Terror

Teror is a Spanish town and municipality belonging to the island of Gran Canaria, in the province of Las Palmas, autonomous community of the Canary Islands.

The municipality is known above all because it venerates the image of the Virgen del Pino, patron saint of the diocese of the Canary Islands (which includes the province of Las Palmas), for which reason its capital is also known as Villa Mariana of Terror.

Toponymy

The name of the municipality is taken from that of its municipal capital, which in turn is a term of aboriginal origin, being the name with which the ancient Canaries called the area.

Until the end of the 17th century it was called with the variants Terori and Terore.

In the list of Canarian populations existing before the Castilian conquest of the island, given by the chronicler Andrés Bernáldez in his work Memories of the reign of the Catholic Monarchs, it appears with the variant Dreadness.

Regarding its possible meaning, Professor Dominik Wölfel, who compares it with the Gomeran voice Arure, finds as parallels in the Berber languages the words taurirt 'conical pile', tâûrirt / thiuririn 'hill', turaret / turâr 'hill&# 39; and tarurut 'hill'.

This translation of the term as 'hill' it is shared by the philologist Ignacio Reyes, who proposes a primary form tărorit.

Symbols

The town of Teror has an official heraldic shield and municipal flag.

The coat of arms of the municipality was approved by agreement of the Council of Ministers on February 25, 1955, its description being:

Hearing barracks. First, gules, castle in its color. Second, of gold, lion of gules. Third, of azur, tower in its color terraced of gules, accompanied by two palm trees highlighted each of a dog. Fourth, half set and cut, first, of blue, of silver; second, of siple, well to the natural; and third, of gules, castle to the natural, with a silver ribbon at the foot with the legend «Malo Mori Quam Foedari». Silver scuson with a pine to the natural charged with a Marian silver anagram. To the bell, royal crown open. At the foot, gold ribbon with the legend "Ave Maria".

For its part, the flag was approved by the Government of the Canary Islands by Order of August 6, 2007, being described as:

Two horizontal stripes, one of green and one of the opposite to the previous one of yellow colour. The whole of the two stripes has a measure of 30% of the height of the flag cloth, being the proportion as follows: green 22.5% and yellow 7.5%. White central horizontal strip with a measure of 40% of cloth height. The shield will be placed in the center of this cloth, occupying 90% of the height of it. Two horizontal strips, one yellow and one infraposed to the previous one of green color. The whole of the two stripes has a measure of 30% of the height of the flag cloth, being the proportion as follows: green 22.5% and yellow 7.5%.

Geography

Located in the north of the island of Gran Canaria, 20.6 km from the island capital, Teror occupies an area of 25.8 km², making it the fourth smallest municipality on the island. The municipal perimeter is 33.2 kilometers.

Teror borders the municipalities of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Santa Brígida, Vega de San Mateo, Valleseco, Firgas and Arucas.

The municipal seat is located at an altitude of 543 m above sea level. no. m., being among the 10 highest municipal capitals on the island. Landlocked, the minimum level is reached by Teror at the confluence of the Pino and Lezcano ravines, at 25 m a.s.l. no. m., while the highest altitude of the term is the elevation known as El Talayón, at 1254.9 m s. no. m.

Protected Natural Spaces

The municipality has 14% of its surface included in the Canarian Network of Protected Natural Spaces, part of the Doramas rural park and the protected landscape of Pino Santo belong to its jurisdiction.

Climate

Teror's location to the windward side of the island determines its climate with average annual rainfall of about 6 l/m² and the frequent presence of dew and fog in the autumn and winter months. As a place of midlands, the high temperature contrast between the hottest and coldest months is common, being able to exceed 30 °C in summer and drop to 6 °C in winter.

Teror's average climate parameters (1982-2012)
Month	Ene.	Feb.	Mar.	Open up.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Ago.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Average temperature (°C)	16.9	17.3	18.7	19.2	20.5	22.5	25.1	26	24.7	23.3	19.9	17.8	21
Average temperature (°C)	13.7	14.1	14.9	15.4	16.7	18.6	20.8	21.4	20.8	19.3	16.9	14.5	17.3
Temp. medium (°C)	10.6	10.9	11.2	11.7	13	14.7	16.5	16.8	16.9	15.3	13.9	11.3	13.6
Total precipitation (mm)	43	34	29	15	7	2	1	1	8	28	56	56	280
Source: Climate-data.org

History

Teror, seen from the road of Valleseco.

The history of Teror is linked to certain fundamental events. The conversion of Teror into a religious and pilgrimage center for the people of Gran Canaria; and its importance as an agricultural center in the midlands of Gran Canaria.

