Saint Michael of Abona

San Miguel de Abona 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 San Miguel, located about 580 m s. no. m., declared an Asset of Cultural Interest in the Historic Site category in 2013. Together with the neighboring municipalities of Arona and Adeje it forms the so-called Tenerife South Metropolitan Area with 194,774 inhabitants (2019).

Toponymy

The name of the municipality is made up of San Miguel, which comes from the invocation of the primitive hermitage built in the 17th century and dedicated to the archangel in the founding helmet of the nucleus, and the term Abona, of Guanche origin and which according to some researchers means 'big stones' and by extension 'quarries'. This term alludes to the ancient Guanche kingdom or menceyato in whose territory the town was founded.

Symbols

Shield

The heraldic shield of San Miguel de Abona was approved by Order of the Government of the Canary Islands of September 27, 1993, its description being the following: «In a field of gold, the image of San Miguel Arcángel to the natural, carrying in the right hand and in the sinister sword and scales of silver, at the point of waves of azure (blue) and silver. Border composed of eight pieces, four of gules (red), which correspond to the cantons, those of the chief with a cluster of gold grapes, and those of the tip with an ear of wheat, gold; and four of silver, corresponding to the head and flanks with some natural prickly pears loaded with cochineal, and the one at the tip with a natural ganigo. Stamp: closed royal crown."

Flag

The municipal flag was approved by the Government of the Canary Islands by Order of February 23, 1998, and consists of a «rectangular cloth, silk, taffeta, satin, fleece or synthetic fiber, depending on the case, whose length is once and a half greater than its width; composed of two vertical stripes, the one being blue, the one attached to the pole, the size of a third of the cloth; the one of yellow color to flap, of the remaining two thirds of the cloth. If the flag bears a shield, it must be placed in the center of the yellow strip, preferably on both sides."

Banner

The municipality also has a banner, approved by the Government of the Canary Islands by Order of September 22, 1997. It is described as follows: «Square of cadmium yellow silk or satin 1.25 meters long and 1, 25 meters wide. In the center of the square, the municipal heraldic shield embroidered with the same enamels and metals, and having a height of 832 millimeters (2/3 of the height of the banner). On the edges of the banner, fringes of twisted gold thread 6 centimeters long on all sides of the square, except for the one that is attached to the pole. From the upper part of the pole (moharra throat) hang two intertwined blue and gold cords of three meters each finished off, at the bottom, by gold tassels."

Physical geography

Location

It is located in the south of the island, bordering the municipalities of Granadilla de Abona, Vilaflor de Chasna and Arona.

It covers an area of 42.04 km², making it the 17th largest island municipality and the 31st.er of the province.

The maximum height is reached by the municipality in the area known as El Bucio, at about 1070 m s. no. m.

Orography

In the municipality you can find a rugged landscape dotted with a set of volcanic cones. Thus, in the upper area, the Tilena Mountains and the group formed by the Viña Vieja Mountain, La Montañita, the Garañaña Mountain and the Bense Mountain stand out. In the middle area of the municipal term are located the Chimbesque Mountain, and the Aldea and La Estrella Mountains. On the coast, the alignment of Montañitas de los Erales, Montañita el Charco, Montaña Negra, Montaña del Majano and the two cones called Malpasito de Arriba and Malpasito de Abajo stand out. Right on the coastline is the Montaña Amarilla, a volcanic cone formed by a hydromagmatic eruption.

To the west of the municipality, and serving as the border with Arona, rise the slopes of the Mesas de Aldea and the alignment of La Centinela and the Roque de Jama.

On the coast, reduced and partially cliffed, there is a succession of small beaches of volcanic sand and boulders that emerged at the mouth of the ravines.

Hydrography

The municipal term is crossed by several ravines, highlighting the Uchoba or Ifaya ravine and the La Orchilla ravine, the latter municipal boundary with Granadilla de Abona. Other ravines of a certain entity are the Saltaderos and the Erese ravine.

Climate

The climate of San Miguel corresponds to that typical of the south of Tenerife, high temperatures almost all year round and low rainfall, which defines it as an arid and dry climate.

