Tacoronte

Tacoronte is a municipality belonging to the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, on the island of Tenerife —Canary Islands, Spain—.

The municipal capital is the city of Tacoronte, located 490 m above sea level. no. m. and 21 kilometers by road from the capital of the province.

Toponymy

The municipality receives its name from the city, which in turn takes it from the ancient Guanche kingdom or menceyato of Tacoronte, being a term of Guanche origin that according to some researchers means 'mount around the corner'.

Physical geography

Location

It extends through the northeast sector of Tenerife, bordering the municipalities of El Sauzal, El Rosario and San Cristóbal de La Laguna.

It has an area of 30.09 km², ranking 20th on the island and 40th in the province.

The municipality is geographically divided into two distinct zones; a low-medium zone that corresponds to the city of Tacoronte and the coastal neighborhoods, and a high zone located between the Autopista del Norte and the central summit of the island.

Orography

Tacoronte rises on a ramp formed by basaltic flows that descends from the Pedro Gil ridge, at heights between 1,100 and 1,300 meters, to the sea, where it culminates abruptly in coastal cliffs of about 200 meters of unevenness, presenting the municipality an average altitude of 651 m s. no. m.. It is crossed by several ravines, among which Guayonje, San Jerónimo and San Juan stand out. In the northeastern area there are several Strombolian-type volcanic cones formed by basaltic pyroclasts —La Atalaya, La Caldera and Lomo Colorado—, around which there are important sandy-clay deposits developed as an alteration of the lava flows and pyroclasts, and which They form part of the deposits of the Los Rodeos and La Laguna plains. In the area of summits, the Montaña del Cerro stands out with 1217 m a.s.l. no. m., being the maximum municipal height at 1,302 m s. no. m. on the Pedro Gil ridge, in the area known as Asiento de las Colmenas.

Hydrography

Among the largest ravines in the municipality, the San Juan ravine, the San Jerónimo ravine and the Guayonje or Agua ravine stand out.

Climate

Tacoronte's average climate parameters (1982-2012)
Month	Ene.	Feb.	Mar.	Open up.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Ago.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Average temperature (°C)	16.5	16.8	18.1	18.7	19.9	21.8	24.4	25.6	24.3	22.8	19.6	17.5	20.5
Average temperature (°C)	13.5	13.7	14.6	15.1	16.3	18.1	20.4	21.2	20.6	19.2	16.6	14.4	17
Temp. medium (°C)	10.5	10.7	11.2	11.6	12.7	14.4	16.4	16.9	17.0	15.6	13.6	11.4	13.5
Total precipitation (mm)	76	58	58	31	17	7	2	3	11	50	93	97	503
Source: Climate-data.org

Nature

Flora

Although most of the natural vegetation has disappeared due to farmland and buildings, Tacoronte preserves low-lying scrubland and tabaibal-cardonal along its entire coastline in good condition. For their part, the summits are covered with fayal-brezal, a pine forest of distinguished pine Pinus radiata product of reforestation for industrial purposes, and some nuclei of laurel, highlighting the one found on the mount of Garcia water.

Tacoronte has several of the monumental trees of the island.

Wildlife

Geology

Protected spaces

Tacoronte has part of the protected landscape of Las Lagunetas and Costa de Acentejo, which are included in the Canary Islands Network of Protected Natural Areas. The Las Lagunetas area is also a Special Conservation Area and a Special Protection Area for Birds, included in the Natura 2000 Network.

It also has an area of the Public Utility Mountain called "Agua García y Cerro del Lomo".

History

Guanche period: before the 15th century

Tacoronte has been inhabited since Guanche times, as evidenced by the numerous archaeological sites found in the area. The territory of the modern municipality was part of the kingdom or menceyato of Tacoronte, one of the territorial demarcations into which the Guanches had divided the island before the arrival of the Castilian conquerors in the XV.

European Conquest and Colonization: 15th and 16th Centuries

During the conquest, Tacoronte was part of the so-called war bands when rejecting the invasion. Once the conquest was finished in 1496, the lands and assets of the old menceyato were divided between conquerors and settlers, considering Sebastián Machado, a resident of Guimaraes, as the founder of the place of Tacoronte.

The town of Tacoronte developed around the primitive hermitage of Santa Catalina, erected by Machado and the residents in 1505.

Tacoronte initially depended both administratively and ecclesiastically on El Sauzal, until in 1540 it began to have its own royal mayor.

At the end of the XVI century, Fray Alonso de Espinosa says of Tacoronte in his work Historia de Nuestra Señora de Candelaria:

Tacoronte It's a population of labyrinths who haven't needed their neighbors.

Fray Alonso de Espinosa, 1594.