Its development arose from the 15th century, together with the appearance of the image of the Virgen del Pino and the need to look for agricultural settlements in fertile lands with plenty of water. The town was developed in the territory of the ancient forest that covered the north of the island, this development being related to the consolidation of the Marian devotion of that time.

In the first half of the 16th century, Teror had a royal mayor elected by the governors.

During the 17th century, Teror experienced significant population growth. Urban development, together with the spread of the cult of the Virgen del Pino, made Teror a nucleus of great prosperity in which the most important families of Gran Canaria began to settle, manifesting their economic power and social prestige with their presence there. It is also the time of the first emigration of Teroros to America, as was the case of Bernardo Rodríguez del Toro, the first Marqués del Toro and member of an old Canarian family.

The nineteenth century will be decisive for Teror in its configuration, both politically and territorially. In 1836 the town council of Teror acquired the political and economic power that until then had been held by the council of Gran Canaria.

Notable dates in the history of Villa Mariana

• Year 1481: Apparition of the Virgin of Pino.
• Year 1514: The primitive hermitage of the Virgin of Pino joins the church of the Sagrarian of the Cathedral of the Canary Islands.
• Year 1590: Teror is granted the title of villa.
• Year 1600: The second temple is built to Our Lady of Pino.
• Year 1607: First "drop" of the image of the Virgin of Pino to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
• Year 1640: The villa of Teror has a public barn.
• 1684: A temporary fort destroys the Pino de las Maravillas, where the virgin appeared.
• Year 1708: The construction of the Portuguese yellow tower of the basilica is completed.
• Year 1767: The construction of the third church to Our Lady of Pino ends.
• Year 1790: Creation of the first school of children in the Villa Mariana.
• Year 1808: Popular uprising against the downfall of the church of Pino.
• Year 1810: The construction of the Basilica of Our Lady of Pino ends.
• Year 1828: The construction of the Bridge of the Mill ends.
• Year 1836: The constitutional council of Villa Mariana is definitely set up.
• Year 1842: The territory of Valleseco is segregated from Teror.
• Year 1888: The Cistercian convent is opened.
• Year 1895: The road that connects Las Palmas with Villa Mariana ends.
• Year 1905: Canon crowning takes place by the Reverend Factory of Saint Peter of the Virgin of Pino.
• Year 1914: The Virgin of Pino is declared the chief patron of the diocese of the Canary Islands. The village of Villa Mariana stands in defense of rights over the Agria Fountain.
• Year 1916: The church of the Pine is designated as a minor basilica.
• Year 1925: The construction of the Dominican convent of the Villa Mariana.
• Year 1952: The first pilgrimage of Pino is celebrated.
• Year 1958: Prince Juan Carlos I of Spain visits the Villa Mariana.
• Year 1963: Princes Juan Carlos I of Spain and Sofia of Greece visit the Villa Mariana on their journey of boyfriends.
• Year 1969: The last restoration of the Basilica of Our Lady of Pino is made.
• 1976: The Basilica of Our Lady of Pino is declared a National Monument.
• Year 1979: The environment of the Basilica of Our Lady of Pino is declared an Artistic Historical Set.
• 1982: The Town Hall of the Villa Mariana manages to save the exploitation of the Agria Fountain.
• 1988: The Prince of Asturias, Philip of Bourbon and Greece, visited Teror.
• 1991: The municipality is institutionally associated with the municipality of Candelaria on the island of Tenerife.
• Year 2014: The centenary of the proclamation of the Virgin of Pino as patron of the diocese of the Canary Islands is commemorated.
• Year 2016: The centenary of the designation of the church of Pino is celebrated as a minor basilica.

Demographics

The municipality, which has an area of 25.7 km², has 12,424 inhabitants and a population density of 483.42 inhabitants/km² according to the municipal register for 2017 of the INE.

Graphic of demographic evolution of Teror between 1900 and 2021

Official regular residents according to ISTAC population censuses.

The breakdown of the population according to the Continuous Register by INE population unit as of January 1, 2017:

Administration and politics

Town Hall of the villa of Teror.

After the June 1987 elections, a quadripartite pact was formed in Teror between the Unión de Independientes de Teror, PSOE, CDS and AP formations, which took the mayoralty from the Canarian Popular-Centrist Democratic Party, which had managed to win the elections by getting 8 councillors. The position of mayor alternated for years among the candidates of the four allied parties.

In the May 2015 elections, a new pact was formed between the PP, Nueva Canarias, CC and Alternativa por Teror, with which the mayoralty was seized from the PSOE, which had won the elections. In 2016, a motion of censure against the mayoress presented by the councilors of the PP and the PSOE prospers, alternating the mayoralty between the two during the rest of the legislature.