Average climate parameters of San Miguel de Abona (1982-2012)
Month	Ene.	Feb.	Mar.	Open up.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Ago.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Average temperature (°C)	16.7	17.0	18.3	19.0	20.1	22.2	24.9	26.0	24.6	22.8	19.6	17.6	20.7
Average temperature (°C)	13.6	13.8	14.8	15.3	16.4	18.5	20.9	21.6	20.9	19.1	16.5	14.5	17.2
Temp. medium (°C)	10.5	10.7	11.3	11.7	12.8	14.8	16.9	17.3	17.2	15.5	13.5	11.4	13.6
Total precipitation (mm)	63	49	45	23	12	4	1	2	10	41	78	83	411
Source: Climate-data.org

Nature

Flora

Coastal landscape of the municipality. Deep Yellow Mountain

Although a large part of the municipal area has been transformed by human action, natural plant formations are still preserved. Thus, communities of sea thyme Frankenia ericifolia and sea grape Zygophyllum fontanesii develop along the coastline. Between sea level and 200-300 meters of altitude, the sweet tabaibales of Euphorbia balsamifera stand out, accompanied by thickets of gorse Launaea arborescens and salty Schizogyne sericea, as well as the barrillas and tunnels of Mesembryanthemum crystallinum and Opuntia ssp.. The bitter tabaibal of Euphorbia lamarckii also appears in the coastal area, however ascending up to 900 meters. In the ravine bottoms of the lower area, extensive communities of balo Plocama pendula develop.

The midlands area of San Miguel is intensely anthropized, highlighting the presence of small Euphorbia canariensis cardinals on the slopes of La Centinela-Roque de Jama and in the Los Palos ravine, and some groups of pine forests of Pinus canariensis with jaguars Cistus monspeliensis starting at 800 meters. Substitution scrubs abound, being composed mostly of incense Artemisia thuscula, cruet Rumex lunaria and jaguarzo.

Wildlife

In the group of vertebrates, birds stand out, being common the presence in the municipal term of the kestrels Falco tinnunculus, the rock pigeon Columba livia, the shrike Lanius excubitor, the Andorinian Apus unicolor, the common warbler Anthus berthelotii, the warbler Phylloscopus canariensis, the warbler Sylvia conspicillata or the blackbird Turdus merula. Also noteworthy is the presence of the tagarote falcon Falco pelegrinoides in the surroundings of the Roque de Jama, which finds its nesting place on the cliffs of this formation.

Reptiles are represented by the southern blight lizard Gallotia galloti galloti, the perenquen Tarentola delalandii and the smooth Chalcides viridanus.

Among mammals, the presence of the tailed bat Tadarida teniotis stands out, as well as introduced rats, mice and rabbits.

Geology

Yellow Mountain

Most of the soil in the municipality is made up of basaltic flows from the emissions of the volcanic cones that dot the municipal area, and which correspond to lower eruptions of the rift axis of Tenerife SE -NO. These cones, of Strombolian origin, are composed of basaltic pyroclasts. Also notable for their presence are the salic pyroclastic terrains of heterogeneous composition, predominantly the presence of pumice, which arose in the last pyroclastic eruptions of Edificio Cañadas.

To the west of San Miguel is part of the old building of the Adeje massif, made up of basaltic flows from which stands out the Roque de Jama, which corresponds to a salt dome.

In the extreme south-west of the municipality, next to the coast, is the volcanic cone of Montaña Amarilla, a hydromagmatic edifice made up of yellowish-orange tuffs. In its surroundings, the cemented wind sand deposits associated with its crater stand out.

Protected spaces

San Miguel has an area included in protected natural spaces, these being the Montaña Amarilla natural monument and part of the Roque de Jama natural monument.

For its part, Roque de Jama is also a Special Conservation Area included in the Natura 2000 Network, as is a small part of the La Orchilla ravine to the northeast of the town of San Miguel. Likewise, the coastal strip of the municipality is protected under the ZEC Sebadales del Sur de Tenerife.

History

Guanche period: before the fifteenth century

The area of the municipality has been populated since Guanche times, as demonstrated by the numerous archaeological sites found, having belonged to the kingdom or menceyato of Abona.

The place occupied by the modern urban area was one of the main places of settlement of the menceyato.

European Conquest and Colonization: 15th and 16th Centuries

Church of Saint Michael Archangel

After the conquest of the island in 1496 by Alonso Fernández de Lugo, the territory of San Miguel was populated by settlers, conquistadors and Guanches.

Old Regime: 17th and 18th centuries

Since its origins, San Miguel has been constituted as a settlement for the town of Vilaflor de Chasna, being under its civil, judicial and ecclesiastical jurisdiction.

Around 1665 the descendants of the conqueror and settler of the south of Tenerife, Fernando García del Castillo, built a hermitage dedicated to San Miguel arcángel, thus beginning to develop the nucleus of San Miguel.