Old Regime: 17th and 18th centuries

The hermitage of Santa Catalina was elevated to the rank of parish in 1604 by Bishop Francisco Martínez de Cenicero.

In 1676 the place is described by the historian Juan Núñez de la Peña as follows:

TACORONTE. It is a great place, all of it vineyards, its neighbors are rich husbandmen; it has a good parish of Santa Catalina martir, with its Cura, and some chaplains, has made in this place a great convent, of the order of S. Augustine, which has cost many ducats, to devotion of Captain Diego Pereira de Castro and Captain D. Thomas Pereira de Castro Ayala his nephew, with the title of patrons, is in the church of this convent a very devout image of Jesus Christ our lord, to the natural standing, embraced with the Cross, slain, and laid foot on a dragon, is of the work of his divine Magestad in the royal chapel of his Magestad. The largest chapel is all golden, it is the church of the best of the island. The one ship of it made the brothers of the tape of St Agustin for its burial; this place has its mayor, and public scribe, is a league of the city.

Juan Núñez de la Peña, 1676.

In the 18th century a powerful elite of rich emigrants formed in the town.

In 1768, thanks to the administrative reforms carried out by King Carlos III, the offices of ombudsman trustee and common deputy responsible for defending the interests of the neighborhood of the places and who were elected by gradual suffrage were created. Likewise, from 1772 the royal mayors began to be elected by the same system. Thus, the first "town hall" of Tacoronte was configured.

The Tenerife historian José de Viera y Clavijo describes the term at the end of the XVIII century as follows:

TACORONTE. He's a league in town, all right. It is a great place of rich farmers, fertile land in grains, wines and fruits, head of kingdom at some time. His parish church is of 3 ships with many silver jewels, memories of his children who have flowed in the Americas. Serve her a priest's provision of the king, with some clergy. There is a convent of Saint Augustine of 12 community, which also has many pieces of silver, good church and a miraculous Christ image. Compound the jurisdiction of 3,421 souls, of which some in the payments of San Juan, with hermitage; La Caridad, with hermitage; Guamaza, Puerto de la Madera, Agua de García, with the hermitages of San José el Viejo, San José el Nuevo and San Jerónimo.

José de Viera and Clavijo, 1772-1773.

Modern period: 19th and 20th centuries

In 1812, protected by the Constitution of Cádiz, it became an independent municipality.

Pascual Madoz describes Tacoronte in the middle of the XIX century:

TACARONTE [sic]. Place with town hall of the island and diocese of Tenerife, (...), judicial party de la Laguna, from whose point a league is dissociated, in a fertile and beautiful plain; it is fought mainly by the winds of the SO. and its CLIMA is temperate and healthy; being the most common diseases catarrhal socks. It has over 800 CASAS, the one of the town halls and the prison; 2 first-letter schools, one public and another, to which 70 to 80 students, a fountain of water of good quality, which serves for the use of their inhabitants; a beautiful parish church of second ascent (Sta Catherine), served by the parish priest and 6 priests, 2 sacristans, a sochantre, an organist and Confina N. con el mar; E. valle de Guerra y Laguna; S. Matanza, y O. Sauzal; se encuentra en su radio los Pagos de San Juan, la Caridad, Guamaza, Puerto de la Madera y Agua de Garcia, en el cual hay un spring, con whose water some orchards are watered. The TERRENO in general is fertile and productive by the good quality of its lands, some of regadi, by means of the waters of the named fountain of the Castle, that the take of the so-called water fountain of Garcia; there is a famous mountain that also bears that name, of about 2 1/2 leagues of circumference with wooded of brezos, tiles, willows, wild oranges and white trees. CAMINOS one leads to the city of the Laguna, is flat and is in good condition; and the other in the interior of the island is quite careless; the CORRESPONDENCE conducts a field in undetermined days; PRODUCTION: wheat and other grains, wines and fruits; the main harvest of the wheat; it breeds a bit of lanar cattle and keeps the of labor indispensable for the work POPULATION: 816 neighbors, 3,011 souls...

Pascual Madoz, 1849.

In 1901, a great advance was made for the economic and social development of the place with the arrival of the tram from the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, which ceased to provide its services in the middle of the century.

On March 23, 1911, King Alfonso XIII granted Tacoronte the title of city during his stay in Tenerife, due "to the development of its agriculture, industry and commerce and its constant adherence to the Constitutional Monarchy".

21st century

Demographics

Graphic of demographic evolution of Tacoronte between 1900 and 2021

Official regular residents according to ISTAC population censuses.

As of January 1, 2014, Tacoronte had a total of 23,929 inhabitants, ranking 10th in number of inhabitants both on the island of Tenerife and in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, as well as 21st. of the Autonomous Community.

The relative population was 795.25 inhab./km².

