Valsequillo of Gran Canaria
Valsequillo de Gran Canaria, or simply Valsequillo, is a Spanish town and municipality belonging to the island of Gran Canaria, in the province of Las Palmas, autonomous community of Canary Islands.
The Almendro en Blossom festival is one of the most important in Valsequillo, whose natural heritage includes the palm grove of San Roque and Roque Saucillo.
Physical geography
Location
It is located in the central-eastern area of the island of Gran Canaria, the municipal seat being 24 kilometers from the island capital.
Valsequillo is located mostly in the midlands area, not having access to the sea. The municipal seat is located at 574 m s. no. m., the municipality reaching its maximum altitude at 1,842.2 meters above sea level in the Mountain of Bizcochos.
It has an area of 39.15 km², ranking 13th in size on the island.
Climate
Valsequillo has a cold dry semi-arid climate according to the Köppen climate classification.
The average annual temperature is 17.7 °C, with August being the hottest month with 25.7 °C and January being the coldest with 9.2 °C.
The average rainfall per year is 249 mm, with July and August being the driest months with 1 mm, and December the one with the highest rainfall with 51 mm.
Nature
Protected areas
Valsequillo has part of its protected area within the Canary Islands Network of Protected Natural Areas. It shares with the neighboring municipalities the special natural reserve of Los Marteles, and the Protected Landscapes of Lomo Magullo and Las Cumbres.
The Los Marteles reserve is also included in the Natura 2000 Network as a Special Conservation Zone —ZEC—.
History
The pre-Hispanic past of Valsequillo is closely linked to aboriginal religious worship, since it is one of the highest areas of the kingdom or side of Telde, where there was an almogarén or temple at the top of the El Helechal mountain.
It is known that the Castilians entered the Tecén or San Miguel ravine, where there was an important aboriginal population. When the conquistadors arrived, there was a bloody battle with the Canarian leader Tecén, who defended the surroundings of Almogarén de El Helechal. Since then this place has been renamed Place of Burial and Burial of Colmenar.[citation required]
After the conquest of the island, agriculture and livestock were the pillars of Valsequillo's economy in the 16th and xvii. In agriculture, the cultivation of the vine stands out, as in many of the areas of the island, as we have proof of this in the documentation of these centuries. A large number of lands were used for this crop, as was the case of those found in the Era de Mota, Vega de los Mocanes and Tenteniguada, places where there were farms that also found what was necessary for their transformation. in wine. Also the fruit trees had a predominant role in the economy of the municipality, being the fig tree the one that has a predominant role. Although, of course, we cannot forget the cereal, the food base at this time, Valsequillo being a place of supply for the surrounding areas, mainly Telde. Livestock will also play an important role.
In 1640 a hermitage was built, being established by Bishop Verdugo as a parish under the invocation of San Miguel Arcángel in the year 1800. Two years later, Valsequillo, by Royal Order, has its own mayor, for which it consequently obtains the autonomy and separation of the municipality of Telde.
However, religious autonomy (preceding politics) took a long time to be obtained due to the opposition of the beneficiaries of the parish of San Juan de Telde, who saw in the parish independence of Valsequillo a significant loss of income and parishioners. Thus, since the XVIII century we have witnessed a struggle between the successive beneficiaries and the Bishops of the diocese, delaying the creation of a parish help in the area or favoring enmity between the neighbors, especially in the payments that would later form the new municipality and where some ask to withdraw from it and maintain their belonging to Telde, as happened in Goteras, Cazadores, Moriscas, Arenales, etc..
After the creation of the municipality, and in the midst of widespread conflict and famine, the XIX century opens for Valsequillo with the struggle with Telde for the water of the Vega Mayor Estate, where constant usurpations and retributions take place until both towns manage to reach an agreement.
In the most favorable areas for agriculture, scattered habitat models linked to family farming have survived, in which the houses spread out along the fragmented terraces. This type of habitat characterizes the Valsequillo Valley, in which small hamlets and villages are frequent. In addition, there are frequent large groups of houses crowded to the margins of the roads, such as Tenteniguada, Las Vegas or the town of Valsequillo itself.
Demographics
As of January 1, 2017, the municipality had 9,191 inhabitants and a population density of 234.76 inhabitants/km².