In 1796, the hermitage of San Miguel was elevated to the category of parish, a fact that prompted the residents of the place to also request the civil separation of Vilaflor. On March 13, 1798, the Royal Audience of the Canary Islands ratified said separation, empowering the residents of San Miguel to elect the positions of royal mayor, common deputy, trustee and trustee of facts. Thus, the first town hall of San Miguel de Abona was formed, called at this time Local Boards.

Modern period: 19th and 20th centuries

In 1812 the process of genesis of the municipality of San Miguel culminated with the creation of the constitutional city councils under the protection of the Constitution of Cádiz, although it would not be until 1836 when the term was definitively consolidated after the alternations between constitutional governments and absolutists of the first half of the century, and the disappearance of the single municipal regime that had been established since the conquest.

Throughout the xix century, there were clashes between the municipalities of San Miguel and Arona against that of Vilaflor for the use of the mountains of this last, because when the segregation of the first two was established there would be no reforms regarding the use of the neighbors of the pastures and forest resources of the chasneras summits.

Pascual Madoz, in his Dictionary, says of San Miguel around the middle of the xix century:

ABONA (SAN MIGUEL DE). Place with municipality of the island of Tenerife, province, territorial audience and general captainship of the Canary Islands, judicial party of Orotova, diocese of Tenerife: SITUADO al S. de la monte Chiñama en un ameno valle, donde le baten los aires de la brisa. His CLIMATE is healthy: he has jurisdiction in the village of Chiñama. They form the population 359 CASAS divided into neighborhoods: there is in the most central of these a parish church dedicated to San Miguel Arcángel, whose feast as patron of the people is celebrated on September 29th: it is served a priest of ordinary provision. Confine the TÉRMINO by the N. with the Villaflor de Chasna, by the E. with the Granadilla, by the S. with the beach of the Galletas, and by the O. with the term of Arona. The TERRENO is quite broken and scarce in water, only the Fuente-blanca ravine provides, although with a shortage, for the irrigation of some small pieces of land. PRODUCE: wheat, barley, barrel, figs and chochinilla. POPULATION: 359 neighbors, 1,658 souls...

Pascual Madoz, 1843.

In 1907, the first road from San Miguel to the Los Abrigos pier was projected, a work that culminated in 1922 and was part of a state plan to support private initiatives to remove agricultural products —bananas, potatoes, and tomatoes— of the emerging export economy in the south of the island. For its part, the general highway of the South, a communication route that came to replace the old royal roads, reached the town of San Miguel in the 1930s.

In the 1940s, another infrastructure was carried out that will enable the maximum development of export agriculture in the territory of San Miguel: the construction of the South Canal, which transferred water from the Fasnia and Arico galleries to the rest of the insular south.

In 1971, a new fast communication route was opened to traffic, the Autovía del Sur, which connects Santa Cruz de Tenerife with the town and port of Los Cristianos, in Arona. The highway will be widened later and converted into the Autopista del Sur around 1978.

San Miguel, given its small area compared to neighboring municipalities, will not develop at the rate of the so-called tourist boom that has affected the Canary Islands since the 1960s. It will be from the late eighties when leisure tourism is implemented in the municipality, linked to the Golf del Sur and Amarilla Golf complexes.

21st century

Demographics

Graphic of demographic evolution of San Miguel de Abona between 1900 and 2021

Official regular residents according to ISTAC population censuses.

As of January 1, 2021, San Miguel de Abona had a total of 21,872 inhabitants, ranking 13th in number of inhabitants on the island of Tenerife and in the province of Santa Cruz from Tenerife.

The relative population was 385.85 inhab./km².

The evolution of the population of San Miguel remains relatively stable throughout the XIX century century and practically the entire century XX, with some ups and downs caused by economic crises and consequent emigration. The immersion of the municipality in tourism and the development of its coast caused the first considerable increases in population from the 1980s, which reached maximum levels during the first decade of the century XXI with the multiplication by more than double of the registered inhabitants.

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

• The population 0-14 years It was 18% of the total;
• the population 15-64 years corresponded to 72 %;
• population over 65 years It was 10% remaining.

By sex there were 8,158 men and 8,063 women.

Regarding the place of birth, 54 % of the inhabitants of the municipality were born in the Canary Islands, of which 48 % they were born in the municipality itself, 44 % in another municipality on the island and 8 % came from another island in the archipelago. The rest of the population was made up of 9 % of peninsular Spaniards and 37 % of those born abroad.