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

• The population between 0 and 14 years was 15 per cent of the total;
• the population aged 15 to 64 was 70 per cent;
• and the population over 65 was the remaining 15%.

By gender, there were 11,958 men and 11,971 women.

Regarding the place of birth, 89% of the inhabitants of the municipality were born in the Canary Islands, of which 52% were born in the municipality itself, 44% in another municipality on the island and 4% came from from another island in the archipelago. The rest of the population was made up of 4% of those born in the rest of Spain and 7% of those born abroad, especially from Venezuela and Germany.

Communications

Roads

The municipality is communicated mainly by the Autopista del Norte TF-5 and by the General Highway of the North TF-152. Likewise, it presents a whole series of secondary roads that connect the municipal center with the neighboring neighborhoods and towns, the main one being the Tacoronte-Tejina TF-16 Highway.

Public transport

Tacoronte has several taxi ranks, especially concentrated in its center. In the center of the municipality there is a bus station —guaguas—. The municipality is connected by the following TITSA lines:

Roads

Several paths approved by the Tenerife Trail Network pass through the municipality:

• GR 131 Anaga - Chasna
• PR-TF 25 Roots - Home
• PR-TF 25.6 Circular Lomo La Jara

Tacoronte also has a trail adapted for people with reduced mobility and the blind, a pioneer on the island of Tenerife. The route is 860 meters long and runs through one of the best-preserved monteverde areas on the island, with spectacular hundred-year-old viñátigos and other laurel species.

Economy

Tacoronte is an eminently agricultural municipality, with lands dedicated mainly to vine cultivation, included in the Tacoronte-Acentejo wine region and Denomination of Origin.

Likewise, it has an important commercial area —Zona Comercial Abierta Tacoronte— around the Carretera General del Norte as it passes through the municipality, with a central nucleus in the area of La Estación.

The Mercadillo del Agricultor in San Juan offers all kinds of fresh vegetables and fruits. It is the farmers themselves who sell their crops. In the same way, the Municipal Market opens its doors in La Estación (downtown area), which also offers fruits and vegetables, as well as meat and fish from the municipality, sweets, clothing, shopping items, gifts, etc. It has free parking spaces in the same building, located right next to the Capitol-Tacoronte Municipal Auditorium.

There are also a large number of restaurants that offer local wine, typical Canarian food and a wide variety of dishes in general. The best known are in the Agua García area, with many others in the area of the town and in the coastal neighborhoods.

Evolution of outstanding debt

Graphic of Evolution of Living Debt of the City Council between 2008 and 2019

Living city council debt in thousands of Euros according to data from the Ministry of Finance and Ad. Public.

Symbols

Shield

The coat of arms of the municipality was approved by Decree on February 26, 1976. Its description is: «Gules, five silver axes, capped with gold, placed in sotuer, and in chief an ancient gold crown. Gold border, loaded with three sinople vine leaves, and in chief the word Tagoro in sable letters. At the bell, royal crown closed".

Flag

The municipal flag was approved by the Government of the Canary Islands on September 26, 2011. The flag is rectangular with three stripes normal to the sheath. The colors that predominate in municipal heraldry will be used in it: red, green and yellow, the green strip being twice as wide as the red and yellow, and the heraldic shield remaining centered and adjusted within the green strip.

Banner

The municipality also has a banner, approved by the Government of the Canary Islands on March 1, 2011. The banner is described as follows: «Maroon-colored silk, taffeta or satin cloth 1.25 m long and 1.25 m wide. In its center, the municipal heraldic shield embroidered with the colors and enamels of the same and equal in size to 1/2 of the width of the cloth. From the mohana hang three gold cords, three meters each, topped at the bottom by two tassels of the same metal."

Administration and politics

City Hall

The municipality is governed by its town council, made up of a mayor-president and six tenures of mayoralty.

Mayor.	Start of mandate	End of mandate	Party
Guillermo Graham Hernández	1979	1995			Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE)
Hermógenes Pérez Acosta	1995	1999			Innerfeña Group of Independents (ATI)
Hermógenes Pérez Acosta	1999	2011			Coalition Canaria (CC)
Álvaro Agustín Dávila González	2011	2013			Coalition Canaria (CC)
Rodolfo León Martín	2013	2013			Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE)
Álvaro Agustín Dávila González	2013	2019			Coalition Canaria (CC)
José Daniel Díaz Armas	2019	-			New Canary Islands (NC)

After the municipal elections of 2011, a pact government was formed between CC and PSOE. However, in October 2013 PSOE and PP filed a motion of no confidence against the nationalist mayor Álvaro Dávila, a motion that resulted in the expulsion of five of the party's six socialist councillors. In December 2013, the Contentious Administrative Court of Santa Cruz de Tenerife annulled the motion in a precautionary manner, so Álvaro Dávila returned to the mayor's office.