After the May 2019 elections, the pact between the councilors of the PSOE and the PP was renewed, again alternating the mayoralty.

List of mayors since 1979

The municipality has been governed since the first democratic elections in 1979 by the following mayors:

Mayor.	Start of mandate	End of mandate	Party
Salvador Cardens Fálcon	1979	1983			Teror Independent Neighbors Group (AVIT)
Cesareo Ramos Santana	1983	1983			Popular Alliance-PDP-UL Popular Democratic Party
Antonio M. Ojeda Herrera	1983	1983			Popular Alliance-PDP-UL Popular Democratic Party
Cayo Yánez Rodríguez	1983	1987			Popular Alliance-PDP-UL Popular Democratic Party
Germán Grimón Domínguez	1987	1988			Union de Independientes de Teror (UNITE)
Octavio Arencibia Suárez	1988	1989			Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE)
José del Pino Pérez Ramírez	1989	1990			Democratic and Social Centre (CDS)
Cándido González Sánchez	1990	1991			Popular Party (PP)
Juan de Dios Ramos Quintana	1991	2015			Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE)
María Isabel Guerra Sánchez	2015	2016			New Canary Islands (NC)
Gonzalo Rosario Ramos	2016	2018			Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE)
José Luis Báez Cardona	2018	2019			Popular Party (PP)
Gonzalo Rosario Ramos	2019	2021			Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE)
Sergio Nuez Ramos	2021	Currently in charge			Popular Party (PP)

Territorial organization

The municipality is divided into the following singular entities or localities and their corresponding nuclei:

• The Alamo: The Alamo, Cuesta Falcón, Muñigal, Pedregal, Las Peñas and Quebradero.
• Arbejales: The Corrales, The Cuesta, Degollada, Lomontero, Ojero, Sacred Heart and The Toscas.
• White
• Spartero: Spartero, El Faro, Laurelar and Pinar de Ojeda.
• The Hornillo
• Miraflor: Barranco Zapatero, Llanos de Arévalo, El Lomo, Lomo Cobo, Miraflor and Mujica.
• El Palmar: Barranco del Pino, El Escobonal, Guanchía, Huertas del Palmar, Masape, Las Paredes, La Peña and Seven Puertas.
• The Roses
• San Isidro
• San José del Álamo
• Teror (municipal capital): Barrio del Pino, Buenavista, Los Llanos, El Rincón, San Matías, El Secuestro, Teror (casco), El Chorrillo and El Hoyo

Economy

The economic activity of the municipality is based on agriculture, crafts, commerce and the food industry (pastry, delicatessen and mineral water bottling).

Evolution of outstanding debt

The concept of outstanding debt includes only debts with savings banks and banks related to financial credits, fixed-income securities and loans or credits transferred to third parties, excluding, therefore, commercial debt.

Graphic of evolution of the city council's living debt between 2008 and 2017

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

Heritage

Archaeological

Teror's main archaeological heritage is the troglodyte settlement of La Guanchía.

Basilica of Our Lady of the Pine

Basilica of Our Lady of Pino in Teror.

The basilica of Nuestra Señora del Pino is the most important building in Villa Mariana de Teror and one of the most important on the island of Gran Canaria, since inside it is the image of the Virgen del Pino, patron saint of the diocese of the Canary Islands. The basilica has three naves, the center one being the largest, culminating in semicircular arches and a gabled roof, and a yellow masonry tower located on the right side of the basilica's façade. Inside you can see the chapel of the baptistery, in the lower presbytery we find the altar of Christ Tied to the column of Luján Pérez, making the corner of this the altar of the Blessed Sacrament presided over by a Crucified Christ of Luján Pérez.

House Museum of the Patrons of the Virgin

This is a historic house located in the surroundings of the basilica. Its origin dates back to the 17th century and it belongs to the Manrique de Lara family for five generations as patrons of the Virgin. Previously it was the residence of the Rodríguez del Toro family. In it Bernardo Rodríguez del Toro was born in 1675, to whom King Felipe V conferred the Marquesado del Toro and who was the origin of a distinguished Venezuelan family from whose bosom would be born María Teresa Rodríguez del Toro y Alayza, wife of the Liberator Simón Bolívar, Francisco Rodríguez del Toro, IV Marqués del Toro and first Commander in Chief of the Venezuelan independence army, Fernando Rodríguez del Toro, President during the First Venezuelan Republic, or Fermín Toro, architect of the recognition of the independence of Venezuela by Spain.