Foreign population by nationality (2021)
Position	Country of birth	Population
1. a	United Kingdom	2299
2. a	Italy	1182
3. a	Venezuela	649
4. a	Germany	475
5. a	Colombia	217
6. a	Cuba	210
7. a	Argentina	174
8. a	Belgium	172
9. a	Uruguay	153
10. a	China	141

Administration and politics

City Hall

The municipality is governed by its city council, made up of seventeen councillors.

List of mayors since the 1979 democratic elections

Mayor.	Start of mandate	End of mandate	Party
Daniel Feo Feo	1979	1983			Union de Centro Democrático (UCD)
Victoriano Toledo Rodríguez	1983	1983			Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE)
Claudio Delgado Díaz	1983	1987			Popular Coalition (CP)
Claudio Delgado Díaz	1987	1995			Innerfeña Group of Independents (ATI)
Claudio Delgado Díaz	1995	1999			Coalition Canaria (CC)
Arturo Eugenio González Hernández	1999	2007			Coalition Canaria (CC)
Valentín Esteban González Évora	2007	2009			Centro Canario Nacionalista (CCN)
Víctor Chinea Niebla	2009	2011			Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE)
Valentín Esteban González Évora	2011	2015			Centro Canario Nacionalista (CCN)
Arturo Eugenio González Hernández	2015	-			Coalition Canaria (CC)

In the 1983 elections, one of the polling stations was challenged, resulting in the AP-PDP-UL being the mayor.

After those of May 2007, a pact government was formed between the PSOE and the CCN, in which the candidates alternated in the mayoralty.

After the May 2011 elections, the CCN and CC formed a pact to govern.

After the 2015 elections, a pact government was formed between the CC and the PSOE.

Territorial organization

The municipality is included in the Comarca de Abona.

San Miguel is divided into six population entities.

Economy

In recent years, tourism has been an economic activity that has begun to prosper in the municipality after the establishment of the Amarilla Golf and Golf del Sur tourist developments, which exploit an offer based on leisure sports and the practice of golf.

Communications

Roads

The main communication routes through which the municipality is accessed are the Autopista del Sur TF-1 highway and the General del Sur highway TF-28. Likewise, there are a series of secondary roads that connect the different population entities of San Miguel de Abona with each other or with other municipalities.

• TF-561 TF-563 to El Frontón
• TF-563 from San Miguel to Vilaflor by El Frontón
• TF-565 from El Roque to La Escalona by Jama
• TF-647 de Charco del Pino a Las Zocas
• TF-65 from San Miguel to Los Abrigos
• TF-652 from Las Chafiras to Las Galletas
• TF-655 from Las Chafiras to Los Cristianos
• TF-657 from Aldea Blanca to La Camella by Buzanada

Public transport

San Miguel has several taxi ranks in Las Chafiras and Guargacho.

By bus —guagua— the municipality is connected by the following TITSA lines:

Heritage

Tramo de la calle de la Iglesia en el centro urbano de San Miguel

The urban center of the municipal capital has been declared a Historical Complex for constituting the best-preserved traditional nucleus in the south of the island, from an architectural perspective and its rural environmental values. In it, the parish church of San Miguel and some private buildings from the 18th century to the xx, such as El Calvario or the Captain's House.

Culture

Cultural facilities

Parties

Several festivals are celebrated in the municipality, being local holidays Shrove Tuesday and September 29, the festival of Saint Michael the Archangel.

The main festivals are:

Religion

The believing population of San Miguel mainly professes the Catholic religion, the parishioners being divided into five parishes: the matrix of San Miguel Arcángel in the town, Immaculate Heart of Mary in Aldea Blanca, Nuestra Señora del Carmen in Guargacho, San Esteban in Las Zocas and San Roque in El Roque. These parishes belong to the archpriesthood of Granadilla of the diocese of Tenerife.

Places of interest

• parish church of San Miguel
• Guargacho Interpretation Centre
• San Miguel Castle amusement park
• Viewers of El Frontón and La Centinela
• Parques de La Centinela y La Calzada
• Cho Pancho Recreative Area
• Beaches of Amarilla, Colmenares and Barranco

Featured Characters

• Juan Bethencourt Alfonso (1847-1913): doctor and historian.

Twinnings

• Arafo, Canary Islands, Spain
• Plasencia, Extremadura, Spain
• Yaguajay, Sancti Spíritus, Cuba

Gallery

Panoramic area of the municipality from Amarilla Mountain