Territorial organization

It is part of the Acentejo Region, with the exception of its surface immersed in the Protected Landscape of Las Lagunetas, which is included in the Macizo Central Region. It is also included in the North and Northeast Associations of Tenerife.

The municipality is divided, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics, into twenty-one singular population entities:

Social welfare

Education

In this Municipality of Tenerife is the first public school in Spain (CEIP Ernesto Castro Fariñas) with an inclusive classroom for students with hearing disabilities, inaugurated in 2018. In this way, they eliminate the communication barriers that exist with people with this disability within the center.

Heritage

The old part of the city is classified as an Asset of Cultural Interest in the Historic Site category, highlighting the sanctuary of Christ, La Alhóndiga, the church of Santa Catalina or La Casona, as well as other buildings of traditional Canarian architecture. It also has important sites of the Guanche culture declared Archaeological Zones, "Juan Fernández-La Fuentecilla" and "Los Acantilados de Tacoronte y El Barranco de Guayonge", located in the lower area of the municipality.

Casa de La Alhóndiga

La Alhóndiga is the place where the wine week of the Tacoronte-Acentejo region is organized annually. Wine tastings are held in this historic building. Almost opposite is El Calvario, a religious place surrounded by hundred-year-old specimens of Canarian pine Pinus canariensis.

The Plaza del Cristo is a square lined with evergreen trees that separates the Santuario del Cristo and ex-convent of San Agustín from the Tacoronte City Hall building. The main popular festivals of Tacoronte are organized in this square.

The church of Santa Catalina is located in the neighborhood of Santa Catalina-Las Toscas, in the old town. This church is the main parish of the city, and in it the image of Santa Catalina Mártir de Alejandría is venerated. The Holy Week and Corpus Christi processions also depart from this church, as well as that of San Isidro Labrador, on the day of his pilgrimage in July. Other buildings of interest stand out such as La Casona or the hermitages of San Jerónimo, Nuestra Señora de la Caridad and San Juan.

For recreation, there is the Hamilton Park, in the vicinity of El Calvario, as well as the Plaza de Óscar Domínguez, where the Drago del Cristo is located, a hundred-year-old specimen of Dracaena draco and one of the monumental trees of the municipality. On the coast there are several small black sand beaches, such as La Arena in Mesa del Mar, El Camello in Guayonje or El Pris, as well as several natural pools. In the upper part of the municipality, in the Agua García neighborhood, is the laurel forest with several tourist trails and a recreational park, Lomo de la Jara. In addition, in the Campo de Golf area there is a sports area and the recreational park of La Libertad.

Culture

Parties

In the municipality of Tacoronte various festivities are celebrated, with local holidays being Shrove Tuesday and November 25, the festival of Santa Catalina.

Among the festivals, the following stand out:

Gastronomy

In the municipality there is an important production of wine, integrated within the Denomination of Origin Tacoronte-Acentejo, being in Tacoronte the most important wineries of the denomination of origin, as well as the regional headquarters.

In the municipality, artisan sweets are also made, the well-known nougats, which are usually sold in street vendors in the party areas of the island.

Religion

Altar of the Holy Christ of Tacoronte or of the Dolores.

The believing population of the municipality mainly professes the Catholic religion, being under the religious patronage of Santa Catalina Mártir de Alejandría and the Santísimo Cristo de los Dolores, and the parishioners are divided into seven parishes belonging to the archpriesthood of Tacoronte of the diocese of Tenerife:

• Matrix of Saint Catherine Martyr in Saint Catherine-Las Toscas
• Parish of Our Lady of Charity, in Charity
• Ntra Parish. Sra. de la Luz, en La Luz
• Ntra Parish. Sra. del Carmen, en Lomo Colorado
• Ntra Parish. Sra. del Rosario, en Barranco de las Lajas
• Ntra Parish. Sra. del Rosario de Fátima, en Agua García
• Parish of Saint John the Baptist, in Saint John-Peralians

The municipality has other Catholic temples, the most important being the church of the Santísimo Cristo de los Dolores or Cristo de Tacoronte, as well as an evangelical church located in El Cantillo.

Sports

The municipality has numerous sports facilities distributed throughout the different neighborhoods, highlighting the Ciudad Deportiva de Tacoronte.

It also has the Club Atlético Tacoronte soccer team and the Naranjeros Tacoronte Wrestling Club, a Canarian wrestling team. Here is also the Real Club de Golf de Tenerife, the second oldest golf course in Spain and the first in the Canary Islands, founded in 1932.

Twinnings

• Güímar, Spain
• Guimarães, Portugal

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