In the house-museum is the room where Néstor Álamo used to stay, the chronicler of Teror and precursor of the pilgrimage of El Pino.

Formerly, the museum was the place where the silver throne and the treasures of the Virgen del Pino were kept, possessing a small chapel presided over by an image of the Virgin.

Royal Street of the Plaza

Calle Real de la Plaza.

Calle Real de la Plaza is one of the most emblematic places in the center of Villa Mariana. The social, commercial, political, religious and cultural life of the municipality has passed through it for five centuries. Its houses and shops are part of the historical memory of all the people of Gran Canaria, as a place of reception and a prelude to the Basilica of Nuestra Señora del Pino.

Its origins date back to the birth of the urban center of Teror, at the beginning of the 16th century, although its modern appearance took shape in the 16th century span style="font-variant:small-caps">xviii and xix, in full religious and commercial splendor of the town. Throughout its history, Teror's main street has had various names. It was Baldomero Argente from 1914 to 1937, and General Franco from that date until 1995. But since time immemorial it has always been known as La Real, a name evocative of its stately and distinctive character as the main artery of the town.

For five centuries, Calle Real de la Plaza has witnessed all the major events in the municipality and, every year, it becomes the main setting for the Pine Festival and its pilgrimage-ofrenda, as well as other important festivals of terror.

La Real is a commercial street by tradition, where some of the oldest shops in the municipality are kept, Francisco Bethencourt López, one of the most important merchants on the island in the xix, was established here until its bankruptcy in 1880. Since then and for much of the xx, Calle Real was established as one of the most intense commercial areas on the island, where the latest innovations arrived directly from the port of Las Palmas, mainly in the textile sector.

In Calle Real they also established themselves in the xix, the Hotel Inglés and in the xx the Hotel El Pino, where many families and personalities spent their summer vacations.

The architecture of the street is varied, the result of different eras. However, in almost all the facades the balcony is manifested as a distinctive element, which serves as a privileged palace to witness multiple events that run through it.

Like any public space, Calle Real de la Plaza has undergone transformations throughout its history, adapting to the times and circumstances of the time. Originally, the pavement was dirt, then it was cobbled, and in the 1930s it was paved for the first time.

Cistercian Monastery

The building is conceived as a monastic function of rigorous closure. It is made up of three main bodies: the church, the convent and the hostelry. Currently this community is well known for the preparation of artisan sweets.

Episcopal Palace

It is located at the back of the Basilica of Nuestra Señora del Pino. The building was a gift from the people of Teror to Bishops Morán and Delgado, in gratitude for their tireless struggle in the construction of the basilica. The palace has several halls and patios.

Teresa de Bolívar Square

Diagonal to the Basilica of Nuestra Señora del Pino is this beautiful square that recalls the Terorense origin of the family of María Teresa Rodríguez del Toro y Alayza, wife of the Liberator Simón Bolívar. There the coat of arms of this illustrious family is engraved in stone.

Osorio Farm

The Osorio farm is located inside what was the old Doramas jungle. The Osorio Nature Classroom is located here, which offers visits, exhibitions, courses, etc.

Sour Source

It is the main source of income for the Teror City Council. It is located in the Teror ravine, and consists of three large springs.

Teror Viaduct

Inaugurated on December 20, 2010, the viaduct rises over the Teror ravine at a height of 74 meters and is 215 meters long and 10 meters wide. With the construction of this bridge, a better connectivity of Teror with the rest of the island was sought. The Teror Viaduct is considered the most emblematic construction of the municipality after the Basilica of the Virgen del Pino. On the other hand, the construction of the viaduct has been opposed by the residents of Villa Mariana and environmental groups.

Candelaria Fountain

It is located in the Muro Nuevo area and it is a monument that commemorates the twinning made in 1991 of the two great Marian villas of the Canary Islands: the town of Teror and the municipality of Candelaria in Tenerife. The La Candelaria Fountain has the stone shields of both towns. In the aforementioned Villa Mariana de Candelaria there is also the Plaza de la Villa de Teror that commemorates the same event.

Teror Market

The Teror market is the busiest and largest commercial market in all of Gran Canaria. The presence of the Virgen del Pino brings a large number of people to the town.

The Sunday fair is one of the main economic engines of the municipality.

The market in Teroro only became established throughout the xix century, under the protection and attraction of the sanctuary and devotion to the Virgen del Pine tree. Since 1872, specific references to the Villa Mariana market have already been known as a consolidated market in reference to the Official Gazette of the Canary Islands. Since 1932, the Sunday Market has developed, expanding its location area, even reaching up to 140 merchant stalls.