It ranks 13th in number of inhabitants on the island of Gran Canaria, and 23rd in the province of Las Palmas.
| Graphic of demographic evolution of Valsequillo de Gran Canaria between 1900 and 2021 |
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Official regular residents according to ISTAC population censuses. |
The demographic evolution of Valsequillo from 1860 to 1991 has three distinct stages. The first period, between the years 1860 and 1950 —3,210 and 6,261 inhabitants in the years 1900 and 1950, respectively—, is characterized by the moderate growth of the population, typical of the municipalities linked to subsistence agriculture.. The second period, between the years 1950 and 1981 —5,733 inhabitants in the year 1981—, is defined by a gradual depopulation, a population that emigrates to the coastal municipalities of the east of the island to work in the incipient tourism sector or in packaging work. of agricultural production. The last stage, between 1981 and 1991 —6,467 inhabitants in 1991—, is characterized by a slight recovery of population numbers.
Territorial organization
Administratively, the municipality of Valsequillo is divided into the following neighborhoods and their respective nuclei:
- La Barrera
- La Cantera: La Cantera and Las Chozas.
- The Casillas
- It was from Mota.
- The Helechal
- The Llanetes
- Llanos del Conde: Los Almendros, Luis Verde and El Roque.
- Lomitos de Correa: Los Juagarzos y Lomitos de Correa.
- The Montañón
- The Pedregal
- The Rincón
- Tecén de Valsequillo
- Tentative: The Mushroom, White Houses and Tentant.
- The Troncon
- Valle de San Roque de Valsequillo: Cuevas Negras, Los Pinos and San Roque.
- Valsequillo (municipal capital): Las Casas, Colmenar Bajo, Majuelo, Mirabala and Valsequillo (casco).
- Las Vegas: Colmenar Alto, La Suertecilla and Las Vegas.
- Los Arenales: Solana del Fregenal y Lomo del Fregenal.
Economy
Export agriculture is of great importance, among which the production of strawberries stands out, with great acceptance in the market and floriculture. The practice of livestock seems to be gradually abandoned and the production it generates is mainly dedicated to the artisanal manufacture of cheeses and the sale of milk.
Of all the agricultural products that characterize the municipality, almond trees are the protagonists of the landscape and of the popular culture of Valsequillo, with more than 2,000 trees scattered throughout the upper area of the municipality, celebrating, in honor of it, the Festival of the Almendro en Blossom in the month of February.
Festivities and popular events
- Almond Route in Flor, January-February.
- Luis Verde, April-May.
- Ntra. Mrs. Las Vegas, Las Vegas, May.
- Mary Helper, Tecén, May.
- Feast of the Virgin, San Roque, May.
- Lomitos de Correa, June.
- San Antonio de Padua, Los Arenales, June.
- St. John the Baptist, Tenteniguada, June.
- The quarry, July.
- La Guinda, El Rincón, July.
- La Cosecha, Era de Mota, July - August.
- San Roque, August.
- The Christ, La Barrera, August - September.
- San Miguel Arcángel, Valsequillo helmet, September - October
Another outstanding festival is La Suelta del Perro Maldito. It is a popular tradition in the municipality that was created by a group of young people. On the night of San Miguel (patron saint of Valsequillo), the legend of the devil is represented, who in the form of a dog, loosens from the chains held by the archangel San Miguel. Along with him came the witches and the devils, then began the struggle between freedom and repression, fears and orgies, parties and confinements. The women and children stayed at home praying, because that night represented misfortune and fear. While the men went in search and capture of the witches who were in the bars and the street partying.
Since 1986, it began to be represented in a theatrical way in the Plaza de San Miguel every September 28 of each year. It begins at 12 at night where all the lights of the town go out and the show begins, with and direct, stilts, special effects, acrobatics, etc., hundreds of participants from the town (neighbors and neighbors) participate, who recreate the popular tradition in an innovative and voluntary way.
Communications
Connections
- Roads
The municipality can be accessed by the Highway to the South and take the turnoff at Telde, and then take a two-way interior road until you reach Valsequillo (GC-41).
- Bus
To get to the municipality it is necessary to change in Telde. From the capital there are lines 12 and 80 and from the south of the island line 90 from the Maspalomas Lighthouse to Telde. Once in the neighboring municipality there is line 43 Telde-Valsequillo and line 13 Telde-San Mateo.
Heritage
Valsequillo has the following assets of value:
- Religious
- Church of Saint Michael Archangel
- Civil
- Colmenar Quartet (BIC)
- Natural
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- Caldera de los Marsles
- Palmeral de San Roque
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