Villa de Teguise

Distance: 1 km

Unevenness: 0

Estimated time: 45 minutes

Teguise was the first capital of the Canary Islands and political centre of the island and first lords of the archipelago, until the conquest of the royal islands, Gran Canaria and Tenerife. This splendour can still be seen in its streets and buildings dating from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, promoted by the Marquises of Lanzarote, on the old Gran Aldea, the main nucleus of the aboriginal society, the Majos. Plaza de la Constitución or San Miguel is the starting point. Here we can visit the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Spínola Palace with its timple museum, and the cilla, a former grain warehouse. Leaving to the northwest, parallel to the facade of the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, we pass through the Callejón de la Sangre (Blood Alley), a name that harks back to one of the many pirate raids that the island suffered. In 1569, the pirate Calafat perpetrated a massacre in this small street. The legend goes that the blood from the corpses ran downstream from the alley, hence its name. We then enter the plaza where Gran Mareta once stood, the main water reservoir of the island, now converted into a square. Passing straight through, we’ll find ourselves on Calle Norte, which leads us to the Hermitage of La Veracruz, originally from the XVI century. We’ll retrace our steps and go down to Calle El Rayo, which will lead us to Calle Carnicería. Perdomo House with its stone facade houses the historical archive of Teguise. In front of Perdomo House, we’ll take Calle Correo, which takes us to Plaza de Maciot de Bethencourt; from there we take the Calle Santo Domingo exit that leads us to the convent of the same name. Today deconsecrated, the church is a cultural space and the old convent is the municipal seat. In front of the convent, on the corner of Calle Gran Canaria, is Castillo House, with an entrance framed by stone columns and an interior garden. From there, we head north towards Calle Jose Betancort, where we’ll find Spínola House. Behind its walls, Spínola House hides a spectacular interior corridor and the presence of renowned personalities linked to Teguise. The reconstructed house of the Marquis of Herrera, currently municipal dependencies, on Calle León y Castillo, shows some pieces of the original, such as the stone doorway, which we’ll pass on the way back to Plaza de la Constitución. Leaving Plaza de la Constitución along Calle Herrera y Rojas, we’ll see the palace of the Marquis of Herrera, rebuilt in the nineteenth century on the original site, and continuing along the street, on the right at the corner with Espíritu Santo, we’ll find the charming municipal theatre, which is located in the old chapel of the same name as the street.