In the past, fresh produce from the land was the main reason for this popular and cultural fair on the island, but today there is a wide variety of products available. Most refer to food, textiles and jewelry, but there are also flowers, religious objects, toys, crafts, etc.

Crafts

A canary knife, traditional from the island of Gran Canaria.

The rich artisan production of Teror offers basketry, tinsmithing, wood carving, fretwork, macramé, embroidery, clay, cane work, looms, crochet, perfumes, etc.

The Canarian knives, with steel blades and cow horn ends, finished in gold, silver and other materials, are a symbol of the island's identity. Its elaboration is long, forging the blades one by one and filing them to achieve a high quality and long-lasting edge, and composing the decoration of the cape with a complete and meticulous work.

The wood carving is done in tea, the resinous wood of the Canary Island pine. In the past it was used in construction and currently offers a great diversity of products such as: boxes, chests, furniture, as well as reproductions of balconies and traditional farm tools.

Basketry uses different vegetable fibers. With straw and tobisco bark they make granaries and bajayos to put the cereals; baskets are made with reeds and wicker; ropes are intertwined with bulrush fibers and brooms are made with palms.

The traditional loom of Gran Canaria is the horizontal one. Traperas, saddlebags, bags, curtains, bedspreads, tablecloths and many garments that make up the typical costumes of the island of Gran Canaria are made with it.

The openwork is a long unraveling process that achieves complex patterns on the weave of the fabric, placed on a stretcher.

Pottery deepens its roots in the pre-Hispanic past. The traditional pieces that have been used for centuries in Gran Canaria have not stopped following the guidelines set by the ancient aborigines. In recent times, ancestors working without a lathe have recovered decorative motifs from the prehistoric tradition, which are usually painted with red ocher; Reproductions of the old pintaderas and idols have been added to the traditional pieces for domestic use.

Parties

Image of the Virgin of the Pine of Teror.

The main festivities in Teror are those celebrated on September 8 in honor of the virgen del Pino, patron saint of the municipality. Tens of thousands of faithful from all over the archipelago congregate on these dates in the municipality. The pilgrimage on foot on the eve of the holiday is a tradition.

On the Sunday after the day of the Virgin, the patron saint festivities of Teror called "Día de las Marías" are celebrated in which the Virgen del Pino processions after the solemn mass at 7 pm and runs along Calle Real until arriving at the entrance of the village where fireworks are launched. It is an exclusive celebration of the town, which takes advantage of the events that are organized for the Virgen del Pino but in a more communal way.

The other massive celebration is the so-called Water Festival, which is held on the last Sunday of July. It is a festival whose purpose is thanksgiving for the rains that have fallen throughout the year. The votive or water festival replaced in the xix century the «bajadas» of the Virgen del Pino to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, which were done by famines, epidemics, droughts or other public calamities. Over the years, this votive festival of the Virgen del Pino became institutionalized, celebrating every year the function of thanksgiving, regardless of the specific motivation for a certain public calamity. In 1903, two more images were added to the procession of the image of the Virgin, which were chosen by lot among those of saints existing in the basilica.

The Water Festival was generally celebrated in July or the first fortnight of August, at the time of the wheat and barley harvest and the summer potato harvest; It consisted of the descent of the Virgin the day before, a solemn religious function presided over by the Bishop, a procession of the Patron Saint accompanied by the images that corresponded to them by lottery and various civic acts. The last water festival celebrated in this way was in 1929; Due to the granting of military honors from Captain General to the Virgen del Pino, it was estimated that without the representation of the Head of State and company of honors it was not possible to take the Patron Saint out into the street and this votive festival ceased to take place until after the civil War.

At the initiative of the Brotherhood of Farmers and Ranchers, the festival was restarted, but without a procession of the Virgen del Pino, consisting of a religious function in the Basilica and an offering procession with the image of San Isidro Labrador.

The main festivals and celebrations of the municipality are:

Twinned cities

• Spain
  • Candelaria, Tenerife, Canary Islands
  • Nava, Asturias
  • Breña Alta, La Palma, Canary Islands
  • Niebla, Huelva
  • Valleseco, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
  • Adeje, Tenerife, Canary Islands
  • Vinuesa
  • Tinajo, Lanzarote, Canary Islands
• Cuba
  • Santiago de Cuba

Geographic location

	North: Firgas y Arucas
West: Valleseco and Firgas		This: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
	South: Santa Brígida and Vega de San Mateo

Gallery

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  Dome of the basilica.

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  Facade of the Artistic Historical Set.

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  Facade of the Artistic Historical Set.

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  Basketball in the Artistic Historical Set.

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  Architecture included in the Artistic Historical Set.

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  Calle de la Diputación.