Garachico is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

and town on the northern coast of

Tenerife Tenerife ( ; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands, an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. With a land area of and a population of 965,575 inhabitants as of A ...

, about 52 km West of the capital

Santa Cruz de Tenerife Santa Cruz de Tenerife (; locally ), commonly abbreviated as Santa Cruz, is a city, the capital of the island of Tenerife, Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and one of the capitals of the Canary Islands, along with Las Palmas. Santa Cruz has a ...

, 50 km from Tenerife North Airport and 67 km from Tenerife South Airport. The town itself nestles below a 500m+ (1500 ft) cliff. The city of Garachico with its port was founded by a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

Genoan banker Cristóbal de Ponte after the conquest of Tenerife in 1496. The May 5, 1706 eruption originating from the northwest

rift zone A rift zone is a feature of some volcanoes, especially shield volcanoes, in which a set of linear cracks (or rifts) develops in a volcanic edifice, typically forming into two or three well-defined regions along the flanks of the vent. Believed ...

was a major event in the town's history. Prior to then, Garachico was an important port exporting Malmsey wine and other local produce. However, a several-week-long eruption poured lava into the old bay and effectively destroyed the town's livelihood. The town itself was partially destroyed. (Contrary to the 'Tourist trade' myth, which will tell you that the town was completely destroyed, except for the church where the townfolk took refuge.) Garachico has always taken care of its environment and protected the most diverse cultural manifestations. For all these reasons, the Spanish government awarded the town the Gold Medal of Fine Arts, which was presented in 1980 by His Majesty the Kin

Pictures

Gara11.jpg, "piscinas" Gara15.jpg, old buildings Gara19.jpg, tiny street Gara24.jpg, small park Vista de Garachico, Tenerife, España, 2012-12-13, DD 05.jpg, view Tenerife-Guarchico-3.JPG, old buildings Tenerife-Garachico-2.JPG, view Tenerife-Garachico-1.jpg, street Garachico (20).jpg, Church of Santa Ana Art in Garachico.jpg, Art installation

Pictures

References

See also