Pico de las Nieves is the second highest peak on the island of

Gran Canaria Gran Canaria (, ; ), also Grand Canary Island, is the third-largest and second-most-populous island of the Canary Islands, an archipelago off the Atlantic coast of Northwest Africa which is part of Spain. the island had a population of that ...

, Canary Islands,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. Its height is above sea level. It is of volcanic origin ( stratovolcano). On its slopes, Canary Islands Pine was reintroduced in the 1950s. Traditionally, Pico de las Nieves has been considered the highest peak on the island of Gran Canaria; however, this is uncertain since Morro de la Agujereada stands at , which would make it higher than Pico de las Nieves.La tecnología destrona al Pico de las Nieves como techo de la isla
/ref> The two mountains stand next to each other. Gran Canaria has the highest elevation of the

province of Las Palmas The Province of Las Palmas (, ; es, Provincia de Las Palmas) is a province of Spain, consisting of the eastern part of the autonomous community of the Canary Islands. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, capital city of this province and of the isla ...

and the third highest in the Canary Islands. Of the other Canary Islands, only

Tenerife Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of Janu ...

and

La Palma La Palma (, ), also known as ''La isla bonita'' () and officially San Miguel de La Palma, is the most north-westerly island of the Canary Islands, Spain. La Palma has an area of making it the fifth largest of the eight main Canary Islands. The ...

have higher peaks.

Name

The name means 'peak of the snows' in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

and refers to the fact that several covered pits (neveras in Spanish) for holding snow were built directly into the mountainsides. (An alternative theory states that the name came about as the mountain had the highest frequency of snowfalls on the island.) The first of the neveras was constructed in 1694 by order of the Catholic Church. The snow was collected by laborers using wooden shovels and wicker baskets, making real mountains of snow. The snow was placed into the pits by the "paleros" in rows, and packed in rectangular boxes of wood or cork separated by layers of straw. There were many blocks of ice, called "sabanada", which in June would be carried in panniers of straw covered with blankets to the ice cream shop in the Cathedral of

Las Palmas Las Palmas (, ; ), officially Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is a Spanish city and capital of Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital (jointly with Santa Cruz de Tenerife), the most populous city in the auto ...

(the capital of the island) on horseback, which took five or six hours. The snow was used for alleviating disease, to lower the temperature in the epidemics of yellow fever and cholera, as well as an anti-inflammatory and analgesic. It was also used for cooling water or beverages for the upper class. Water from the pools was used for irrigation purposes.

Sights

Most of the highest plateau is occupied by a military base, including a large ball-shaped radar. Civilian visitors are allowed to enter a platform somewhat below the base, from which half of the island as well as Tenerife's Pico del Teide is visible, in case of good weather. The most distinctive feature is the Roque Nublo monolith, the second highest peak of the island. The peak could be accessed by a car, as there is a road used by the army. The peak is located between the municipalities of Tejeda, Vega de San Mateo and San Bartolome de Tirajana.

References

Mountains of the Canary Islands Landforms of Gran Canaria {{CanaryIslands-geo-stub