ferns, fayas, viñátigos, laurels, holly trees, lime trees, etc. It is accessed through a path where it can be seen in all its splendor. It has been part of the La Palma Biosphere Reserve since its creation, within the Las Nieves Natural Park.

Legends

The most well-known legend of the municipality is that of the Salto del Enamorado. Tradition tells that a shepherd had fallen in love with a young maiden who, tired of her pretensions, proposed a suicide test to obtain her love: to circle three times with a spear over a cliff in the La Galga neighborhood. The brave goatherd accepted the challenge and took the first of those turns shouting In the name of God!, the second said In the name of the Virgin!. When he gave the third he exclaimed In the name of my beloved, I have already won it!, but the brave boy lost his balance and fell into the void. Since then the place has been known as El Salto del Enamorado, and a statue has been dedicated to the shepherd on La Galga Mountain.

Parties

The main celebrations in Puntallana are:

• Saint John the Baptist (patronal): June 24.
• Santa Cruz: May.
• Saint Bartholomew Apostle: second half of August.

Other notable township celebrations include:

• Sacred Heart of Jesus (July).
• Saint Lucia of Syracuse (December).
• Virgin of Piedad (September).